Middlebury Handbook

The following grades are used: A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D, F. No grade below a B- may be applied to a Middlebury Master of Arts degree, nor below B+ to the Doctor of Modern Languages degree. An A+ grade is available only at the graduate level and represents exceptional level of achievement. Late submission of course work may have a negative impact on student grades as determined by the course instructor.

Since our host universities do not use the same system of credits and grades as U.S. institutions, students receive U.S. equivalent credits and grades as established by the appropriate School Abroad Director/Principal. Your country-specific handbook includes the relevant conversion chart for your School Abroad.

Effective fall 2024, Middlebury College undergraduates enrolled in a Middlebury School Abroad may elect the Credit/No Credit grading option for a single course per semester, following the framework of the Middlebury College Credit/No Credit policy.  Individual deadlines to invoke or revoke Credit/No Credit vary by program due to differing academic calendars and will be published in the Schools Abroad academic calendars.  Undergraduates from institutions other than Middlebury may invoke the Credit/No Credit grading option in accordance with the Middlebury College policy provided non-standard grades are accepted by their home institution.

When final grades become available, students will be able to access them online via BannerWeb.  Grades are never released over the phone.

a) Middlebury Students

Grades are automatically recorded on the student's Middlebury College transcript.

b) Students From Other Colleges and Universities

Students from other institutions should be aware that while your home college or university may not indicate your grades earned abroad on your institution's transcript, you will have a permanent academic record at Middlebury, and applications to graduate and professional schools require the submission of original transcripts from all institutions of higher education attended in the U.S. or abroad.

The normal course load for undergraduates is 4 or 5 courses per semester, depending on the school, equivalent to 16 or 15 credit hours, respectively, or 20-25 quarter hours.

When you applied to the program, your study abroad advisor indicated to which address at your home institution your Middlebury transcript should be sent. Middlebury will send one copy of your transcript from your semester(s) abroad to this address for the purpose of credit transfer. If you are a post-bac student, Middlebury will send your transcript to your home address. Additional copies may be requested in writing and for a fee from the Middlebury Registrar's Office.

c) Graduate Students

Master of Arts degree students who are assigned a grade of "F" will be dismissed from the program. Doctor of Modern Languages students who are assigned a grade of "B" or lower will be dismissed from the program.

After formal admission to the program, candidates for the MA and DML degrees may request permission from the Language Schools Registrar to transfer from another institution a maximum of the equivalent of one full-time summer of study at Middlebury (three units). To be considered for transfer, courses must be valued at the equivalent of one unit of Middlebury credit (three semester hours, four and a half quarter hours, or six ECTS units).  For courses taken at institutions on the quarter system that do not carry credit equaling three semester hours, the Middlebury College Language Schools grant (a) one unit of credit for two quarter courses or (b) two units of credit for three quarter courses. Please submit in writing which option you intend to follow.

Only courses taken after successful completion of the initial summer and formal admission to degree candidacy may be transferred (i.e., courses taken at other institutions before the first summer of study may not be transferred toward a Middlebury graduate degree).  No courses, whether transferred or earned with Middlebury, may be applied toward more than one academic degree.  Written approval of a course's transferability must be obtained from Middlebury before registering for the course.  Courses that have not been pre-approved will be considered for transfer only in those instances in which a student can demonstrate that pre-approval was not possible (for example, due to a last-minute cancellation of a pre-approved course).  Middlebury College courses transferred to another degree program will no longer be eligible for a Middlebury College degree.

All transfer credits must be obtained at the graduate level and taken at an accredited institution that offers a Master of Arts degree in either the language of study or a related discipline.  In either case, to be considered for transfer credit these courses must be taught entirely in the language of the student's degree program. We do not accept certificate courses, asynchronous online courses, correspondence courses, independent study, courses taught fully or partially in English, or courses from extension or continuing education programs.  Students may not transfer courses from our partner institutions abroad if they are not enrolled in our program at the time the courses are taken. For a specific School's policies on transfer credits from MAT or MEd programs, please consult with the School director.  The courses must be taught in the foreign language in the areas of language analysis and linguistics, culture and civilization, literature, or professional preparation, and must not duplicate courses already taken for degree credit. All units counted toward a degree must be taken on a graded, not a pass/fail or credit/no credit, basis. No grade below a B- may be applied toward a Middlebury MA degree. No grade below B+ may be applied toward a DML degree.  Courses may not be transferred to make up for courses failed at a Middlebury summer session or at a School Abroad.  Students with failing grades forfeit as many possibilities of transfer credit as they have failing grades.

d) Incompletes

Note: Incompletes are not an option at all Schools Abroad.  At those Schools Abroad that do have the option, the following policy will apply:

A grade of "Incomplete" must be approved by the Director/Principal of your School Abroad and will only be granted in cases of extreme necessity (i.e., documented illness, emergency, or legitimate extenuating circumstances). There must be a clear understanding between the faculty member and the student as to the conditions under which the "Incomplete" is to be removed. Students who wish to petition for an "Incomplete" in a non-emergency situation are required to complete a special form available from the School Abroad's office at least three weeks prior to their departure. All "Incompletes" must be made up one month prior to the end of the following semester, according to the School Abroad's calendar. Be sure to allow sufficient time for the material to be received and graded by the appropriate professor before these dates. Students are responsible for ensuring that the professor receives the material in a timely fashion. Students should be sure to keep a copy for themselves. "Incompletes" not removed by the deadline mentioned above automatically become "Fs" on the student's transcript. It is the responsibility of the student to make sure that this deadline is respected---no warnings are sent by Middlebury to the student.

e) Appealing Grades

Students who wish to appeal a course grade should write to the relevant Director of the School Abroad, or in the case of Oxford, the Senior Tutor or Assistant Senior Tutor, stating the reasons and submitting copies of all relevant supporting materials. Students should be aware, however, that appealing a course grade will cause a thorough review of the grade, which means that it is possible that the grade may actually be revised downward. Appeals must be made within six months of the grade being posted. Subsequent appeals may be made to the Dean of International Programs (for undergraduate students) or the Dean of Language Schools (for graduate students), whose decisions are final, students should be aware that if the sanction results in an F on the assignment, and that F lowers the final course grade to below a B- (MA students) or B+ (DML students), no course with these grades may be applied toward the degree. Students are further reminded that any graduate who is assigned a final grade of F for a course will be dismissed from the program.

If a professor changes a grade as a result of intervention by the student, it will not be recognized by Middlebury. The only grade changes that are acceptable are those that result from going through the aforementioned process.