Grading System
The following grading system is followed at Dar Al-Hekma University:
Grades Symbols and Definitions
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A+: Exceptional
Equivalent to a numerical grade of 95-100% and indicates an outstanding achievement of distinction.
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A: Excellent
Equivalent to a numerical grade of 90-94% and indicates a superior achievement of distinction.
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B+: Very Good
Equivalent to a numerical grade of 85-89% and indicates very good extensive achievement.
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B: Good
Equivalent to a numerical grade of 80-84 % and indicates good extensive achievement.
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C+: Above Average
Equivalent to a numerical grade of 75-79% and indicates an above average achievement.
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C: Average
Equivalent to a numerical grade of 70-74% and indicates satisfactory achievement.
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D+: High Pass
Equivalent to a numerical grade of 65-69% and indicates a high pass achievement.
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D: Pass
Equivalent to a numerical grade of 60-64 % and indicates minimal achievement.
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F: Fail
Equivalent to a numerical grade of less than 60% and indicates inadequate achievement and that the course must be repeated to secure credits.
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DN: Denial
Indicates that a student was administratively dropped from a course due to exceeding the allowed absence limit.
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IP: In Progress
Is given only for research-based courses which require more than one semester for completion. Upon completion, the "IP" grade is replaced with the new earned grade.
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IC: Incomplete
Is given to a student who successfully completed a minimum of 60% of the course work requirements but was not able to take the final exam or complete the final project on the due date for a valid reason submitted ahead of time.
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AF: Absence Failure
Is a temporary grade assigned to students who completed a minimum of 60% of the course work requirements and passed them but failed to attend the final exam or submit the final project on the due date and time without previous notice.
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W: Withdrawal
Indicates that the student withdrew from a course within the allowed period for withdrawal.
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NP: No grade – Pass
Is assigned for Pass/Fail-based courses and is equivalent to a numerical grade of 70% and above. A grade of
"NP" is also assigned to courses transferred from other universities.
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NF: No grade – Fail
Is assigned for Pass/Fail-based courses only and is equivalent to a numerical grade of less than 70%.
Grade Point Average
Dar Al-Hekma University uses a five-point grade system for calculating the Grade Point Average (GPA) and adopts the following grade points equivalent for each grade symbol:
- A+ = 5.00 points
- A = 4.75 points
- B+ = 4.50 points
- B = 4.00 points
- C+ = 3.50 points
- C = 3.00 points
- D+ = 2.50 points
- D = 2.00 points
- F or DN = 1.00 point
Semester Grade Point Average
The Semester Grade Point Average (SGPA) is calculated by dividing the total number of grade points earned per credit hour by the total number of credit hours in a semester.
Cumulative Grade Point Average
The Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) is calculated by dividing the total number of grade points earned per credit hour by the total number of credit hours in all the courses taken at Dar Al-Hekma University. The grades of transferred courses from other universities are not used to calculate the CGPA.
The grade of "NP" does not effectively have grade points, and therefore, it does not affect the GPA calculation. The grades of "IP," "IC," and "AF" do not have grade points and do not impact the calculation of the CGPA. Dar Al-Hekma University considers the credits in which these grades are received to be attempted, but not successfully completed, and therefore, will decrease the overall successful course completion percentage until given grade points.
The grades of "NF" and "W" bear no grade points, and therefore, they do not influence the calculation of the CGPA. In this case, the University considers the credits in which these grades are received to be attempted, but not successfully completed, and therefore, they will decrease the overall percentage successful course completion.
GPA Calculator
Grading Operations
Dar Al-Hekma University follows the rules and regulations below in its grading operations.
Grade Submission
The final grades of a course are posted on the Student Information System (SIS) for the student view within a maximu period of three days from the date of the final exam of each course.
Changing of a Grade
The allowed period to change a grade is during the semester following the date of the final exam date of the concerned course. During the allowed period, the course instructor has the right to change a grade of a student if she/he provides a valid justification for the change and gets it approved by the respective department chair and the dean of school.
Withdrawal from a Course
Students may withdraw from a course during the period specified in the Academic Calendar if they are having difficulty in the course; experiencing serious medical problems, not being able to develop the required skills to pass the course, or having other valid reasons. The student needs to discuss such a dicision with her academic advisor while taking into consideration that a minimum course load of 12 Semester Credit Hours (SCH) must be maintained after withdrawal. The student will be allowed to withdraw from the same course of two times only.
Students who wish to withdraw from a course must complete a "Course Withdrawal e-form" (available in the Petition System). If students stop attending classes without officially withdrawing from the course, they will receive a "DN" grade in that course.
The following will be implemented in case of course withdraws:
- A grade of "W", which is not calculated towards the withdrawn student's GPA, will be assigned to the course.
- The credit hours of a withdrawn course are counted as attempted (but not earned) when calculating the student's minimum completion rate of 67%, in order to graduate within the Maximum Time Frame (MTF) of her Program of Study (POS).
Incomplete Grade ("IC" Grade)
Application for an Incomplete Grade
Students have the right to apply for a grade of Incomplete (IC) in a course if they are unable to take the final exam or submit the final project on the due date due to circumstances, including but not limited to, health problems or a death in the family. In this case, the student must complete the "Request for Incomplete Grade) e-Form" (available in the Petition System) before the due date of the final exam. When filling out the requests application, students must upload the necessary documents to validate the reasons for not completing the course final requirement.
The course instructor assigns a grade of "IC" to the student if the following conditions are met:
- Successfully completing a minimum of 60% of the course work requirements.
- Providing enough documents that support the request application.
The course instructor and the department chair have the right to decline rescheduling a final exam for the student if no valid reason and supporting evidence are provided.
Students who miss a final exam and fail to officially apply for the grade of "IC", receives a grade of Absence Failure (AF). Students who fail to show up within one week after the date of the missed final exam and submit authentic documents to support the absence will receive the so-far-earned grade in that course. If the students show up within the one-week period with valid documents to support thier absence, the instructor will change the grade of "AF" to "IC" and reschedules the final exam for them.
Removal of an Incomplete Grade ("IC")
Students who receive a grade of "IC" must deliver the incomplete work of the course within eight weeks after the initial final exam date for that course. If those students fail to deliver the work within the identified period, she receives the so-far-earned grade of the course. Students who have an 'IC" grade on thier transcript will not be able to graduate.