grade grubbing

Grade grubbing is the practice of aggressively pursuing higher grades through persistent appeals, complaints, or negotiations with instructors rather than improved work.

A grade grubber lobbies for extra points, argues over partial credit, or pleads for bumps to the next letter grade: I spent office hours dealing with grade grubbing instead of actual questions about the material.

The term is dismissive, implying the student cares more about the transcript than learning.