Undergraduate Grading Policies
The following is a brief explanation of the letter grades that may be further delineated by a plus sign (+), which is not used for A grades, or a minus sign (-). The numerical equivalent of letter grades is determined by the instructor and is approved by the dean of the college that offers the course. Undergraduate students permitted to enroll in graduate courses (500-level and above) should consult the Graduate Academic Information and Policies for graduate student grading policies.
| A/A- |
Superior, outstanding scholarship and intellectual initiative. |
| B+/B/B- |
High attainment and a notable degree of scholastic performance. |
| C+/C/C- |
Satisfactory performance at an average level of college achievement. Indicates an understanding of the essential elements of a course. C is the minimum passing grade for courses in the major field in several schools of the university. Students should refer to program requirements in the relevant sections of this catalog. |
| D+/D/D- |
Deficient but passing. A grade of D indicates a bare minimum performance. A degree program determines whether a course graded D will count as prerequisites for advanced courses. A grade of D ordinarily is not transferable. |
| P |
Passing grade. This grade carries no quality points and is not calculated in the grade point average. |
| F |
Failure to meet minimal standards. Course must be repeated to obtain credit. (See Minimum Grade and Course Repeat Policy for further details.) |
| FA |
Failure primarily due to poor or non-attendance. Course must be repeated to obtain credit. (See Minimum Grade and Course Repeat Policy for further details.)
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I
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Incomplete work. An Incomplete is given at the discretion of the instructor and with approval from the dean when circumstances beyond a student's control prevent the completion of some course requirements. A majority of coursework must be completed in order for an I to be given. A student who receives a grade of I must complete the work in the time designated by the instructor. This time may be no longer than one semester. Students receiving a grade of I in the semester in which they apply to graduate must complete the outstanding work within the time designated by the instructor, but no later than 30 days after degrees are conferred in any given semester. The Incomplete must be removed by the end of the semester immediately following, including the summer semester. Failure to remove an Incomplete by the time specified will result in a failing grade. A student must then re-enroll and matriculate successfully in the course to obtain credit. |
| W |
Authorized Withdrawal. A grade of W is given to a student who withdraws from a course up until the last date to withdraw with a grade of W or separates from the university after the last date to drop without academic record. The grade of W carries no credit or academic penalty. It is recorded on the permanent transcript. |
| AU |
Indicates that the course was audited and no credit or grade was received.
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| NG |
Non-graded course. |
| PASS/FAIL |
The pass/fail option may not be chosen for Liberal Arts Core requirements or requirements in the major field other than the internship. The pass/fail option must be approved by the student’s advisor and dean. A student must indicate that a course is to be taken pass/fail at the time of registration and may not change this status after the last day to add a class. |