» Grading System Current Students

KIMEP University uses a letter grading system.

KIMEP University uses a letter grading system A, B, C, D, F, etc. Letter grades are further differentiated with “+”. For the top of the grade range or “–” for the bottom of the grade range. Based on the grades assigned, a grade point average is calculated and recorded on the student’s transcript.

Grades and Grade Points

The following letter grades apply to the courses at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels respectively.

Grade	Undergraduate	Masters	Doctoral	Points
A+	Highest grade	Highest grade	Highest grade	4.33
A	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent	4
A–	Very good	Very good	Good	3.67
B+	Good	Good	Passing	3.33
B	Good	Satisfactory	Failing or Passing**	3
B–	Good	Passing	Failing or Passing**	2.67
C+	Satisfactory	Failing or Passing*	Failing	2.33
C	Satisfactory	Failing or Passing*	Failing	2
C–	Satisfactory	Failing or Passing*	Failing	1.67
D+	Passing	Failing	Failing	1.33
D	Passing	Failing	Failing	1
D–	Lowest Passing	Failing	Failing	0.67
F	Failing	Failing	Failing	0

* For Bang College of Business and School of Law two grades of “C” (excluding the Thesis grade) are allowed for graduation. For College of Social Science and College of Humanities and Education two grades of “C” for elective courses are allowed for graduation.

** Grade of “B” and “B-” for DBA students will be considered as passing or failing, depending on whether or not the course is required for the student’s major.

Numerical conversion of letter grades

The following table is a suggested equivalency between classroom numerical averages and the “A” – “F” letter grade scale.

A+

A-

B+

B-

C+

C-

D+

D-

90 – 100

85 – 89

80 – 84

77 – 79

73 – 76

70 – 72

67 – 69

63 – 66

60 – 62

57 – 59

53 – 56

50 – 52

below 50

Administrative grades

The following KIMEP University wide notations apply to both graduate and undergraduate programs. These notations do not affect the calculation of the grade point average.

Grade	Comments
NA	Not Applicable
Pass	Pass
AU	Audit
IP	In Progress
I	Incomplete
W	Withdrawn
AW	Administrative Withdrawal

DESCRIPTION OF ADMINISTRATIVE GRADES

Not Applicable – NA

Credits earned at other institutions transfer to KIMEP University without grades. In such cases the credits are posted to the transcript with the annotation “NA”. Credits with a grade of “Not Applicable” are not included in the calculation of the grade point average.

Grade of Pass – P

In certain cases an undergraduate student may elect to have a course graded on a pass/fail basis rather than receiving a letter grade. Eligibility requirements are discussed below.

To receive a grade of “pass” a student must have selected the pass-fail option at the beginning of the semester.

After the registration period ends the pass-fail option cannot be changed.
An earned grade of C or higher is recorded as “P”; an earned grade of “C–” or less is recorded as “F”.
“P” (pass) earns credits which may count towards graduation.
“P” (pass) has no grade points and is not included in the calculation of the GPA.
“F” earns no credits.
“F” has zero grade points which are included in the calculation of the GPA.

Eligibility for Pass-Fail

Full-time 4th year undergraduate students who are not on academic probation are eligible. The option is not available to graduate students.

There is a limit of 3 credits per semester.
The maximum within a degree is 6 credits.
The pass-fail course must be a free elective course and not a requirement.
The department offering the course must give written permission for pass-fail.
Student must submit signed Pass-Fail form to the Registrar Office till the end of Registration period. Without submitted form Pass-Fail option is not valid.

Grade of Audit – AU

A student who wishes to sit in on a class without receiving a grade may elect to audit a course.

Audited courses are recorded on the transcript with the notation “AU”. Audited courses are not included in the calculation of the GPA.

The grade of “AU” is automatic. The instructor cannot assign any other grade.
Audited courses do not receive credit, cannot be counted towards graduation requirements and cannot be transferred.

Eligibility for Audit

Any student may audit any course for which s/he meets the prerequisites.
The student must register to audit the course.
The student must pay for the course the same as for any other course.

Grade of In Progress – IP

“In Progress” applies to DBA dissertation courses which are taken in a sequence over one or more semesters. Once the dissertation has been successfully defended, the “IP” grade is changed to the appropriate grade for the sequence. A dissertation receives a “Pass”.

The grade of “IP” does not affect the GPA.
If a student does not complete the dissertation the “IP” grade remains permanent.

Grade of Incomplete – I

When a student has completed all except the final requirements for a course, but due to uncontrollable factors is unable to complete the final assessment portion, the instructor may assign a temporary grade of Incomplete (“I”).

The grade of “I” is assigned 0 (zero) credits.
The grade of “I” has no grade points and is not included in the calculation of the GPA.

The following criteria for awarding or refusing an “I” must be adhered to:

A grade of “I” may be awarded only for a serious event that occurs in the last few days of a course.Examples include a serious accident to the student, hospitalization, or the death or serious illness of a close relative. Documentary proof has to be produced for the above. Educational reasons, such as participation in an international educational event that coincides with a final examination, may also justify an “I”.

The student must have completed all course requirements prior to the uncontrollable event.
An “I” may not be awarded for failure to attend class at earlier periods in the semester, as the student will have had sufficient time to make up the time missed.
An “I” may not be awarded merely in order to give a student more time to complete a task. This gives him/her an unjustifiable advantage over other students.
An “I” may not be used as an excuse for failing to meet the course attendance requirements, which are stated in every syllabus.
An “I” may not be awarded as a substitute for a failing or poor grade.
A student’s need to seek employment in order to pay for his/her studies does not constitute a justification for an “I”.
If an instructor feels that there may be a case for a grade of “I” to be awarded, he/she must first discuss this with the Chair or Dean or Director, who must agree that the “I” is in accordance with both KIMEP University and the college or school policy.

Removal of Incomplete

It is the student’s responsibility to arrange to make up the work that has been missed.

It is also the student’s responsibility to contact the instructor and determine what work needs to be completed in order to convert the “I” into a standard grade.
The instructor and the student should develop a plan to complete the remaining coursework in a timely fashion.
The grade “I” should be changed by the instructor to a letter grade (A, B, C, etc.) immediately after the student completes all course requirements. This should be done as soon as possible but at the absolute latest by the end of the seventh week of the semester following that in which the “I” was assigned. (The summer semester is not considered a full semester.) An electronic “ Change Grade Form” shall be used for this purpose. Appropriate documentation must be accompanied with evidentiary support.
If a student fails to complete all requirements as assigned by the instructor during the allowed time period after the incomplete grade was received, the “I” will automatically convert to an “F”.
If an instructor who has assigned a grade of “I” to a student leaves KIMEP before the time limit, the Dean will assign another faculty member to evaluate the remaining coursework and to convert the incomplete to an appropriate letter grade. The Registrar should receive formal notification of the name of the responsible faculty member and all current assessment records of the student; course syllabus and remedial components shall be transferred from the former to the new instructor. The Registrar will not sign a final clearance form for the departing faculty member without formal notification from the Dean on all of the above.
A student may elect to repeat a course rather than remove the incomplete. In such cases the student must register for the course again and pay the regular tuition fees.

Grade of Withdrawal – W (by students)

The grade of W denotes that the graduate or undergraduate student has withdrawn from the course and has not completed the course requirements (Please refer to the academic calendar for the last date to withdraw from a course).

The grade of “W” is automatic. The instructor cannot assign any other grade
The grade of “W” is assigned 0 (zero) credits and cannot count towards graduation.
The grade of “W” has no grade points and is not included in the calculation of the GPA.
The grade of “W” does not count in any restrictions or limitations on the number of retakes for a course.
A student is not obligated to repeat a course from which s/he has withdrawn. However, if the course is required then the student must complete the requirement in order to graduate.
In order to repeat the course a student must register for the course again and pay the regular tuition fees.

Withdrawing from a Course

Before the end of the add-drop period a student can use the online registration system to cancel the registration for a course. After the end of the add-drop period, the student must submit to the Registrar’s Office a completed electronic withdrawal form for each course from which the student is withdrawing. The e-form is available at the Students’ Portal.

The number of grade W of undergraduate course cannot exceed 10 units within the entire study period on Bachelor Degree Program.
Instructor, learning support center coordinator and student will receive automatic E-MAIL notification on course withdrawal record in the system.
Student may exceed the number of W (more than 10 units) only in case of serious reasons (e.g., medical or family emergency, prolonged illness and etc.). Student should apply for “hardship withdrawal” (“HW”) and receive approvals of Program Manager and the Dean of College and submit the approved request to the Registrar Office.
Based on the approved “HW” registrar officer will withdraw the student from all courses he/she is currently registered for and assign grades of “W” for those classes.

A hardship withdrawal (“HW”) cannot be used to withdraw from some courses selectively while remaining being enrolled in other courses. Selective withdrawal will be permitted only under exceptional circumstances.
During fall and spring semesters a student who withdraws early may be entitled to a partial refund of the tuition paid. The cutoff dates and amount of refund are stated in the academic calendar. These rules do not apply to summer semesters. There is no refund after registration period for any summer semesters.
The withdrawal e-form must be received by the Registrar’s Office before the deadline to withdraw.

Students may withdraw from courses until the last day of semester/summer classes. The last date to withdraw is stated in the academic calendar.

KIMEP University Refund Schedule Based upon a 15-weeks term and is linked to the withdrawal schedule as follows:

Week 2 – 80% Refund

Week 3 – 60% Refund

Week 4 – 40% Refund

Week 5 – 20% Refund

No Refund Subsequent to that time.

Grade of Administrative Withdrawal – AW (by administration)

The grade “AW” is equivalent to the grade of “W” in all respects except that the Dean of Student Affairs initiates the withdrawal.

The non-academic type of administrative withdrawal can be initiated by the Dean of Student Affairs in collaboration with the instructor. Administrative withdrawal applies to emergency situations that do not allow the student to continue his/her studies in a course or at the university. An emergency situation may include medical conditions, family issues that impact the ability to study, excessive financial debt, or other reasons deemed appropriate by the Dean of Student Affairs. This type of withdrawal may be initiated at any time during the semester. The Dean of Student Affairs has the final decision on the appropriateness of an “AW” grade.

KIMEP University reserves the right to take administrative and/or legal actions to the students whose payments have not been received by the tuition due date, as indicated in the Academic Calendar or in the payment plan.

Following administrative actions will be taken in case the student has overdue tuition balance:

Withdraw (administrative withdraw) with “AW” grade from registered classes, i.e. the student won’t be able to attend classes, submit assignments, and sit final examinations.
Withdraw (administrative withdraw) from the University, if outstanding balance is not paid in full by the end of the following semester (classes end) unless the student has made satisfactory arrangements prior to this date.