GPA Expectations in Core and Large Courses

For core courses and courses with enrollments exceeding 35 students, SIPA expects an average class GPA of 3.33 (B+), with an acceptable range of 3.2 to 3.4. This guideline does not apply to workshop courses.

Faculty are not required to grade on a strict curve. They are expected to use academic judgment to align overall grade distributions with these expectations.

No Fixed Percentage Conversion

SIPA does not use a standardized conversion from numerical or percentage scores to letter grades. For example, an 88% does not automatically correspond to a B+.

Faculty assess overall performance in the context of graduate-level standards and determine final letter grades accordingly.

Special Transcript Notation

The Pass/Fail option exists to encourage intellectual exploration beyond a student's primary field of study, including engagement with advanced electives, without affecting the GPA.

• Core, concentration, and minor requirement courses may not be taken Pass/Fail.
• Only eligible elective courses may be taken Pass/Fail.
• There is no limit to the number of eligible electives that may be taken using this option.

Additional guidelines:

• Instructor permission is not required unless the instructor has prohibited Pass/Fail grading.
• For full-semester courses, grading basis changes must be made by the deadline listed on the SIPA Academic Calendar.
• For short courses, changes must be made before the final session.
• A grade of P does not affect GPA.

MPA-DP Policy: Pass/Fail elective credits may not count toward the 54-credit graduation requirement if the course is also offered for a letter grade.
 

To audit a course and receive R credit:

• Students must formally register through Vergil during the registration period.
• Students must request permission to audit at the time of registration.
• Auditing counts toward the course’s enrollment limit and may not be used to gain access to a course that is otherwise full.
• Audited courses count toward a student’s semester credit limit and may affect billing.
• There is no sitting in or attending a course without appearing on the official roster in Vergil.
• Instructor permission is required and not guaranteed.

R credit: 

• Does not count toward the 54-credit graduation requirement.
• Does count toward flat-rate tuition limits for full-time students.

• W (Withdrawal): Assigned when a student formally withdraws after add/drop but before the published withdrawal deadline in the SIPA Academic Calendar.
• UW (Unofficial Withdrawal): Assigned when a student stops attending without formally withdrawing. The UW remains on the transcript permanently.

Eligibility for Incomplete Coursework

An instructor may grant additional time to complete coursework only in exceptional circumstances, such as incapacitating illness, serious personal or family emergency, or comparable grave situations. 

Approval is entirely at the instructor’s discretion. If the instructor approves:

• The instructor and student must agree in writing on a deadline.
• The deadline may not extend beyond the final day of the examination period in the subsequent semester.
• No extensions beyond that date are permitted.
• The student remains responsible for submitting all outstanding work by the agreed deadline.

Administrative Referral (AR) and Contingency Grade Procedures

When incomplete coursework is approved:

• The instructor must submit a temporary grade of AR (Administrative Referral) at the time semester grades are due.
• The AR must be accompanied by a contingency grade.

The contingency grade represents the grade the student would earn if no additional work were submitted and all outstanding assignments were calculated as zero or F in the final grade determination. 

• If the student does not submit the required work by the established deadline, the contingency grade automatically becomes the permanent grade.
• If the student submits the outstanding work by the deadline, the instructor will evaluate the submission and initiate a grade change through SSOL.

Registration and Administrative Referral (AR) Grades

A registration hold will be placed on any student carrying two or more active AR notations. Students may not register for future coursework until outstanding grades are resolved.

In rare and compelling circumstances, a student may submit a written appeal to the Committee of Deans requesting permission to continue enrollment. The Committee’s decision is final.

Graduation and Administrative Referral (AR) Grades 

Students may not graduate with missing grades or active AR notations. 

If an AR remains at the time of degree conferral:

• The degree cannot be conferred.
• If the deadline has passed, the contingency grade becomes permanent.
• Graduation proceeds only once all degree requirements are satisfied.

• Students may repeat a course only if they earned a grade of F.
• A failed course may be repeated once. Both grades will appear on the transcript and count toward the GPA.
• Courses in which a passing grade was earned may not be repeated.
• Students may not take courses with duplicative content. For example, a student who has passed SIPA IA6400: Microeconomic Analysis may not enroll in SIPA IA6350: Economics for International Affairs.

Responsibility for the academic assessment of students rests with the faculty. The evaluation of student performance is determined by the course instructor in accordance with the standards, criteria, and procedures set forth in the course syllabus.

Any grievance relating to academic evaluation that includes allegations of discrimination, harassment, or gender-based misconduct must be reported to Columbia University's Office of Institutional Equity (OIE) and will be addressed pursuant to the University’s established policies and procedures.

In all other cases, SIPA does not substitute its academic judgment for that of the instructor. SIPA’s review is confined to determining whether the assessment was conducted impartially and in accordance with the standards and procedures applicable to all students, as articulated in the course syllabus.

Appealing a Final Grade

Only final course grades are subject to appeal. Individual assignment grades may not be appealed.

Before initiating a formal appeal, a student should carefully and objectively review the calculation of the final course grade based on the criteria and weighting set forth in the course syllabus.

If a student believes that a miscalculation has occurred, the student must first contact the instructor to request clarification. After discussing the matter with the instructor and receiving an explanation or breakdown of the final grade, if the student continues to believe that the grade was not determined in accordance with the syllabus, the student may proceed with a formal grade appeal.

Following a documented good faith effort to resolve the matter directly with the instructor, SIPA Academic Affairs will conduct an initial review to determine whether there is a plausible basis to conclude that the assessment was rendered in a manner inconsistent with the procedures established in the course syllabus. 

An appeal of a final grade must be submitted prior to degree conferral and no later than fifteen business days after the end of the term, whichever occurs first. 

Change of Grade

Final grades are considered permanent once submitted. A change to a previously submitted final grade may be requested only under the following circumstances:

• Clerical or computational error: The instructor determines that a calculation or recording error was made and must be corrected.
• Approved Incomplete: The student received an approved Incomplete and has submitted the required outstanding coursework or examination.
• Re-evaluation of the entire class: The instructor has re-evaluated the work of the entire class for a compelling academic reason.

Standards Governing Grade Changes

To preserve academic integrity and ensure equitable treatment of students:

• Instructors may not accept late submissions after the conclusion of the semester unless the student has an approved Incomplete.
• Instructors may not permit an individual student to retake an examination or submit additional coursework after the term has ended for the purpose of improving a final grade.
• Supplemental, substitute, or additional work completed after the end of the semester may not be used to alter a final grade.
• Opportunities to revise or redo previously submitted work may not be extended to individual students unless such opportunities are afforded to the entire class and clearly communicated in advance through the syllabus or CourseWorks.

Procedure

All requests to amend a previously submitted final grade must be submitted by the instructor through Student Services Online (SSOL) in accordance with University procedures.

Grade change requests are subject to review by SIPA Academic Affairs for School approval.

Change of Grades After Degree Conferral

Change of grades may not take place once a degree has been conferred and the student has graduated.