Requirements for Graduation

To be eligible for graduation, a student must have at least 124 credits, a 2.00 cumulative GPA, and must have satisfactorily completed the tutorial and a departmental, interdepartmental or independent major and the college residency requirement.

Tutorial

All entering first-year students are required to take the tutorial. Students select a tutorial from the list of those to be offered each year. The tutorial is graded on an “A” through “F” basis, with no “S/D/F” option. A student must complete the tutorial with a grade of “C” or higher to meet the tutorial graduation requirement and to be eligible to enroll in a “Plus-2” or independent work (297, 299, 397, 399, and 499).

“Any student earning a grade of "D" or "F" in the tutorial will be reviewed by the Committee on Academic Standing, and will be warned or placed on academic probation and will be required to complete an appropriate course determined by the Associate Dean of the College and the Dean for Student Academic Support and Advising in order to fulfill the tutorial requirement (a designated replacement course for the tutorial has no “S/D/F” option). This course must be completed with a grade of “C” or higher during his or her next semester at Grinnell. After the successful completion of this course the student will be eligible for a “Plus-2” or independent study project.

The previous work of transfer students is evaluated for possible exemption from this requirement; third-year transfers are automatically exempted. 

College Residence Requirement

Because a residential college seeks to create an environment in which students and faculty benefit from the exchange of insights, ideas, and experiences, a residence requirement provides adequate time for such an exchange for the student’s development both inside and outside the classroom. Contemplative study, maturation, and time for reading and discussion in the College community all are considered important to a student’s development.

All students are expected to complete eight full-time college semesters, a specified number of which must be in residence at Grinnell. Students who enter Grinnell as first-semester first-year students or who transfer to Grinnell as second-semester first-year students are required to complete at least six semesters of full-time enrollment in residence at Grinnell. One semester of approved off-campus study may count toward the six-semester residency requirement. Transfer students who enter as first-semester second-year students, as second-semester second-year students or as third-year students must complete at least four semesters of full-time residence at Grinnell. (Full-time enrollment is enrollment for at least 12 semester credits.) The only off-campus program that can be counted toward residency for second-year and third-year transfer students is the Grinnell-in-London and the Grinnell-in-Washington programs.

If an eighth-semester student in good standing leaves the College with eight or fewer nonmajor credits to complete toward the degree, these credits may be completed at another accredited college or university, as long as the minimum credit requirement has been met and prior approval has been granted by the student’s adviser and the Registrar. Degrees are not conferred beyond three years after the date a student leaves Grinnell. 

Total Credits Required for Graduation

To be eligible for graduation, a student must have at least 124 credits, a 2.00 cumulative GPA, and must have satisfactorily completed the tutorial and a departmental, interdepartmental or independent major.

Credit Limits: The maximum credits that can be included in the 124 credits are listed below:

• 48 credits in any one department
• 92 credits in any one division**
• 8 practica credits, with no more than 4 credits in Physical Education 100 or 101 (Practica credits include Chinese 211, Japanese 211, Music 101, Physical Education 100, 101, Theatre 100, 105)
• 16 credits in Performance (Performance credits include, Music 120, 122, 220, 221, 420 and Theatre 104, 204)
• 6 credits in Music 101, 220, or 420 in any one semester.
• 12 credits of independent-study work (Plus-2, 297, 299, 397, 399, and 499) in one department for students who matriculated after July 2006. For students who matriculated prior to July 2006, the limit is 10 credits.
• 8 credits of internship study
• 16 credits of “D” grades

**For purposes of this requirement, Chinese and Japanese credits are to be considered as belonging to separate departments.

 Transfer students are required to complete the following minimum number of credits at Grinnell College:

Other Limits: No credit with a grade below “C” may count toward the satisfaction of any requirement for a major or an interdisciplinary concentration. (This includes all extra-departmental and cognate courses). “C-” is considered a grade below “C.” 

Requirements for Early Graduation/Accelerated Graduation

Students who enter Grinnell as first-semester first-year students may develop degree programs of six or seven semesters of full-time enrollment. The major adviser and the Committee on Academic Standing must approve the student’s plan for accelerated graduation. In completing the application, students should consult the “Elements of a Liberal Education” of the Grinnell College Catalog. A completed application must be submitted no later than Friday of the first full week of classes of the semester proposed for graduation. However, it is in a student’s interest to apply for accelerated graduation no later than the time of registration two semesters prior to the expected date of accelerated graduation so that the student has two semesters in which to address any academic deficiencies identified by the Committee on Academic Standing. Students may graduate after six or seven semesters if they have satisfied requirements for the degree, including the requirements for major, residence, and total credits, and if they have demonstrated a commitment to a strong program of liberal education, normally including three four-credit courses in each of the three major divisions of the College. The last full semester of work before graduation must be completed at Grinnell, except for students participating in cooperative programs leading to professional degrees.

A student who is attempting to follow an approved accelerated program to graduate in fewer than eight semesters is not reclassified forward on the basis of credits earned until his or her final semester. The credits necessary to remain in good academic standing (see definition under “Academic Review” section) are determined by a student’s actual class status, not by the accelerated program he or she is attempting.

Requirements for a Ninth Semester

All students are expected to complete their academic programs within eight full-time semesters. Some students may be permitted to take more time. Examples would include students with disabilities that prevent them from carrying a full course load; students who have fallen behind normal progress as determined by the Committee on Academic Standing; or students whose comprehensive academic program would be substantially enhanced by another semester of work. In all cases of extended study, the student must secure prior approval from the Committee on Academic Standing. The Committee on Academic Standing will review such requests in consultation with appropriate administrative offices.

The College reserves the right to refuse college housing to students beyond eight semesters, and the College will not provide its own aid funds to students who exceed eight semesters of college residence.

Graduation with Honors

Each department recommends for graduation with honors those senior majors who have clearly distinguished themselves within their major field of study. In order to qualify for recommendation, a student must, after the semester prior to graduation (typically after the seventh semester except in the case of accelerated graduation), have achieved at least a 3.50 grade point average in the major field and a cumulative grade point average of 3.40. Students convicted of academic dishonesty are not eligible for honors, except students who commit only one offense and receive a less-than-normal penalty for the offense. The required seven semesters of study to qualify for honors need not all be completed at Grinnell; however, only credits completed at Grinnell, Grinnell-in-Washington, D.C. and Grinnell-in-London will be used in determining grade point eligibility.

These are minimum, college-wide criteria for honors. Students should consult the individual department listings in this catalog for departmental minimum criteria for honors and may consult with the chair of the major department for further clarification, if needed.

Commencement Participation

Students may participate in only one Commencement program. Students who plan to graduate in December are typically included in the following May Commencement program. Some December graduates, however, may wish to participate in the Commencement program immediately preceding their final semester. Students who have remained in good academic standing (see definition under “Academic Review” section) the previous two semesters, and who can reasonably complete all requirements by the end of the following December may be allowed to participate in Commencement. These students will not receive a diploma until after their degree has been conferred.