Grading System
Nicholls State University uses a 4-point grading system. Grades of AU (audit), I (incomplete), INC (permanent incomplete due to a repeat), S (satisfactory), U (unsatisfactory), UNA (unsatisfactory, never attended), and W (withdrawal) do not carry quality points and are excluded from the grade-point average. A grade of XEG (cross-enrolled) also does not affect GPA, and academic-renewal grades (ZA, ZB, ZC, ZD, ZF, ZP, ZS, ZWF) are likewise excluded from GPA computation.
Grade-point averages are calculated to four significant figures (three decimal places), with the fourth decimal digit rounded up when it is five or greater. A grade-point average cited to only one decimal place is understood to mean the equivalent three-decimal figure.
Source: Nicholls State University Catalog 2026-2027, Academic Procedures, Grades and Grading Procedures — verified Sep 2026
How GPA Is Calculated
The official cumulative (external) grade-point average includes all hours attempted and all quality points earned in every course taken, including repeated courses; it is the GPA posted on the transcript and used for academic honors, class standing, and probation/suspension decisions.
An adjusted (internal) grade-point average, used for determining graduation eligibility, some program admissions, and eligibility for some extra- and co-curricular activities, is computed by subtracting the quality hours and quality points earned in earlier attempts at a repeated course from the overall totals. Effective fall 2011, the highest grade earned counts toward the adjusted average rather than the most recent grade. In all cases, hours earned in a repeated course are credited only once.
Source: Nicholls State University Catalog 2026-2027, Academic Procedures, Quality Points and Average / Repeating Courses — verified Sep 2026
Academic Probation and Suspension
A student is placed on academic probation whenever the official cumulative (external) grade-point average falls below 2.000. A student on probation is suspended at the end of any semester or summer session in which the semester grade-point average is below 2.000, and remains on probation until the cumulative average reaches 2.000.
A first-time suspension bars re-enrollment until the student has been out of the university for one regular semester (a student suspended at the end of spring may attend the immediately following summer session without appeal). A student suspended more than once must remain out for at least one calendar year from the semester of suspension. A student suspended from a University of Louisiana System institution may not enroll at another System institution during the suspension, but may enroll at a community college with that college's approval; credit earned elsewhere during the suspension is accepted toward the degree only for courses passed with a grade of C or higher.
Source: Nicholls State University Catalog 2026-2027, Academic Procedures, Probation and Suspension Procedures — verified Sep 2026
GPA Requirements for Graduation
To graduate with a baccalaureate degree, a student must earn an overall adjusted (internal) grade-point average of at least 2.000 in all work (and in the minor, if any), complete at least 24 semester hours in the major field, and earn a minimum of 120 semester hours in degree courses. An associate degree requires an overall adjusted (internal) grade-point average of at least 2.000 in all courses.
Source: Nicholls State University Catalog 2026-2027, Degrees and Degree Requirements, General Requirements for Baccalaureate/Associate Degree — verified Sep 2026
Academic Honors
An undergraduate earning credit in at least 9 hours during a fall, spring, or summer term qualifies for the Honor Roll at a term grade-point average of 3.000-3.199, the Dean's List at 3.200-3.499, and the President's List at 3.500 or higher.
The baccalaureate degree is awarded summa cum laude at an official cumulative (external) grade-point average of at least 3.900, magna cum laude from 3.700 to 3.899, and cum laude from 3.500 to 3.699; candidates for degree honors must have earned more than 50 percent of their total degree credits at Nicholls. These cumulative honors GPAs have been calculated on all hours attempted (the external average) since summer 1997.
Source: Term honors: Academic Procedures page. Cum laude cutoffs: this URL, which prints bounds without a dash (e.g. "3.700 3.899") - shown as a range for clarity. — verified Sep 2026
GPA Requirement for Transfer Students
A transfer student must, in addition to the general baccalaureate degree requirements, earn an adjusted (internal) grade-point average of at least 2.000 in the courses taken at Nicholls that lead to the degree.
Source: Nicholls State University Catalog 2026-2027, Degrees and Degree Requirements, General Requirements for Baccalaureate Degree — verified Sep 2026