End of Semester Reminders

As we approach the end of the spring 2026 semester, we wish to remind you of important policies regarding UNL’s grading system, FERPA/written consent, academic integrity, grade appeals and retention of student work.  

When are grades due?

Final grades must be submitted no later than five days after the final exam.

• The final exam schedule 
• Enter grades in MyRed into the Final Grade Roster. Here is a tutorial.

What is UNL’s grading system?

Passing grades are A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, and P. Students registered Pass/No Pass must earn a grade of "C" or better for a "P" grade. A grade of "F" represents that the student did not pass the course. The "F" is factored into the Grade Point Average. There is no university-wide grading scale. Unless there are existing departmental guidelines, instructors define the numerical value for each letter grade that they assign. Check with your department regarding grading scale policies and practices. 
  
A grade of "I" or incomplete signifies that the student was unable to complete the course. Incomplete grades should only be used when illness, military service, hardship, or death in the immediate family prevents a student from completing a course in which requirements have already been substantially completed. The student should complete assignments and/or exams without re-registering or attending the course in a subsequent term. All "I" grades issued for undergraduate courses automatically expire and are replaced with a failing grade one year after the end of the current term, unless a grade change form is received from the instructor prior to that time.

If you assign a student a grade of incomplete, please be sure to complete the I-form indicating how much of the course has been completed and what assignments/exams remain.  The form will be available through a link in the box to the right of your list of grade rosters for the term in My Red.

Can I discuss a student’s grades with a parent, guardian, or spouse? What is allowed by FERPA?

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. Because FERPA allows only the student (not the parent or spouse) to control who has access to their academic record, only directory information can be disclosed to parties other than the student.

Some examples of information that instructors cannot disclose: 

• Students' grades  
• Students' course schedules  
• Details of conversations between the student and the instructor 
• Students' academic standing 

If you want to know if a student has given written consent, here are instructions on how to check in MyRed. You can also contact your department’s assigned advisor for assistance.

How to report academic integrity violations?

Please report academic integrity violations to the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards.

What process should students take to appeal a grade in a course in the College of Arts and Sciences?

1. Students should attempt to reconcile the grade with the instructor within two weeks of the regular academic year semester following the semester in which they received the disputed final grade. 
2. Students who are dissatisfied with the decision should seek to resolve the matter with the department chair or director (or designee) within the first four weeks of the semester. 
3. Students who are still dissatisfied may appeal the grade to the departmental committee within the first six weeks of the semester. 
4. Students who are still dissatisfied may appeal to the college grading appeals committee. This committee only hears cases for which there is reason to suspect that the awarding of the grade may have involved a denial of due process, through arbitrary, capricious, or prejudiced action on the part of the instructor or elsewhere in the department. Here is the full policy.

Am I required to keep student work after final grades are submitted? If so, for how long?

Instructors must either:

1. Retain custody of materials, such as examinations, term papers, and written creative assignments used in the academic evaluation of their students for at least 30 days, or
2. Make a reasonable effort to return materials to the student. Student materials should not be left for pick up in an unsupervised, public place. 

May 2026 Degree Candidates - Communication of Grades for Graduation Clearance 

Instructors are required to submit a degree grade on each enrolled degree candidate where the grades are used to determine eligibility for graduation by Friday, April 24. The advanced grades are subject to change until a time established by the Academic Senate (usually 4:00 p.m. on the last day of final examinations). If all reports are satisfactory, the student is permitted to graduate. Unsatisfactory grades will result in the candidate being notified that he or she may be deleted from the graduation list.

Graduation Services notifies undergraduate students who have received degree grades that are insufficient for graduation. For students with insufficient grades, a final grade in the course will be needed to clear them for graduation. Grades needed for graduation clearance must be received no later than 4 p.m., May 7. To facilitate the communication of these grades to Graduation Services, it would be helpful if faculty could take action as follows:

• First, if possible, record the final grade in MyRED.
• Second, if it is not possible to record the final grade in MyRED by May 7, please send an email to the Registrar's Office and include the student’s name, NUID, the course, and final grade. Alternatively, you can call their office at (402) 472-5322 or Graduation Services (402) 472-3635 (opt. 3) and share this information.
• Finally, if a Graduation Services staff member has been in direct contact with you regarding a grade, please reply by email to this staff member rather than by phone.

While the official deadline is late afternoon of May 7, the earlier the report is made, the better. We will be mindful that there are some late finals still in progress through Friday morning, but Christina Fielder, Sr. Director of Student Academic and Career Development, will be reaching out directly to instructors and their chairs for outstanding final grades beginning at noon Friday to ensure students who are eligible to graduate have the opportunity to enjoy their accomplishment at commencement with their friends and families. Thank you for your time and investment in making it possible for our students to graduate on May 8, 2026.