Admissions and Records

Students earning 12 or more credit units in one semester shall receive recognition of their academic achievements with an honors designation. Courses taken Pass/No Pass will not be considered part of the 12 credit units. Semester honors designations are assigned at the conclusion of the spring and fall semesters.  Honors designations are not assigned for the summer semester.

Designations will be assigned as follows:
 

• Dean's List

Students earning 12 or more credit units in one semester with a grade point average between 3.50 and 3.74 shall be named to the Dean s List and receive a corresponding notation on their academic record;
 

• President's List

Students earning 12 or more credit units in one semester with a grade point average between 3.75 and above shall be named to the President s List and receive a corresponding notation on their academic record;
 

GRADUATION HONORS DESIGNATIONS

Students receiving associate degrees may graduate with honors as indicated below.  Honors designations for graduation are based upon the cumulative grade point average and include all grades earned at all colleges attended. Students may not use the academic renewal process to set aside credit units or course work which has been used to satisfy graduation requirements, nor can academic renewal be used to raise the grade point average to qualify for graduation honors.

Designations of graduation honors will be made on diplomas of all eligible recipients and noted on the academic record.
 

What is Academic Renewal?

Mendocino College recognizes that a student's academic record may contain grades that are not reflective of more recently demonstrated academic success.  To accurately reflect a student's current success, students may petition for academic renewal (Board Policy 4240).

Will the substandard grades be removed from my record?

Though academic renewal is granted, all coursework will remain legible on the student’s permanent record (transcript), ensuring a true and complete academic history. The student’s permanent record will be annotated, however, so that it is readily evident to all users of the records that the “D”, “F”, “FW” and/or “NP” units have been disregarded from the student’s GPA calculation. A transcript annotation of “Acad Renewal” is reflected on the student’s transcript indicating academic renewal was approved.

NOTE: While “NP” is considered a substandard grade, it does not factor into the GPA and is ineligible for academic renewal. Courses with substandard grades that have been repeated at Mendo with a passing grade are also ineligible for academic renewal as the GPA has already been recalculated to include the repeat.

How many units can be adjusted through academic renewal?

A maximum of 24 semester units can be disregarded through the academic renewal process.  Academic renewal can only be applied to grades of "D", "F", "NC", and "NP".

How do I qualify for academic renewal?

A student may petition to have their academic record reviewed for academic renewal under the following conditions:

1. Two academic years have elapsed since the substandard grades were recorded.
2. The student has subsequently completed 15.0 units of college coursework at Mendocino College, or at another regionally accredited college/university*, with a grade point average of 2.0 or better.
3. The coursework for which the renewal is requested did not occur in a semester in which courses/units were used to satisfy graduation requirements.

*If a student qualifies for academic renewal based on college coursework completed at another regionally accredit college or university, the student must first request official transcripts to be sent directly to Mendocino College Admissions and Records prior to submitting an academic renewal request.

Important information about academic renewal:

• Academic renewal actions are irreversible.
• Academic renewal may not be used to raise the GPA for graduation with honors.
• Academic renewal is not appropriate for courses that have been repeated and passed.

Veterans and Dependents Of Veterans Using VA Educational Benefits:

If academic renewal is requested for courses for which VA educational benefits were received, you will owe money to the VA.  Please contact your academic counselor or the School Certifying Official before submitting the academic renewal request.

Grades

Grades for each semester are posted within one week of the last day of the semester or class (for short classes) and may be viewed by logging into MyMendo.

Grade Options

Some classes at Mendocino College are offered using two different grading options: letter grade (A, B, C, D, F, or FW) or Pass/No Pass. Courses offering two different grading options are automatically enrolled on a letter grade basis.

No course taken using the pass/no pass grading option may be used towards completion of a major for an associate degree.  Courses taken for pass/no pass are not counted in the calculation of grade point average; however, they are considered in the calculation of academic standings for probation and dismissal.

If you would like to change an eligible class to a Pass/No Pass grading option, you may select this at the time of enrollment through MyMendo or by submitting a Petition to Select Pass/No Pass Grading to the Admissions & Records office no later than the last day of the semester.

Grading Policy

Awarding grades to students is the responsibility of the course instructor. The grading system and grade point equivalents are as follows:

Incomplete Grade

Incomplete academic work for unforeseeable, emergency or justifiable reasons at the end of the term may result in an “ID, “IF” or “INP” symbol being entered in the student’s record. A final grade will be assigned when the work stipulated by the course instructor has been completed and evaluated, or when the time limit for completing the work has passed.

Incompletes must be made up no later than one year following the end of the term in which it was assigned.

Students making up an incomplete must work with the course instructor to make up outstanding work and may not re-enroll in the class as a means of making up the work. The final grade for incomplete work that is not made up within the one-year period will revert to the grade earned at the conclusion of the course as indicated by the “in lieu of” grade assigned at the end of the term (D, F, or NP).

Incompletes shall not be used in calculating units attempted nor for grade points.

In Progress

The “IP” symbol shall be used only in those courses which extend beyond the normal end of an academic term. It indicates that work is “in progress,” and that assignment of an evaluative symbol (grade) must await its completion. Final grades for in progress courses will be assigned in the term the course concludes.

Drops and Withdrawal

Once a student enrolls, a grade will be assigned for any class that is not dropped. (Section 55021 and 55023, Title 5). A student may drop any full-semester course prior to the end of the second week (or by 20% of the course, whichever is less) without a notation being placed on the permanent academic record. Drops occurring between the dates allowed by the Academic Calendar will be noted on the permanent academic records with a “W.”

The “W” grade notation is considered in the calculation of academic standings for probation and dismissal (See the current Academic Calendar for the last date to receive a “W” notation.)

Note:  A withdrawal on your record will count in the number of times you are allowed to repeat a course. It will be combined with substandard grades to limit the number of enrollments you can have for one course.

Effective summer 2012, students are now limited to 3 attempts to complete a course. For example, if you are taking MTH-220, and you receive a substandard grade (D, F, or NP) or a Withdrawal (W) the first time you take it, you will be allowed to enroll in the course again. If you receive a substandard grade (D, F, or NP) or a Withdrawal (W) the second time you take it, you will be allowed to enroll in the course only one more time. The third time you enroll in the course will be the last time you will be able to enroll in the course at Mendocino College. The withdrawal will count towards your progress for academic standing and for financial aid.

Military Withdrawal

Military Withdrawal occurs when a student is an active or reserve member in the United States Military Services and receives orders compelling a withdrawal from courses. Upon verification of such orders, a “MW” symbol will be assigned, if after the drop period. “MW” is not considered in the calculation of academic standings for probation and dismissal.  For more information, please contact the Admissions and Records Office or the School Certifying Official.

Excused Withdrawal

“EW” notations are assigned when a student withdraws from a course(s) due to reasons
beyond their control, which include but are not limited to, the following:

• Job transfer outside the geographical region;
• Illness in the family where the student is the primary caregiver;
• An incarcerated student in a California State Prison or County Jail is released from custody or involuntarily transferred before the end of the term (In the case of an incarcerated student, an excused withdrawal cannot be applied if the failure to complete the course(s) was the result of a student's behavioral violation or if the student requested and was granted a mid-semester transfer);
• The student is the subject of an immigration action;
• Death of an immediate family member;
• Chronic or acute illness;
• Verifiable accidents; or
• Natural disasters directly affecting the student

Report Delayed

"RD" notations are assigned when there is a delay in reporting the final grade. This notation is a temporary notation and is replaced as soon as possible by a permanent grading notation. Only the Admissions and Records Office may assign the "RD" notation and it is not included in the GPA calculation.

The cumulative grade point average (GPA) is computed by dividing the total number of units you have attempted, into the total number of grade points you have earned. Units for which grade notations of W, EW, P, NP, I, or IP are assigned are not counted in units attempted for the GPA calculation.

Grades can be viewed online through MyMendo after the end of the semester.

Grades are generally submitted within one week of the end of the semester (for full-semester classes) or class (for short classes).