ProjectAdvance

How are grades determined?

Students enrolling in SU courses through Project Advance normally receive both high school and college credit for the courses. The high school grade is determined by your school's grading criteria. The college grade is determined by the same standards used on the SU campus. A-F are normal grades for Syracuse University courses. Other University grade designations are:

• I (Incomplete) This is given when a student has not completed the coursework when grades are assigned.

• WD (Withdrawal) A student may choose to withdraw from the course. This, however, does not remove the financial responsibility to Syracuse University for the outstanding balance.

Following each semester, you will receive a grade report showing credits and grades earned for that semester.

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What is a GPA (grade point average) and how will my work in these courses affect my GPA?

The grade point average reflects your overall average college grade. It is calculated by dividing the sum of grade points earned in all courses by the total number of credit hours (the number of credits assigned to each course or unit of a course). Grade points for each course are derived by multiplying the number of course credits by the point value of the grade. Syracuse University employs a plus/minus grading system. Points are assigned as follows:

A = 4.0                        C = 2.0

A- = 3.667                  C- = 1.667

B+ = 3.333                D = 1.0

B = 3.0                       F = 0

B- = 2.667                 I  = 0

C+ = 2.333   

Only courses in which these grades are assigned may be counted toward your GPA. In the spring semester, calculations for your GPA and the number of credits earned will appear for both the spring semester and for all the SU courses you have completed, which is your cumulative average.

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What are credit hours?

In most colleges and universities, the courses you take are described in credit hours. Some courses are worth three credit hours, some four, etc. You complete an undergraduate program of study in college (a major) when you accumulate a number of credit hours (usually 120 to 122) that satisfies a specified combination of courses in your major, courses that fulfill institutional requirements, and elective courses you choose to take.

Often, course credit (hours) taken at one college or university can be transferred to another and applied toward degree requirements. Upon successful completion of the SU courses you take through Project Advance, you will have earned course credits from Syracuse University.

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Will my SU grades affect my GPA at the college I eventually attend?

Most institutions do not use grades of courses accepted for transfer credit when calculating a student's GPA at that school. However, the grade you earn in your SU course is part of your permanent record at SU and will count toward your GPA if you attend SU. If you are concerned about how your grades earned in SU courses will affect your GPA, you should contact the registrar at the college you choose to attend for information.

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How do colleges recognize work done at another institution?

Colleges and universities can recognize coursework taken at other institutions in several ways.

Based on the student’s transcript, which is proof that he or she has completed college coursework, institutions may transfer the credit hours into a student’s program of study, reducing the number of courses the student must complete to graduate.

They may also offer a student the option of using transferred courses to gain exemption from specific course requirements. These might include courses that fulfill distribution or general education requirements, introductory writing courses, and courses required within a major or minor course of study.

Finally, colleges and universities may allow the student to use transfer courses to fulfill prerequisite course requirements, thus placing the student in a higher level of a course sequence.

All of these forms of recognition may be granted individually or in combination.

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Academic Honesty

At Syracuse University, academic integrity is expected of every community member in all endeavors. Academic integrity includes a commitment to the values of honesty, trustworthiness, fairness, and respect. These values are essential to the overall success of an academic society. In addition, each member of the University community has a right to expect adherence to academic integrity from all other community members.

"Syracuse University students shall exhibit honesty in all academic endeavors. Cheating in any form is not tolerated, nor is assisting another person to cheat. The submission of any work by a student is taken as a guarantee that the thoughts and expressions in it are the student's own, except when properly credited to another. Violations of this principle include the following: giving or receiving aid in an exam or where otherwise prohibited; fraud; plagiarism; the falsification or forgery of any record; or any other deceptive act in connection with academic work. Plagiarism is the representation of another's words, ideas, programs, formulae, opinions, or other products of work as one's own either overtly or by failing to attribute them to their true source." (Section 1.0, University Rules and Regulations.)

The complete policy is available from Syracuse University's Academic Integrity Office or by selecting the link:

SU Academic Integrity Policy