Academic Policies and Procedures
Attendance in Classes
Students enrolled in a UVA Summer Session course are expected to attend each class meeting. Course requirements such as examinations, oral presentations, laboratory experiments, participation in discussion, or the like are in no sense waived because of absence from class. Instructors may establish penalties for an absence.
Exclusion from Courses
A student who is making no real progress in a course, or whose behavior is detracting from the course, may be excluded from that course by the Director of Summer and Special Academic Programs with a grade of W or F. Students have 48 hours following written notification of this exclusion in which to appeal. The written appeal goes first to the Summer Chair of the department and then to the Director of the Office for Summer and Special Academic Programs. Until the final disposition of the appeal, the student will continue to be enrolled in the course and may continue to attend classes with the approval of the Director of Summer and Special Academic Programs and the instructor.
Dropping, Withdrawals, and Incompletes
To Drop Individual Courses
A student who remains enrolled in the Summer Session may drop a course before the drop deadline and thereby have it deleted from his/her transcript. For procedures and restrictions, see Registration and Academic Policies.
To Withdraw from Individual Courses
After the drop deadline and before the withdrawal deadline, a student who remains enrolled in the Summer Term may, under certain circumstances, withdraw from a course with a grade of W. Any student who discontinues a course without formally dropping or withdrawing will receive a grade of F. For procedures and restrictions, see Registration and Academic Policies.
Extension of Time
In the College of Arts and Sciences and in the School of Education & Human Development, students who cannot complete a course on time because of illness or other extenuating circumstances may request an extension of time. Requests for extensions of time must be submitted to the Office of Summer and Special Academic Programs with the signature of the instructor and academic dean.
Incompletes
The notation IN (incomplete) indicates that a final grade for the course is being withheld by the instructor until the student completes all course requirements or examinations. A student may not request an IN grade in an attempt to raise his or her grade. Prior to the end of the course, students must initiate the request for an IN and secure the instructor’s approval with an Extension of Time form. Work must be completed within the number of days specified by each school. See the Undergraduate Record for details.
When course requirements have been completed, the instructor should obtain a change of grade form from his/her department office. The instructor must assign a grade, sign the form, and obtain the signature of the designated academic dean or summer chair. The Director of the Office of Summer and Special Academic Programs will sign in place of the dean/chair for all visiting students. The completed change of grade form must be returned to the Office of Summer and Special Academic Programs. At no point may the change of grade form be in the possession of the student.
Examination Schedule and Policies
Final examinations are given for classes during designated times at the end of each session, and only at the times designated by UREG (Office of the University Registrar). Faculty members are not authorized to change the announced times of their examinations. Such changes may be authorized only by the Director of Summer and Special Academic Programs, and then only for compelling reasons. All students must have the opportunity to take the examination at the time announced.
Students are not permitted to take a final examination before its regularly scheduled time. When genuinely serious conditions exist, students, with the consent of the course instructor, may be allowed to postpone a final examination until after the regular exam period. When the instructor concurs, the student must submit a postponement request on a form provided by the dean’s office of the school in which the student is registered. Students will then take the examination at the instructor’s convenience, usually within four weeks of the last day of the exam period.
Unexcused absence from a final examination results in an automatic grade of F in the class.
Grading Systems
Students are graded according to the school in which enrolled and not according to the school in which the course is offered. For example, an Architecture student taking a College course would be graded according to the policies established by the School of Architecture. These rules can be found in the Undergraduate Record.
Grading Options
Grading options for each course are determined by the school of enrollment offering the course and may be found in the SIS Course Catalog. Students can change their grading option through the first day of their class by using Edit Enrollment in SIS. Students who wish to change their grading option after day one of their class may do so with the permission of their instructor through the mid-point of their class by completing a Course Action Form. (After your instructor approves it, the form will go directly to the Summer Session Student Records Coordinator to process. You may verify that the action was taken by checking your SIS account.)
Auditing (AU)
Students may audit courses with the permission of the instructor. Courses taken on an audit basis have the symbol AU (audit) recorded in the grade column of the academic record. No credits or grade points are earned in audited courses. Because credits are not earned in audited courses, these courses are not included in the courses required to complete a degree. Instructors have the option of determining whether students may or may not take their courses on an audit basis. The cost of auditing a course is the same as the cost of taking the course for credit. The University of Virginia does not allow faculty to let students sit in on classes.
Students in the School of Architecture, Study Abroad, and the Summer Language Institute may not audit any course. Students in the College must elect the AU option by the add deadline; they may cancel this option only through the drop deadline, in which case the course will be deleted from the transcript. A grade of W is recorded for any student who discontinues the audit after the drop deadline or who fails to meet the instructor's standards. If a student wishes to drop or withdraw from a course for which they chose the audit option (depending on the deadline), he or she must complete the appropriate paperwork in person at the Office of Summer and Special Academic Programs.
Grade Rosters
Grade rosters are available in the Student Information System the Wednesday prior to the conclusion of the course. Grades must be assigned within 48 business hours after the final examination.
Instructors must keep class records of attendance, marks on recitations, tests, and examinations for one year in case questions concerning grades or grading practices arise. Faculty must enter final course grades in the SIS. The University no longer uses hard-copy grade sheets.
Grade Changes
No grade may be changed after it has been submitted to the University Registrar without the approval of the dean. The dean is not authorized by the faculty to change a grade except when an instructor certifies that, because of an error in calculation or transcript, an incorrect grade has been submitted. The College limits the time in which a grade change is approved to the fall semester following the summer session in which the grade was received. The deans are authorized to change incomplete or missing grades to an F or withdrawal.
Visit For Instructors: Grading in SIS - UVA ITS (service-now.com) and review the Changing Grades in SIS section for more information.
Grade Reports
Grade reports are not automatically mailed to students during the summer session. Upon course completion, students may view their grades in SIS at www.virginia.edu/sis. For detailed instructions on how to request an official transcript, see the Office of the University Registrar website at www.virginia.edu/registrar. Grades are posted to student records a day after the faculty member's final approval. Grades must be assigned within 48 business hours after the final examination.