Consumer Information
Institution Grading
* Pages 50-53 of the Student Guide
The following is the official College grading scale. In special circumstances, faculty members may seek approval from academic administration to use an alternate grading scale, so students should refer to each course syllabus for more details.
At ICO, final course grades are calculated exactly as earned according to the grading scale. Grades will not be rounded under any circumstances.
Grades issued by the Illinois College of Optometry are:
*Applicable only to specifically identified courses.
The grades I, IP, H, S, U, W, AS, AU, and NC are not used for calculation of the student's grade point average. For final grades that do contribute to the student’s grade point average, in the case of retaken courses, all grades will remain on the academic transcript, but only the most recent course grade will be included in the student’s grade point average.
Special Grade Descriptions
I = Course work is not complete. An incomplete grade is issued only when requirements specified in the course syllabus are not completed. An incomplete grade must be removed by the end of the second week of the following quarter (including Summer) or it will automatically be changed to an ‘F’ or ‘U’. Under extenuating circumstances, and only with the approval of the appropriate Assistant Dean or Student Promotions Committee, this time period may be extended up to one (1) year from the date the ‘I’ grade is given. If an extension is granted, the I grade is temporarily replaced by an ‘IP’ grade.
W = Authorized withdrawal from course prior to completing all course requirements.
AS = Advanced Standing indicates that the student has been exempted from taking a course, as determined by the appropriate Assistant Dean, by virtue of having passed an equivalent course with a grade of ‘B’ or above at another institution or having successfully passed a proficiency examination on this course work at ICO.
AU = An ‘AU’ grade is awarded after successful completion of an audit course. Audit courses receive no academic transcript credit, nor is there any tuition assessed for the course. Students are not responsible for exams, assignments/homework, or optional course activities, but they do have full access to the course materials and must attend any required class activities such as labs or recitations and submit any required assessments within the course such as quizzes even though such activities do not contribute to a final course grade. Students may request the course instructor to take course exams for formative feedback.
Grade Reports
The Registrar’s Office does not provide any grade reports to students. Students may access their grades through Brightspace, Meditrek, and the student portal.
Grade Notifications
Students are expected to monitor their in-progress and final grades in Brightspace and Meditrek throughout the academic term.
Since the ability to continue in the program requires a quarterly and cumulative grade point average of 2.30 or higher, a grade below that level is considered unsatisfactory (‘C’ and below).
A student who earns a failing grade (‘F’ or ‘U’) must remediate that failing grade to continue in the program. The opportunity to remediate a failing grade, and the plan for how that may be accomplished, is granted/determined by the Student Promotions Committee.
Instructors must submit final course/clinic grades to the Registrar's Office within three (3) College working days of the administration of their final examination or last day of clinic.
If a student believes a grade has been assigned in error, they must notify the appropriate instructor within five (5) business days of the grade being posted in Brightspace or Meditrek. If the student does not receive a response from the instructor, the student must contact the appropriate Assistant Dean. In the event the Assistant Dean is unable to respond, the Associate Dean for Academic Assessment and Records should be consulted, and ultimately the Vice President and Dean for Academic Affairs. The instructor will verify the accuracy of the grade and must submit any grade changes to the Registrar’s Office within five (5) business days of being notified of the error.
In addition to Brightspace, Meditrek, and the student portal, students may receive official notices, academic-related or otherwise, via the student’s @eyedoc.ico.edu email account and/or their on-campus mailbox. It is the student’s personal responsibility to check these communication sources for information, particularly toward the end of the quarter when final grade and academic status notifications are distributed.
Students are responsible for obtaining grade notification in accordance with the above timetable. It is the student's responsibility to be available to receive grades in a timely manner, including at the end of spring quarter prior to summer vacation or any of the vacation periods, and prior to leaving for externship rotations. This is of utmost importance as student academic standing, promotion and graduation may be significantly affected by delay on the student's part in procuring notice.
The Student Promotions Committee will meet as soon as possible at the conclusion of each quarter to review student statuses. Students requesting reconsideration of an SPC decision should be available to meet regardless of indicated student vacation dates.
