DARS (Degree Audit Reporting System)
What is DARS?
DARS is an acronym for a program called the Degree Audit Reporting System. DARS analyzes the degree requirements for your major according to the catalog year in which you entered 51社区. DARS reports are the printed results of this analysis. The DARS report displays the courses from which you may select in order to complete degree requirements and shows how the courses you have already taken apply toward those requirements. The DARS report provides you an exact "snapshot" of where you stand relative to graduation. Knowing how your DARS report is structured will make the report easier to understand.
How do I get a DARS report?
Your DARS Report is available online through the .
How do I reset my password so I can access my DARS report?
The username and password you use to access your DARS is the same username and password used for many other 51社区 online services. Please visit the website to determine the best way for you to reset your Ohio ID password.
What is an in-progress (IP) DARS?
An in-progress (IP) DARS audit assumes successful completion of coursework for the current semester. This includes courses that were previously listed with a grade of RG or RGPF. The grade will be reported as IP or IPPF. In-progress courses will count toward the fulfillment of requirements, but the GPA will remain unchanged. If you are retaking a course, earned hours for the previous occurrence will be deducted, but the GPA calculation will remain unchanged. Courses for which you are registered for a future term (grades of PG or PGPF) will not be included in the in-progress computations.
What information on the DARS audit uses the in-progress calculation?
In-progress grades are used to calculate progress for all degree requirements listed below the UNIVERSITY REQUIREMENTS text. The transcript totals include only graded courses and posted transfer credit.
In-progress grades are used to determine which degree requirements will be met at the end of the current semester and what will still need to be completed after the current semester.
Is there anything that does not include in-progress courses?
Reported earned hours and the transcript totals do not include in-progress courses. Only those hours that have been graded are included.
What will happen if I am retaking a course?
On the in-progress DARS, if the previous attempt was failed, the reported earned hours will not be affected by the retake. If the previous attempt was earned with a passing grade, the reported earned hours on the IP DARS report will not include the hours from the previous attempt. The hours from the previous attempt will be reported in the in-progress hours total. After courses are graded, DARS and the official transcript totals will update hours earned and GPA according to the university retake policy.
Will "What-if" DARS audits also be available as IP DARS?
Yes, all DARS audit request types can generate an IP DARS.
Will I still be able to request a "regular" DARS audit that I am familiar with?
Yes. After refreshing your DARS, there will be a checkbox that you can uncheck to generate a non-IP DARS.
How will credit hours be reported for an in-progress course within a requirement?
In-progress courses will contribute to the required hours, but they will not be included in the reported hours earned or completed. The in-progress hours will be reported on a separate line. Reported hours earned and hours completed will continue to reflect only courses that have been completed with a passing grade, excluding hours from a course that is currently being retaken.
Whom should I call if I have a question about the IP DARS?
Staff in the college student services offices have a lot of experience reading and interpreting IP DARS. You can check with staff in the college office or with staff in the Office of the University Registrar if you have any questions.
Where will I find the specific information pertaining to my degree program requirements?
Undergraduate Students
Your DARS report begins with a section that displays personal information. This section includes information such as ACT/SAT scores, assigned advisor, and catalog year of entry. Next are the general graduation requirements, which include total hours needed to graduate and minimum GPA required. General education requirements follow (Tiers or BRICKS, depending on your university catalog of entry). General education requirements are followed by college requirements; these are different for each college within the university. The requirements for the major are listed after the college requirements. The free electives section lists any courses taken that do not meet any specific requirement. Finally, there is a complete record of all classes taken at 51社区 listed by academic year (this is much like an informal transcript).
I can't see my semester transfer credit from my other school/college on my DARS but I submitted my transcript. Why don't they show up?
You can check the status of your transfer credit through the . Contact your college student services office with specific questions about your transfer credit.
Why does my transfer credit from my other school/college appear on my DARS but my rank still indicates that I am a freshman?
Why are transcript hours and GPA different from the hours and GPA on my DARS report?
There are several reasons why the hours earned and accumulative GPA calculated in the General Graduation Requirement may differ from the accumulative GPA shown in the online (PeopleSoft) and in the first section of the DARS report (labeled TRANSCRIPT). The earned hours and GPA listed in the General Graduation Requirement section of the DARS report are used to determine if the student meets the minimum hours and GPA required for graduation and will not include hours that are limited by policy (e.g., excess developmental coursework or course duplication). The accumulative GPA in PeopleSoft is used for calculating graduation with honor.
How is my GPA calculated in semesters?
The student's accumulative GPA should remain the same from quarters to semesters. The accumulative hours attempted (hours completed that resulted in a letter grade) and accumulative grade points were converted using the 2/3 conversion and the resulting GPA will remain the same. A very simple example,
4 quarter hours B grade (4 x 3 = 12 grade points)
3 quarter hours A grade (3 x 4 = 12 grade points)
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7 quarter hours attempted 24 grade points GPA: 24/7 = 3.428
7 * (2/3) = 4.6666 semester hours attempted 24 * (2/3) = 16 grade points
GPA: 16/4.6666 = 3.428
The semester work will add to the converted accumulative hours attempted and grade points to calculate the accumulative GPA.
The converted accumulative GPA calculated within the PeopleSoft system is based on the conversion of the accumulative GPA values from the last quarter term. The accumulative GPA in the General Graduation Requirement section of the DARS report is based on the conversion of individual courses. The two methods can occasionally result in a difference of one thousandth in the GPA calculation.
What do all the symbols on my DARS report mean?
The last section on your DARS report is the legend. It contains important symbols needed to understand your DARS report. Following is a list of the most common symbols that appear on a DARS report.
RG Grade | This grade appears next to classes in which you are currently enrolled but which you have not yet completed. |
RGPF Grade | This grade appears next to classes in which you are currently enrolled using the pass/fail grading option but which you have not yet completed. |
PG Grade | This grade appears next to classes for which you are registered in a future term. |
PGPF Grade | This grade appears next to classes for which you are registered in a future term using the pass/fail grading option. |
T Grade | This grade appears next to 51社区 equivalent classes that have been transferred from another institution. |
Grade V | Indicates the reported grade is based on the average of quarter courses. |
Grade VT | Indicates the reported grade is based on the average of quarter courses and transfer credit was included. |
- | If a specific sub-requirement has not been completed, a minus sign will appear next to it. |
+ | If a specific sub-requirement has been completed, a plus sign will appear next to it. |
NO | If a requirement has not yet been completed, the word "NO" will appear next to it. |
OK | If a requirement has been completed, the word "OK" will appear next to it. |
* in course | If a requirement is stated as (SELECT FROM: HIST****) it means that any History course will fulfill the requirement. |
>L | Indicates a course whose credit has been deducted because it was taken out of sequence when taking the proper sequence was required or it exceeds limits based on earning credit in similar courses. |
>R | Indicates a course that has been repeated for credit. |
>X | Indicates a course that has been retaken and replaced by a later completion of the same course. No credit hours will show by the course with >X. The grade for the last completion will be the one that counts in the GPA. |
++ | The ++ reported after the course title indicates that there are additional course titles not reported and the title listed is the quarter title of the first course in the sequence. |
Should I still consult with my advisor?
YES! While your DARS report tells you which requirements to complete, your advisor can give you academic counseling to help you make informed choices as well as offer you career advice that will help you after graduation.
Can DARS help me if I am thinking about switching majors?
You may request a "What if" DARS report through the . This report will help you determine how courses already completed will apply to the new major as well as what additional courses are needed to complete that program.
What if I feel something is wrong with my DARS report?
What does a sample DARS requirement look like?
The following is a sample of a requirement section of a DARS report:
Why is my semester grade different than my quarter grade?
If multiple quarter courses with different grades combined to form one or more semester courses, the grade will report as an average of the quarter grades. These composite grades will be listed with a 鈥淰鈥 or 鈥淰T鈥 (if transfer credit contributed to the composite course). The original grades earned will continue to be calculated in your accumulative grade point average and used for meeting requisites. The combined (average) grade does not alter your accumulative GPA and will not appear on your official transcript.
Example:
In the example below, three quarter courses with different grades have combined to form the semester equivalents of SPAN 2110 and 2120. The reported term (Sp11) is the term in which the last course in the sequence was completed. The reported grade is based on the average (denoted with V) of the three quarter courses. The reported title is the quarter title of the first course in the sequence. The "++" reported after the course title indicates that there are additional course titles not reported.
Sp11 SPAN2110 4.0 B V INTERMEDIATE SPAN ++
QTR : SPAN211,212,213
Sp11 SPAN2120 4.0 B V INTERMEDIATE SPAN ++
QTR : SPAN211,212,213
The average grade is calculated by taking the numerical equivalent to the final letter grade (e.g. A = 4.00, A- = 3.67, B+ = 3.33, B = 3.00, etc.) and computing the average. The numerical value is used in accumulative GPA calculations. The reported grade is assigned based on the numeric value.
In the example above, the grades were as follows:
SPAN 211 4 hours A (4.00)
SPAN 212 4 hours C (2.00)
SPAN 213 4 hours B+ (3.33)
Calculation: (4*4 + 4*2 + 4*3.33)/12 = B
My quarter DARS indicated that I completed a graduation requirement but my semester DARS shows that I still need to complete this same requirement. Do I need to complete it?
The semester DARS requirements might not be the same as the quarter requirements. You should contact your academic advisor, using your TDCP as a guide, to determine the courses you should take to complete your degree. If you previously received a course waiver or substitution that is not reflected on your DARS report, please contact your college student services office and ask for a review of your record.
Will the semester equivalencies that appear on my DARS also appear on my official transcript?
No, your quarter courses will not be converted to their semester equivalents on your transcript. The transcript will show coursework and grades as originally completed. For example, if you took PSY 101, it will appear on your transcript as PSY 101 and not PSY 1010.
How do I know if a semester course I need/want to take will replace the grade in the quarter course I have already taken?
Work with your academic advisor using your TDCP to determine what courses you still need to graduate. The department that offers the semester course should be able to tell you if credit will be deducted.