Students receive two sets of grades for each course, letter grades and percentages.
For the official LMU transcript, grades of A, B, C, or Fare used. The College of Veterinary Medicine does not assign + or - to grades. If a student fails a course and remediation is successful, the student will be assigned the letter grade of "F/C" and a 2.0 on their transcript. Students who receive an incomplete ('T') must complete the coursework to receive a grade in the course within 180 days. Failure to complete the coursework within the prescribed time may result in the 'T' changing to an "F."
The official LMU transcript will reflect a GPA based on a 4.0 scale, as follows:
A=4
B=3
C=2
F=O
Within the College of Veterinary Medicine, students earn an actual percentage in each course, as outlined in each syllabus. For reporting the 100% scale to the 4.0 scale, grades are rounded. (e.g. 79.4 = C, 79.5 = B).
On the 100% scale, the grades are assigned as follows:
A= 90 to 100
B = 80 to 89
C = 70 to 79
Fail = below 70%
Class Rank Calculation
Class rank is calculated by the Director of Pre-Clinical Outcomes and Assessment based on the 100% scale, using actual percentages earned in each course. The course average is multiplied by the credit hours of the course, then the total is divided by the credit hours taken each semester. In this way, a student with a B at 86% ranks higher than a student with a B at 82%. Ranking average is carried out to as many decimals as is necessary. If two students have identical averages, they will both hold the same rank in the class, and the next student will hold a rank below the next number (e.g. 34th, 34th, 36th).
Transfer Grade Process
Students who are accepted into the LMU DVM program and have already taken accepted veterinary courses will be able to receive transfer credit for those courses. These will not be graded but will be on a pass/fail basis. Grades from credits transferred into the program will not be calculated in to the ranking GPA. This includes any courses taken at LMU while the student is in another degree program such as VBMS. Students with transfer credits are not eligible to receive the titles of Valedictorian or Salutatorian.
Remediation Grade Process
If a student fails a course and is allowed to remediate the course, the student will work with the course director to complete the remediation prior to the next fall term. If the student passes remediation, the transcript will show F/C with an earned grade of C. The original failing percentage is still used in the ranking GPA. If a student does not pass a remediated course, they may be recessed or dismissed (see Procedures for Academic Deficiencies). A fee is assessed for remediation of a course. Please note that all remediation grades, repeated courses, and repeated rotations will be displayed on the student's transcript.
Recessed Grade Process
For a recessed student repeating the academic year, the percentages earned in all repeated courses (second attempt) are used for ranking. If a student does not pass a previously passed course during a repeated semester, they may be required to remediate the course or may be dismissed (see Procedures for Academic Deficiencies). A fee is assessed for repetition of a semester. Please note that all remediation grades, repeated courses, and repeated rotations will be displayed on the student's transcript.
Elective Grade Process
Electives are graded as pass/fail, so if a student takes an elective and passes, it does not affect the GPA. However, if a student takes an elective and fails, there is no remediation. The failed elective course will affect the GPA, as the credit points will be added to the total possible, with no earned points added to the earned total. (e.g. If a student earns 1520/1700 points, but takes and fails an elective, the ranking GPA will then include the 100 elective course points and so would be 1520/1800.) This affects both the 4.0 transcript GPA and the 100% ranking GPA. There is no fee for electives in the DVM program.
Graduation Honors Calculation
Graduation honors are based on the 4.0 GPA reflected on the LMU transcript. For the College of Veterinary Medicine, academic honors are as follows:
3.50 and above: Cum Laude
3.70 and above: Magna Cum Laude
3.90 and above: Summa Cum Laude
There is no rounding for graduation honors. A student with a 3.698 will graduate cum laude. The Valedictorian of the graduating class will be that student with the highest-ranking GPA. The Salutatorian will be the student ranked next in the class. The honors of Valedictorian and Salutatorian are reserved for those DVM students who complete all of their required coursework while registered as a DVM student in the LMU College of Veterinary Medicine, graduating with the class in which they originally enrolled. Students who have transferred credits into the program (including Anatomy from a master's program) or have been recessed are not eligible to be the Valedictorian or Salutatorian.