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Academic Grading

Quick reference

Grade Point Average
Change of Grade
Grade Appeal Procedure

 

Grading System for Undergraduate Students
The University of Washington uses a numerical grading system at both the graduate and undergraduate levels of instruction. At the undergraduate level, instructors may report grades from 4.0 to 0.7 in 0.1 increments and the grade 0.0. The number 0.0 is assigned for failing work or unofficial withdrawal. Grades in the range 0.6 to 0.1 may not be assigned. Grades reported in this range will be converted by the Registrar's Office to 0.0. Numerical grades may be considered equivalent to letter grades as follows:

Undergraduate Grading Scale

Letter grade	Numerical grade
A	4.0-3.9
A-	3.8-3.5
B+	3.4-3.2
B	3.1-2.9
B-	2.8-2.5
C+	2.4-2.2
C	2.1-1.9
C-	1.8-1.5
D+	1.4-1.2
D	1.1-0.9
D-	0.8-0.7 - Lowest passing grade
E	0.0 - Failure or Unofficial Withdrawal. No credit earned.

Grading System for Graduate Students
At the graduate level, instructors may report grades from 4.0 to 1.7 in 0.1 increments. Grades below 1.7 are recorded as 0.0 by the Registrar and do not count toward residency, total credit count, or grade and credit requirements. A minimum of 2.7 is required in each course that counts toward satisfying the Graduate School requirement for 18 hours of course work numbered 500-700 at the master's level. A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 is required for graduation. Numerical grades may be considered equivalent to letter grades as follows:

Graduate Grading Scale

Letter grade	Numerical grade
A	4.0-3.9
A-	3.8-3.5
B+	3.4-3.1
B	3.0-2.9
B-	2.8-2.5
C+	2.4-2.1
C	2.0-1.7
E	1.6-0.0

Additional information on grades and scholarship rules may be obtained from the Office of Student Affairs.

The following letter grades also may be used:

N (No grade). Used only for hyphenated courses (courses requiring more than one quarter to be completed) and graduate courses numbered 600 (Independent Study or Research), 601 (Internship), 700 (Master's Thesis). An N grade indicates that satisfactory progress is being made, but evaluation depends on completion of the next segment of the course or of the assigned work.

I (Incomplete). An incomplete is given only when the student has been in attendance and has done satisfactory work within two weeks of the end of the quarter and has furnished proof satisfactory to the instructor that the work cannot be completed because of illness or other circumstances beyond the student's control.

For undergraduate students: To obtain credit for the course, a student must successfully complete the work by the last day of the next quarter in residence. (Students should never re-register for the course as a means of removing the Incomplete.) An Incomplete grade not made up by the end of the next quarter will be converted to the grade 0.0 by the Registrar unless the instructor has indicated, when assigning the Incomplete grade, that a grade other than 0.0 should be recorded if the Incomplete work is not completed. The original Incomplete grade is not removed from the permanent record. An instructor may approve an extension of the Incomplete removal deadline. Such an extension must be received, in writing, at the Grade Recording Information Office, not later than the last day of the quarter following the quarter in which the Incomplete grade is assigned. Extensions, which may be granted for up to three additional quarters, must be received before the Incomplete has been converted into a failing grade. In no case can an Incomplete received by an undergraduate be converted to a passing grade after a lapse of one year.

For graduate students: To obtain credit for the course, a student must successfully complete the work and the instructor must submit a grade. In no case may an Incomplete be converted into a passing grade after a lapse of two years or more. An incomplete received by the graduate student does not automatically convert to a grade of 0.0 but the "I" will remain as a permanent part of the student's record.

S: Satisfactory grade for courses taken on a satisfactory/not satisfactory basis. For undergraduate students an S grade is automatically converted from a numerical grade of 2.0 or above. For graduate students numerical grades of 2.7 or above are converted to S. Undergraduate courses so graded can only be used as free electives and cannot be used to satisfy a University, college, campus or department course requirement. Graduate courses graded with S cannot be used to satisfy the requirement of a minimum of 18 credits of course work with numerical grades earned in approved 500- level courses and 400-level courses. The grade of S is not computed in the grade-point average calculation.

NS: Not Satisfactory grade for courses taken on a satisfactory/not satisfactory basis. For undergraduate students a grade less than 2.0 is converted to NS. For graduate students a grade less than 2.7 is converted to NS. NS is not included in the grade-point average calculation. No credit is awarded for courses in which an NS grade is received.

C: Credit awarded in a course offered on a credit/no credit basis only. The minimum performance level required for a CR grade is determined, and the grade is awarded directly, by the instructor. CR is not computed in the grade-point average calculation.

NC: No Credit awarded in a course offered on a credit/no credit basis only. The grade is awarded directly by the instructor and is not included in a grade-point average calculation.

HW: Grade assigned when an undergraduate is allowed a hardship withdrawal from a course after the seventh week of the quarter. It is not computed in grade-point average calculation, and no credit is earned.

Nontraditional Grading Options:
Credit/No Credit-Only As A Course Option
With appropriate departmental review and approval, a course may be offered on a credit/no credit-only basis. The standard for granting credit in credit/no credit- only courses under this option is the demonstration of competence in the material of the course to the instructor's satisfaction.

Satisfactory/Not Satisfactory Grading Option
For Undergraduate Students: Certain students are eligible to choose that a limited number of their courses be graded satisfactory/not satisfactory rather than with regular numerical grades. Any student who wishes to register for a course on a satisfactory/not satisfactory basis should check first with his or her adviser to determine restrictions and eligibility because colleges and departments vary in their rules concerning this grading option. In no case is a student allowed to register for more than 6 credits (or for one course, if that course is offered for more than 6 credits) on a satisfactory/not satisfactory basis in a given quarter. No more than 25 satisfactory/not satisfactory credits may be applied to a four-year undergraduate degree. Such courses may not be used to satisfy University, college, or departmental course requirements (i.e., may be applied only to the elective component of a degree). Generally, a student may not switch to or from satisfactory/not satisfactory grading for a particular course after the first week of the quarter. Only students in good academic standing (i.e., not on academic warning or probation) are eligible for the S/NS grading option. Veterans should check with the Office of Special Services before requesting S/NS grading option. It should be noted that the possibility of future objective evaluation of the student's total academic record is reduced by the extent to which the record includes course work that is evaluated by a grading system other than the numerical system. A student should be aware that he or she may jeopardize future educational opportunities, particularly for graduate or postbaccalaureate study, when other systems of performance evaluation are used.

For Graduate Students: With the approval of the graduate program coordinator or supervisory committee chairperson, a graduate student may elect to be graded S/NS in any numerically graded course for which he or she is eligible. The choice must be indicated at the time of registration or by the tenth day of the quarter. Note, however, that a minimum of 18 credits of coursework for which numerical grades are assigned is required in approved courses at the 500-level and the 400-level in order to qualify for the master's degree.

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Grade-Point Average
The cumulative grade-point average is based solely on courses taken in residence at the University of Washington; this includes some, but not all, courses taken through UW Extension. The UW transcript reflects grades for UW Extension course work that is not residence credit, and the grades for credit by examination. These latter grades do not affect the student's UW cumulative grade-point average.

Computation of Grade-Point Average
The grade-point average for graduation is computed by dividing the total cumulative grade points by the total credits attempted for courses taken in residence at the University. Grade points are calculated by multiplying the number of credits by the numeric value of the grade for each course. The sum of the grade points is then divided by the total credits attempted. Courses elected on an S/NS basis are counted as follows: Satisfactory grades are printed on the permanent record as an S and do not count in the quarterly or cumulative grade- point average, but they do count as credits earned toward graduation. Not- satisfactory grades, NS, do not count in the quarterly and cumulative grade- point averages and do not count as credits earned toward graduation.

Example 1:

Course	Credits	Grade	Grade points
TLSUS 498	3	0.0	0.0
TLSIN 300	5	2.9	14.5
TLS 343	5	3.2	16.0
			30.5

Total credits earned toward graduation 10
Total graded credits attempted 13
Grade-point average = 30.5 / 13 = 2.35 The total graded credits attempted, not the credits earned toward graduation, are used in computing the grade-point average.

 

Example 2:

Course	Credits	Grade	Grade points
TLSIN 325	5	2.3	11.5
TLSIN 463	5	2.9	14.5
TLS 313	5	I	0.0
			26.0

Total credits earned toward graduation 10
Total graded credits attempted 15
Grade-point average = 26.0 / 10 = 2.60 The student attempted 15 credits, but only 10 are graded, because the I is not computed in the grade-point average. If the work in TLS 313 is not made up by the end of the quarter, the I will convert to a numeric grade of 0.0 and the grade-point average will be recomputed. When the grade of 0.0 is received, it is computed in the grade-point average, but no credit is awarded toward graduation.

Repeating Courses
With the approval of the academic department offering the course, a student may repeat a course once. Both the original grade and the second grade will be computed in the grade-point average but credit will be allowed only once. Veterans receiving benefits must receive approval from the Student Affairs office before a course is repeated.

Change of Grade
Except in case of error, no instructor may change a grade that he or she has turned in to the Registrar. A student who finds administrative omissions or errors in a grade report must make application to the Registrar for a review not later than the last day of the student's next quarter in residence, but in no case after a lapse of two years. Grades used to meet graduation requirements cannot be changed after the degree has been granted. Time spent in military service is not counted as part of the two-year limitation. Students are not automatically notified of grade changes posted after the first of the quarter.

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Grade Appeal Procedure
A student who believes he or she has been improperly graded first discusses the matter with the instructor before the end of the following academic quarter. If the student is not satisfied with the instructor’s explanation, the student may submit a written appeal to the director or the dean of the program that offered the course, with a copy of the appeal also to the instructor. This must be done no later than 10 class days after his or her discussion with the instructor.

The director consults with the instructor to ensure that the evaluation of the student’s performance has not been arbitrary or capricious. Should the director believe the instructor's conduct to be arbitrary or capricious and the instructor decline to revise the grade, the director, with the approval of the voting members of his or her faculty, shall appoint an appropriate member, or members, of the faculty of that program to evaluate the performance of the student and assign a grade. The UW Tacoma Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and the University of Washington Provost should be informed of this action.

Once a student submits a written appeal, this document and all subsequent actions on this appeal are recorded in written form for deposit in the student’s file.

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