Mar 14, 2026  
2026-2027 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
Catalog Navigation
  Catalog Home
  About MSU Denver
  University Overview
  Accreditation
  Academic Calendar
  Faculty
  Administration
  Joining MSU Denver
  Admissions and Enrollment
  Cost and Financial Aid
  Student Records
  Studying at MSU Denver
  Career and Program Explorer
  Academic Programs
  Completion Requirements for Degrees and Certificates
  Course Descriptions
  Academic Policies and Procedures
  Enriched and Experiential Learning
  Online Learning
  Graduation Information and Policies
  Academic Units and Contacts
  Thriving at MSU Denver
  Academic Advising
  Student Resources
  Students Rights and Responsibilities
  University and Campus Policies
  Catalog Information and Tools
  Academic Calendar
  Career and Program Explorer
  Catalog Index A-Z
  Archived Catalogs
  My Catalog Bookmarks
HELP
2026-2027 Undergraduate Catalog

Notations

For an explanation of each notation, click on a link to be taken to the entry below

  • AP - Advanced Placement
  • AU - Audited Course
  • AW - Administrative Withdrawal
  • CC - Continuing Correspondence
  • CL - College Level Examination Program
  • EX - Credit by Examination
  • I - Incomplete
  • NR - Not Reported
  • P - Pass
  • PL - Portfolio Assessment
  • S - Satisfactory
  • SA - Study Abroad
  • SE - Satisfactory - Education or Music Recital Attendance
  • SN - Study Abroad - No Credit
  • U - Unsatisfactory
  • UE - Unsatisfactory - Education or Music Recital Attendance
  • W - Withdrawal

AP - Advanced Placement

The Advanced Placement (AP) notation is assigned when a student transfers credit for an Advanced Placement Examination conducted by the College Entrance Examination Board. The examination appears on the academic record with an “AP” notation. Credit for the examination does not count toward the student’s attempted hours, counts toward earned hours, and is not calculated in the GPA or quality points.

AU - Audited Course

The Audited Course (AU) notation is assigned when a student audits a course for informational purposes only. If space is available, students who meet MSU Denver admission requirements and are formally admitted to the university may audit a class with the permission of the instructor. Academic credit is not awarded for an audited course. The cost for auditing a course is based on applicable tuition and fees. The course appears on the academic record with an “AU” notation and does not count toward the student’s attempted hours. The course is not calculated in the GPA or quality points. Audit approval forms are available from the Office of the Registrar.

AW - Administrative Withdrawal

The Administrative Withdrawal (AW) notation is assigned when a student, or representative, requests to be withdrawn from a course due to unforeseen or extenuating circumstances beyond the student’s control. When the “AW” notation is assigned, no academic credit is awarded. The course remains on the student’s academic record with an “AW” notation and counts toward the student’s attempted hours. The course is not calculated in the student’s GPA.

Students may request an administrative withdrawal from the Office of the Registrar after the withdrawal deadline posted in the Academic Calendar . Deadlines differ proportionally for courses offered during part of a semester, including late-start and weekend courses. Students should refer to the part-of-term dates published by the Office of the Registrar to review withdrawal deadlines for individual courses.

Although requests are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, examples include the death of an immediate family member, serious illness or medical emergency, or other life-altering event. The student must provide supporting documentation to substantiate the request.

Students who request an administrative withdrawal may also request a tuition refund by filing an Undergraduate Tuition and Fees Appeal through the Office of the Bursar.

CC - Continuing Correspondence Course

The Continuing Correspondence Course (CC) notation is assigned when a student does not complete a correspondence course within a given semester. No academic credit is awarded. The course counts toward the student’s attempted hours, does not count toward earned hours, and is not calculated in the GPA or quality points. If the course is not completed within the course’s designated timeframe, the “CC” notation will convert to a grade of “F.”

CL - College Level Examination Program (CLEP)

The College Level Examination Program (CL) notation is assigned when a student transfers credit for an examination completed through CLEP. Credit for the examination does not count toward the student’s attempted hours, counts toward earned hours, and is not calculated in the GPA or quality points.

EX - Departmental Credit by Examination

The Credit by Examination (EX) notation is assigned when an academic department grants a student credit for an existing MSU Denver course for which the student requests and passes an appropriate examination. Credit for the examination does not count toward the student’s attempted hours, counts toward earned hours, and is not calculated in the GPA or quality points.

I - Incomplete

The Incomplete notation indicates that a student is achieving satisfactory progress in a course but is unable to complete all class assignments or registered internship hours due to extenuating circumstances, such as documented illness, military leave, disability, or circumstances beyond their control. The Incomplete notation is composed of an “I” (noted on the student’s transcript) and the student’s default grade (A, A-, B+, B, etc.), which is the grade the student has earned at the time course grades are first entered for the course. 

An Incomplete notation may be assigned only if the student meets all these minimum requirements: 

  • The student has participated in an academically-related activity after the 60% mark of the course’s part of term. Academically-related activity involves active participation by a student in an instructional activity related to the student’s course of study as defined by the last date of attendance.  
  • The student has completed more than 50% coursework and/or course contact hours, as determined by the faculty member or department chair if the faculty member is not available. 

Incomplete grade notations are offered at the faculty member’s discretion, or at the discretion of the department chair if the faculty member is not available. Satisfying the minimum university requirements for an Incomplete notation does not guarantee that one will be awarded. Departments and programs may establish higher minimum standards for awarding Incomplete notations. Incomplete notations based upon accommodations related to a student’s documented disability should be determined in consultation with the Director of the Access Center or their designee.  

When an Incomplete notation is awarded, the following process applies: 

  • When entering final course grades, the faculty member registers the Incomplete notation, the student’s default grade, and the student’s last date of attendance. 
  • The faculty member and student submit the Incomplete Agreement Form to the Office of the Registrar. This form establishes the outstanding work that the student may/should submit within a designated timeframe. 
  • The faculty member and student finalize additional Incomplete notation requirements established by their department or program, if any exist. 
  • The maximum timeframe for a student to submit remaining coursework is the end of the subsequent full term (i.e., the end of the next Fall or Spring semester). However, faculty members may require a shorter timeframe for submission of incomplete coursework, which will be documented on the Incomplete Agreement Form. 
  • When all remaining course work has been submitted and evaluated, when the student indicates that they have submitted all work they will be able to within the timeframe the faculty member will enter a change of grade form. 
  • If the work designated on the Incomplete Agreement Form is not completed within the established timeframe, the “I” notation will convert to the default grade submitted by the faculty member. 

Deadlines vary according to a course’s formal schedule, also known as “part of term.” Students should refer to the Part of Term dates published by the Office of the Registrar to review part of term date ranges, withdrawal deadlines, and such.

Students may not graduate with an “I” on their MSU Denver academic record if: 

  • The course in which the “I” was assigned is required for graduation, or 
  • The default grade assigned for that course would result in an overall GPA less than 2.00. 

The Incomplete notation may not be given for self-paced courses. If a student does not complete a self-paced course within the semester that they enrolled in the course, they must re-enroll in the course in order to complete it. Students pay tuition and fees for each semester they are enrolled in self-paced courses. 

NR - Not Reported

The Not Reported (NR) notation indicates that no grade was reported by the faculty by the deadline to submit grades. Student must see faculty for an explanation or assignment of grade. Courses taken through interinstitutional registration are normally assigned the “NR” notation until grades are received and posted to the academic record. Students who receive an “NR” notation on their final grade report may be severely impacted. Financial aid, enrollment status, veterans’ status and probation/suspension depend on students receiving all of their grades. The course counts toward the student’s attempted hours, does not count toward earned hours, and is not calculated in the GPA or quality points.

P - Pass

The Pass (P) notation is assigned when a student successfully completes a course for which the Pass/Fail Option has been requested. Course credit counts toward the student’s attempted and earned hours but is not calculated in the GPA or quality points.

PL - Portfolio Assessment

The Portfolio Assessment (PL) notation is assigned when an academic department grants a student credit for an existing MSU Denver course for which the student submits a prior learning portfolio. Course credit does not count toward the student’s attempted hours, counts toward earned hours, and is not calculated in the GPA or quality points.

S/U - Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory

The Satisfactory (S) notation is equivalent to a grade of “C” or higher. Course credit counts toward the student’s attempted and earned hours but is not calculated in the GPA or quality points.

The Unsatisfactory (U) notation is equivalent to a grade of “F.” Course credit counts toward the student’s attempted hours, does not count toward earned hours, and is calculated in the GPA or quality points.

These notations are limited to internships, practica, field experience courses, and workshops.

SA/SN - Study Abroad/Study Abroad - No Credit

For the Study Abroad (SA) notation, course credit counts toward the student’s attempted and earned hours but is not calculated in the GPA or quality points.

For the Study Abroad - No Credit (SN) notation, course credit counts toward the student’s attempted hours, does not count toward earned hours, and is not calculated in the GPA or quality points.

SE/UE - Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory - Education or Music Recital

The Satisfactory Education (SE) notation is equivalent to a grade of “B” or higher. Course credit counts toward the student’s attempted and earned hours but is not calculated in the GPA or quality points.

The Unsatisfactory Education (UE) notation is equivalent to a grade of “F.” Course credit counts toward the student’s attempted hours, does not count toward earned hours, and is calculated in the GPA and quality points.

These notations are limited to the following courses: ECE 4390, EDS 4290, EDU 4190, EDU 4590, SED 4190 and SED 4500.

W - Withdrawal

The Withdrawal (W) notation is assigned when a student officially withdraws from a course via the Student Hub after the drop deadline (census date) and before the withdrawal deadline posted in the Academic Calendar . Deadlines differ proportionally for courses offered during part of a semester, including late-start and weekend courses. Students should refer to the Student Detail Schedule via the Student Hub to review drop and withdrawal deadlines for individual courses. When a student withdraws from a course, no academic credit is awarded. The course remains on the student’s academic record with a “W” notation and counts toward the student’s attempted hours. The course is not calculated in the student’s GPA or quality points. Please see the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships for additional information on how withdrawals may impact your financial aid eligibility. Students who withdraw from a course are responsible for the full tuition and fees for that course. After the withdrawal deadline, students may not withdraw from a course and will be assigned the grade earned based on the course syllabus. A student-initiated withdrawal will appear as an “F” on the student’s academic record in any case of academic misconduct resulting in a permanent “F”.