Written coursework that does not conform to the fundamentals of good English usage will be returned to the student for revision or adversely graded at the discretion of the instructor.
At the end of each term, the standing of a student in each of his/her courses is reported by the instructor to the Registrar and is entered on the student’s permanent record. Standing is expressed according to proficiency using a grading system with plus and minus designations, which is also used to determine quality points for calculating grade point averages. At Sage Graduate Schools, the grades of A+ and D are NOT used. Sage uses the following grading systems:
Sage Graduate Schools Grades
| A = Distinguished Work |
| B = Average Work |
| C = Below Average Work |
| F = Failure |
I (grade) = Incomplete
A grade of Incomplete (“I”) may be awarded at the discretion of the faculty member if a student is unable to complete all the work for a course due to illness or a comparable emergency. In order for a grade of “I” to be granted, a student should have completed most of the work for the course in the opinion of the instructor. If an “I” is granted, the student has the right to complete the work by the date specified by the faculty member. The grade of “incomplete” at the end of any term must be removed before the end of that term the following year.
Students with two or more incompletes will have a Dean’s hold placed on their registration, until their continued status in the program is reviewed by the program director. The student will not be allowed to re-register for the course (either for credit or audit) in a subsequent semester until the Incomplete is removed.
P = Passing
Indicates that the student has passed the course (for courses designated as Pass/Fail)
W = Withdrawal
This grade can only be used by the Registrar’s office, when the student officially withdraws from the class or when the student is administratively withdrawn. The Deans of the Graduate Schools may direct the Registrar to administratively withdraw students at any time during a semester up to the date that final grades are due from faculty. In extremely rare cases, circumstances might warrant the issuance of a “W” after the conclusion of a semester and after the faculty member has assigned a letter grade (A, B, C, D, or F as appropriate) or an Incomplete (I) grade. In this event, deans will consult with the Registrar, and the faculty member that assigned the original grade. The faculty member will then make a decision regarding the issuance of a “W” in place of the original grade. In the event the faculty member is no longer with the institution, the decision will then be made by the appropriate Department Chairperson. Prior to the Dean signature, the student must have Advisor and Financial Aid approval to withdraw from a course. Financial Aid approval does not prevent the student from withdrawing; it does provide a review so that the student knows if the “W” will negatively impact their financial aid.
RP = Research in Progress
In designated courses such as theses, research projects, honors projects, and independent projects, incomplete work may be assigned a grade of “RP.” “RP” grades indicate that the initial expectation was that the work to be evaluated normally requires more than one semester. The “RP” grade may not be used in place of an incomplete (“I” grade) for any course which students are normally expected to complete within the original semester. Within one year from the time the “RP” grade is assigned, students must complete a course for which the “RP” grade was given. A student whose research requires longer than one year may request an extension of the “RP” for up to one additional year. The program director may grant the request for an extension of the “RP” grade, depending on the degree of completion of the project. The extension will be granted only if there has been substantial progress. If a course is not completed in one year from the end of the semester in which the grade of RP was assigned, then the grade will be automatically converted to an NC. The student will be required to re-register for the course.
NC = No Credit
No Credit grade is awarded when Research in progress or Dissertation in progress have not been completed within the time limits.