Can professor change final grade (PROF answers)?
Can professors change grades after they are posted?
Yes, most universities will allow a professor to request a grade change for final grades but the professor will have to give the reason why they are requesting the change, and they will need administrative approval before the grade change will be approved. Most grade changes will need to be requested within ONE year from the course end date.
As a former professor, I had to complete grade changes on occasion. I have also known a professor who made an error when posting grades, and they had to complete a grade change for every enrolled student. It was an internal problem with their online grade-book.
These are unlikely scenarios, and most professors never have to complete a grade change. But in the event they do, almost every college will allow them to do so, within reason.
So, don’t expect a professor to randomly change grades after they are officially posted for absolutely no reason. They’ll need to explain why they are requesting the grade change in the first place. And someone above them will need to approve it.
If you are worried that a professor will change your grade arbitrarily, you shouldn’t worry too much about this scenario. Most grade change requests are completed online, and professors will have a drop down menu to enter the reason for the grade change.
There are only a limited number of reasons a professor can change a grade so a college will monitor these requests carefully.
PRO-TIP : I recommend that students download their grades from the grade-book (if posted online) so that they have a record for themselves. Make sure you download the grade-book after grades are posted so that you have the most recent version of the grade-book.
If your professor were to change your grade to something different than what the grade-book reflects, you will have proof of your grade and your professor will have some explaining to do.
Now, you could be a student who wants their professor to bump up their grade and you’re wondering if this is even an option. Sure, you could talk to your professor and they might agree to increase your letter grade in their course and submit a grade change for you. But this isn’t common.
A professor should only be posting grades that students earn and bumping up student’s grades for no reason is unethical in most instances. So, don’t expect to reach out to your professor and beg for a higher grade and get it. You will probably get denied.
Can a professor fix a grading mistake?
If your professor does make an error when entering your final grades, you should reach out to them right away and request a grade change. It is a relatively simple process for your professor. If you cannot get ahold of your professor, contact their division or Dean.
It is highly recommended that you look at your student handbook and your college’s policies to see if there is an official process for requesting a grade change and any time constraints.
In some situations, a professor may not be the one to change a student’s final grade in the course. If a student completed a grade appeal, the college may change the student’s final grade if approved.
Grade changes do happen, but they don’t happen often.
Why would a professor request a grade change?
Professors may request a grade change because of a grading error they made, late coursework graded for an incomplete, academic dishonesty, or a student grade appeal, among others. A professor would have to formally request a grade change and approval is often required from their Dean.
Grade changes are not common. As a former professor, I only requested a grade change three times during my 15 year career. One time, I submitted a grade change because the student’s final grade was on hold until the college investigated a plagiarism incident.
The other two times I completed a grade change request was when I had students who finished their coursework while on an incomplete contract.
I have never made a grading mistake where I entered the wrong grade nor have I decided to change a student’s grade after they were entered. We were prohibited from changing grades unless it met certain requirements.
A professor might change your final grade in the course because they made a mistake and posted the wrong grade. One time, a professor had a technical error in her grade book and it calculated students’ grades completely wrong. They had to go back and enter a grade change for every student.
This can also be true if your professor gives you a higher grade than you actually earned. For example, let’s say a professor gave a student an A in the course but they really made a B and they realized they made an error later. They can go back and make alterations if approved by administration.
Can a professor change a grade after it’s on a student’s transcript?
Yes, a professor can change a student’s grade after it’s on the student’s official transcript, but only with administrative approval. Another way a student’s final grade may change is if the student files a grade appeal with the college.
Let’s say a student received a D in the course. But the student believes that there was an error in their grading. They can submit a grade appeal and the college may assign a different grade after it’s been investigated.
Keep in mind that a lot of colleges will ask that you try and speak with your professor before appealing a grade.
I have heard of students receiving a F on their transcript but they appealed and got the F changed to a W (withdrawal). This can help the student’s G.P.A. and impact financial aid. This might be an option if you missed the withdrawal deadline but had some extenuating circumstances.
And professors can request a grade change themselves, but the request will have to meet certain requirements and will need to be approved by their boss.
How late can a professor change a grade?
Anytime really. This depends on why the grade change is requested. But if it was an error, the professor should be able to fix it at any time. When I was a professor, I could submit an online grade change request for students that attended my course 15 years prior.
It is going to be pretty hard to get someone to agree to a grade change from years ago because finding any record of the student’s course grades will be unlikely. And your professor may not even teach at the college anymore.
The grade change will have to be approved by someone in administration like a Dean. And when they see a grade change from years ago, they’ll start to question its legitimacy.
But if there is a reason to change the grade, it can be done. But most grade changes will need to be completed within a year. And the professor will need to explain why a grade change was submitted in the first place.
Further, there may be some limitations on why professors can change grades and this might limit the timeframe further.
Let’s say a student received an incomplete for a course. At some colleges, there may be local or state regulations on completions. Some universities can only allow students 12 months to replace their incomplete grade. If the student doesn’t complete the work within a specified period of time, that grade will automatically convert to an assigned grade (F, NP, etc).
If a professor wanted to change a grade after 12 months for work completed outside of that calendar year, it wouldn’t be allowed. You can see some regulations that impact grade changes.
You can see that professors have a lot of discretion to change grades when necessary, but it still depends on the reason. At this university, they say that professors should not change grades based on additional work completed after the course ends.
Further, they give time limits and instructions for students to request a grade change when they find a clerical error.
Before assuming any of these time limits are applicable to your circumstances, you need to check with your college if you are requesting a grade change.
Each college could have their own policies and might be mandated by state regulations.
Most universities will allow students to request a grade appeal which could result in a grade change, and there are time limits for these appeals. Most colleges will require students to submit these appeals no longer than one long semester after their course ends.
There are so many different policies and regulations on grade changes, so check with your college.
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