Contents
The UW uses a numerical grading system, with certain exceptions in the schools of Dentistry, Law, and Medicine. 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 if a student does not officially withdraw. Grades in the range 0.6 to 0.1 may not be assigned. Grades reported in this range are converted by the Office of the Registrar to 0.0. Numerical grades may be considered equivalent to letter grades as follows:
Additional information on grades and scholarship rules may be obtained from the Graduation and Academic Records Office, 264 Schmitz.
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 Academic failure.
No credit earned.
The following letter grades also may be used:
N In Progress. Indicates that the student is making satisfactory progress and a final grade will be given at the end of the quarter the work is completed. Used only for thesis, research, and hyphenated courses (courses not completed in one quarter) and courses numbered 600, 601, 700, 750, and 800. An "N" grade carries with it no credit or grade until a regular grade is assigned.
I Incomplete. An Incomplete is given only when the student has been in attendance and has done satisfactory work until 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. A written statement of the reason for the giving of the Incomplete, listing the work which the student will need to do to remove it, must be filed by the instructor with the head of the department or the dean of the college in which the course is given.
To obtain credit for the course, an undergraduate student must convert an Incomplete into a passing grade no later than the last day of the next quarter. For Spring Quarter, the following quarter is considered to be Fall Quarter. The student should never reregister for the course as a means of removing the Incomplete. An Incomplete grade not made up by the end of the next quarter is converted to the grade of 0.0 by the Office of 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 by writing to the Graduation and Academic Records Office no later than the last day of the quarter following the quarter in which the Incomplete grade was assigned. Extensions, which may be granted for up to three additional quarters, must be received by the Office of the Registrar 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.
In no case shall an Incomplete on the record at the time a degree is granted be subsequently changed to any other grade.
An Incomplete grade does not count for registered hours nor in computation of grade-point averages.
For DL-suffix courses that do not follow the quarter schedule, an Incomplete shall be given only when the student has done satisfactory work to within two weeks of the maximum term for completion of the course, as specified at the time of registration. In order to obtain credit for the course, a student must convert an Incomplete into a passing grade by the end of the quarter following the one in which the Incomplete was given. All other provisions and deadlines of subsections a. through d. shall also apply.
S Satisfactory grade for courses taken on a satisfactory/not-satisfactory basis. An S grade is automatically converted from a numerical grade of 2.0 or above for undergraduates. The grade S may not be assigned directly by the instructor, but is a grade conversion by the Office of the Registrar. Courses so graded can only be used as free electives and cannot be used to satisfy a University, college, or department course requirement. S is not computed in GPA calculations.
NS Not-satisfactory grade for courses taken on a satisfactory/not-satisfactory basis. A grade less than 2.0 for undergraduates is converted to NS. NS is not included in GPA calculations. No credit is awarded for courses in which an NS grade is received.
CR Credit awarded in a course offered on a credit/no-credit basis only or in courses numbered 600, 601, 700, 750, and 800. 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 GPA calculations.
NC Credit not awarded in a course offered on a credit/no-credit basis only or in courses numbered 600, 601, 700, 750, and 800. The grade is awarded directly by the instructor and is not included in GPA calculations.
W Official withdrawal or drop from a course after the fourteenth calendar day of the quarter through the seventh week, to be followed by a number representing the week in which the course was dropped. An official withdrawal is not computed in GPA calculations. Students who do not officially drop a course(s) will receive a grade of 0.0. For DL-suffix courses that do not follow the quarter schedule, the grade W shall be assigned to any course dropped after the fourteenth calendar day after the start of the course and more than two weeks before the end of the maximum term for completion of the course, as specified at the time of registration. The date of withdrawal shall be noted on the transcript.
HW Grade assigned when a student is allowed a hardship withdrawal from a course after the fourteenth calendar day of the quarter. HW grades are not computed in GPA calculations.
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
You may elect to take certain courses on a satisfactory/not satisfactory (S/NS) basis.
When registering through Personal Services on MyUW, select the Grade Option box to select S/NS grading option. The S/NS grade option can be elected through the day shown on the academic calendar for the current quarter. NO EXCEPTIONS. A $20 fee is charged beginning the eighth calendar day of the quarter.
As an undergraduate, a course in which an "S" is earned may not be used to
satisfy any department, college, or University requirement, except that
the credits may be applied to the minimum of 180 credits required for
graduation. Each instructor will report numerical grades to the
Registrar, who will convert satisfactory grades (2.0 or greater) to "S" ,
and unsatisfactory grades (less than 2.0) to "NS" for the student's s
transcript. No more than 25 S/NS credits may apply toward an
undergraduate degree.
If you are a graduate student and earn grades of 2.7 or above, you will
receive a grade of "S" while 2.6 or below are recorded as NS. With the
approval of your graduate program adviser or the Supervisory Committee
Chairperson, you may elect to take any course for which you are eligible
outside of your major academic unit on an S/NS basis.
In cases of withdrawal, the "W" is recorded. Neither "S" nor "NS" is
included in the grade-point average.
The University's cumulative GPA is based solely on courses taken in
residence at the UW; this includes some, but not all, courses taken
through UW Extension. The UW transcript also 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 University
cumulative GPA.
Computation of GPA
The GPA for graduation is computed by dividing the total cumulative grade
points by the total graded 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 graded 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 GPA, but they do
count as credits earned toward graduation. Not-satisfactory grades,
NS, do not count in the quarterly and cumulative GPA and do not
count as credits earned toward graduation.
Nontraditional Grading Options
| Course | Credits | Grade | Grade Points |
|
| CLAS 205 | 3 | CR | ||
| OCEAN 101 | 5 | 2.7 | = | 13.5 |
| HIST 111 | 5 | 4.0 | = | 20.0 |
| SCAND 100 | 2 | 3.3 | = | 6.6 |
| Total credits earned toward graduation | 15 | |||
| Total graded credits attempted | 12 | 40.1 |
GPA = 40.1 ÷ 12 = 3.34
The total graded credits attempted, not the credits earned toward graduation, are used in computing the GPA.
| Course | Credits | Grade | Grade Points |
|
| ENGL 121 | 5 | 2.3 | 11.5 | |
| OCEAN 101 | 5 | 0.0 | = | 0.0 |
| SPHSC 100 | 3 | 2.7 | = | 8.1 |
| ART 121 | 5 | I | = | 0.0 |
| Total credits earned toward graduation | 8 | |||
| Total graded credits attempted | 13 | 19.6 |
GPA = 19.6 ÷ 13 = 1.51
The student attempted 18 credits, but only 13 are graded, because the Incomplete (I) is not computed in the GPA. The 0.0 for OCEAN 101 is computed in the GPA, but no credit is awarded toward graduation.
If the work in ART 121 is not made up by the end of the next quarter, the I is converted to a numeric grade and the GPA is recomputed.
UndergraduatesSee Registration Restrictions for additional information about repeating courses.
With the approval of the academic department offering the course, an undergraduate may repeat a course once. Both the original grade and the second grade are computed in the GPA but credit is allowed only once. Veterans receiving benefits must receive approval from the Office of Special Services before a course is repeated.Graduates
Graduate students may repeat any course. Both the original grade and the second grade are computed in the GPA. Subsequent grades will not be included, but will appear on the permanent record. The number of credits earned in the course will apply toward degree requirements only once. Veterans receiving benefits must receive approval from the Office of Special Services 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. Grades cannot be changed after a degree has been granted.
A student who believes he or she has been improperly graded must first discuss the matter with the instructor. If the student is not satisfied with the instructor's explanation, the student, no later than ten days after his or her discussion with the instructor, may submit a written appeal to the chair of the department, or in a nondepartmental college, to the dean, with a copy of the appeal also sent to the instructor. Within ten calendar days, the chair or dean consults with the instructor to ensure that the evaluation of the student's performance has not been arbitrary or capricious. Should the chair believe the instructor's conduct to be arbitrary or capricious and the instructor declines to revise the grade, the chair (or the dean in a nondepartmental school or college), with the approval of the voting members of his or her faculty, shall appoint an appropriate member, or members, of the faculty of that department to evaluate the performance of the student and assign a grade. The dean and 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 a department or college file.
Grade Reports
Grades are not mailed. You may display and print a grade report through MyUW.
