To be in good academic standing, graduate students must:

• Maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher and
• Not earn any PRU (unsatisfactory progress in research) grades

Graduate students who do not meet these standards will be placed on academic probation.  To view a detailed chart, please go to the Academic Standing Rules chart.

Probation (1st semester):

• Probation is incurred when the cumulative GPA falls below 3.0 or the student receives a PRU for research
• Student will be notified by the Office of Graduate Studies and meet with advisor to address issues
• Students transcripts will note academic probation
  • Grades leading to a cumulative GPA below 3.0 in the following semester will result in permanent academic probation notation and lead to registration holds, loss of RA/TA opportunties, and risk of dismissal.
  • Grades leading to a cumulative GPA above 3.0 in the following semester will result in good academic standing.
  • We encourage all students to work to restore their GPA as soon as possible.

Discretionary Dismissal (2nd semester):

• Student will be notified by the Office of Graduate Studies (OGS) and
• Student will have 10 business days from notification to submit a remedial plan that has been approved by both the advisor and department head. Along with the remedial plan, students facing discretionary dismissal for GPA issues must submit a GPA calculator, demonstrating that it is possible to bring the cumulative GPA to a 3.0 or higher within 2 semesters.
  • If an approved remedial plan is submitted, it will be reviewed by OGS and
    • If approved by OGS, the student will be notified of conditions to improve.
    • If not approved by OGS, the student will be dismissed.
  • If a remedial plan is not submitted, either because the student did not submit a plan or because the student’s advisor and/or department head will not approve the plan, the student will be dismissed.
• Academic probation notation will remain on transcripts for all future semesters.

Mandatory Dismissal (Last semester):

• Students not meeting the terms of the remedial plan will be dismissed.
• Other reasons for mandatory dismissal (departments must notify OGS in writing for any of the following reasons):
  • Failure to successfully defend the thesis after two attempts
  • Failure to be admitted into candidacy
• Students being dismissed are given the opportunity to:
  • Submit a Withdrawal from all Courses form to avoid having the dismissal notation on transcripts.
  • Submit a Dismissal Appeal form for extenuating circumstances only. Students must submit along with Dismissal Appeal form, documents regarding extenuating circumstances and the GPA Calculator.
    • If an appeal is denied, the dismissal notation will remain on the student’s transcripts.
    • If an appeal is approved, the student will be given more time to rectify the situation (terms detailed in appeal approval).
      • If the student is unable to rectify the situation under the terms of the appeal, the student will face mandatory dismissal again.

Students who have been dismissed may re-apply for admission, but:

• The previous GPA remains on the transcripts.
• If re-admitted into the same degree program, the student will only have one semester to rectify the situation (earn a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher and/or not earn any PRU grades), or face mandatory dismissal again.

Grade Changes

The instructor of the course must submit a grade change in Trailhead.

Students, for more information on grades, visit the Registrar’s website.

Faculty, for more information on faculty grading, please visit the Registrar’s Office website for details.

Grade Appeals

Any student who feels treated unfairly may appeal a grade. For more information on grade changes and the appeal process, visit the Registrar’s website.

Students who are not able to complete the required coursework to receive a grade in a class may work with their instructor to receive an Incomplete grade for the course by submitting the Registrar’s Office Incomplete Grade Request form.

Students who are not graduating

A grade of INC must be changed within the one (1) year from the semester of attendance following the semester in which it was received.

• If the grade is not changed within that time frame, it will be changed to an F (failed) by the Registrar.
  • If an instructor wishes to grant an extension to the four-week deadline before the INC grade expires to an F, he or she must contact the Registrar’s Office directly before the four-week deadline.

Students who are graduating

A grade of INC must be changed within 10 business days after graduation.

• In the event than an INC grade remains upon completion of degree, the INC will be converted to an F and included in the final GPA.

To change an INC grade to a letter grade, faculty, please visit the Registrar’s Office website for details.

For more information on Incomplete Grades, please visit the Grad Catalog.

All Colorado School of Mines graduate students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. Failure to maintain a 3.0 or higher G.P.A. could result in:

• Academic probation
• Dismissal and/or
• Failure to graduate

The system for expressing the quality of a student’s work is based on quality points and quality hours.         

*CSM graduate students may only use courses with a grade of C- or better towards a degree.

To calculate GPA:

1. Multiple the number of course credits by the Quality Points for the grade earned (for example: a 3 credit class with a grade of B+ would be 3 credits x 3.3 quality points = total of 9.9 total quality points)
2. Add the total Quality Points of all courses
3. Add the total credits earned
   1. Do not include the credits for courses with grades of W, WI, INC, PRG, PRU, or NC, because these are not counted in GPA hours, and do not receive quality points.
4. Divide the total Quality Points by the total number of credits

Students may use the Unofficial GPA Calculator to estimate potential term and cumulative GPA.  OFFICIAL GPA IS ONLY AVAILABLE ON TRANSCRIPTS.

For more information on GPA, visit the Registrar’s GPA website.

Final grades for each semester are due the first Monday after finals. (For field and summer sessions, grades are due the first Monday after the last day of classes.) All grades must be submitted by 4:00 p.m. that Monday afternoon so that they can be made available on Trailhead. Students will be able to view their final grades on Trailhead at 10:00 a.m. the very next day.

To view final grades through Trailhead, follow these steps:

1. Log into Trailhead.
2. Select “Self Service.”
3. Select “Student & Financial Aid.”
4. Choose the “Student Records” menu.
5. Choose the “Final Grades” option.
6. Select the term you wish to view, and click on “Submit.”
7. As long as there are no holds on your student account, you may view your final grades.

If there are any grades missing, this is because the grade has not been submitted. Please contact your instructor with any questions.

Transcripts including final grades for a semester are typically available 24-48 hours after final grades can be viewed in Trailhead.

To graduate, all Colorado School of Mines graduate students must have:

• A cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher
• NO courses required for the degree (ie. listed on the Degree Audit Form)  with a:
  • letter grade below a C-
  • PRU grade
  • NC (no credit) grade
  • INC (incomplete) grade. Graduating students must have ALL incomplete grades changed to a letter grade within 10 business days after commencement
• All degree requirements met
• Institutional credit requirements met