Commonwealth Institute of Funeral Service (CIFS) provides academic programs that are rigorous and challenging, consistent with other institutions of higher learning.  CIFS has established the following criteria to measure good standing, academic recognition, and satisfactory progress.

The following grading system is used in all specialized courses in determining the student’s level of achievement.  All courses carry a specific number of quarter hour credits.  A quarter hour shall be considered as the equivalent of one course hour of lecture per week for an eleven-week period of instruction.  A course lecture hour consists of one fifty-minute period.  Students receive grade points according to the following system:

Grade             Numerical Range      Point Value per Credit Hour

A                     90-100                                                 4.0
B                     80-89                                                   3.0
C                     70-79                                                   2.0
D                     60-69                                                   1.0
F                      0-59                                                     0.0
TM                  Terminated by CIFS                           0.0
W                    Withdrawal by student
TR                   Transfer Credit
CL                   Credit for prior learning
CR                   Credit by Exam
I                       Incomplete
AU                  Audit

NOTE: CIFS uses quarter credit hours

All specialized courses require a minimum passing grade of “C” or 70% in order to progress to the next academic term.  The letter grade of Incomplete (I) may be given at the discretion of the course instructor.  This temporary designation indicates the student completed all but a minor portion of the required work in the course.  The student must complete the work and have the Incomplete removed from their grade record by the end of the 10^th day after the end of the quarter or the grade will be changed to “F”.

To calculate the student’s Grade Point Average (GPA), add the total number of Grade Points earned and divide by the total number of hours taken, excluding credit hours with a grade of W, TR, CL, CR, I, or AU. When a course is repeated, the higher of the grades earned will take precedence and the grade point average will be calculated as if the course were taken only once.