A new grade for graduate students mandated by the federal government will not be reflected in students’ grade point averages, in sharp contrast with a similar grade for undergraduate students.

The new grade is withdrew unofficially (WU), and it must be recorded when the student stops attending class, no official completion time has been set with the instructor, and the student has not dropped the course.

Instructors are required to document the student’s last day of attendance, the last assignment finished, and the last day the student attended class.

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A similar withdrawal policy for undergraduate students enacted prior to the fall 1997 semester mandates that if students stop attending class and do not officially withdraw, they receive a withdraw/failing grade (WF). This grade is reflected in the student’s GPA.

John McKillip, associate dean of the Graduate School, said the new grade will not count in graduate students’ GPAs because the Graduate School already has several requirements for students to remain in good academic standing, including a minimum 3.0 GPA.

The graduate faculty decided it shouldn’t affect the grade point average, McKillip said. All graduate grades are supposed to be earned grades.

McKillip said the instructor has the discretion to assign the grade to anyone who stops attending within the first 60 percent of the semester.

Although the WU grade does not count toward the student’s GPA, it is recorded on the transcript and can wreak havoc with financial aid.

Financial Aid Director Pam Britton said the grade will closely parallel the financial aid effects of the WF grade.

If a student received all WU grades, they would be considered a total withdrawal and treated as such, Britton said. If WU reduces the attempted hours, financial aid would be reduced as such.

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Britton said students who withdraw within the first two weeks of the semester are eligible for a full financial aid refund. Those who withdraw within the first 60 percent of the semester receive a partial refund. If students receive a WU in at least one but not all of their classes, Britton said each class is treated as a dropped course.

Despite the size of SIUC’s Graduate School, McKillip expects few students to be affected by the grade.

We estimate this grade would affect five out of 3,800 students, he said. It is a rare thing for graduate students to just drop out and disappear.