I have no idea what to do..

Okay, I wasn’t sure where to put this so I figured that maybe some parents would have an answer for me.

I just finished up my second year of college. I received a C+ in my anthropology class for my final grade. I emailed my professor asking for a letter grade of my final exam and for my final book report just so I know where that C+ came from. He replied saying that he can’t put grades online and that I had a low final exam grade. I have tried to reason with him and just get the same response. I am not asking him
to change or reevaluate any of my grades. I’m just asking for letter grades for two things that I didn’t get back because they were turned in the last day of classes. Is there anything I can do to get my grades or no?

Contact the department and ask to see your final exam.

I would contact the department’s director of undergraduate studies or departmental adviser and suggest that maybe there has been some misunderstanding, but you just wanted to know the scores on those two items and for some reason the prof doesn’t want to tell you. Another idea is to suggest in an email to the prof that you could call him at a certain time if his policy about releasing grade information is specific to email communication.

Exactly. Even if you can’t get your final exam back, which is normal for most colleges, you have a right to look at it in the professor’s presence and give it right back without copying it etc.

As for not putting grades online, do you get a paper grade report? If not, then you do get your grades online anyway.

The rule is that if a paper cannot be returned to a student, they still have a right to access it and look at it. If you have any trouble, I would suggest asking your advisor about what to do.

Thanks so much guys. I was going to contact the department but I just wanted to make sure I could still know those two grades

Could it be a privacy issue? Professors are not supposed to reveal details by phone or to unverifiable email accounts. If it you communicated through your campus email account, I don’t know what the problem could be.

I know I’ve had professors who have refused to discuss specifics of grades via phone or email, but I would ask if it would be possible for the professor to send you (snail mail) a copy of the final to the addresss on file with the registrar.

Final piece of advice: be nice and diplomatic! You don’t want to make an enemy of the professor or give yourself a reputation of being “difficult” with the department… even if you’re completely in the right and he’s wrong. (Being nice pays off, usually.)

Very very doubtful you could get a copy of your final exam. Final exams tend to be controlled, you can look at it, but not copy it.

If you aren’t on campus, make an appointment to talk to the professor over the phone about it, and have them call your house or cell phone that is in your student records.

Professors CAN’T keep your grades from you, you have a right to know your grades. In some cases, we are too lazy to publish them online or maybe the department doesn’t like them online. But we have to let students know all of their grades and how their grade was calculated.

Definitely be diplomatic. Nice pays. Follow up with a thank you–on–email for your professor’s time helping you to understand the last grades.