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 University Registrar to 0.0. Numerical grades may be considered equivalent to letter grades as follows:
| Letter Grade | Number | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 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. |
Additional information on grades and scholarship rules may be obtained from the Graduation and Academic Records Office, 2nd Floor Schmitz Hall.
The following letter grades may also be used:
| Letter Grade | Description |
|---|---|
| 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 - Instructors may grant an incomplete grade if the student has done satisfactory work to within three weeks of the last day of the quarter and if circumstances prevent the student from completing the remaining work for the course by the end of the quarter. Instructors are never obligated to grant a student's request for an Incomplete. Instructors will use the designated process for students to request and for instructors to approve the awarding of an Incomplete grade. To obtain credit for a course a grade must be submitted by the instructor of the course by the grading deadline per the Academic Calendar for the next subsequent quarter. For Spring quarter, the subsequent quarter is considered to be the Fall Quarter. This submission is done through the established late grade submission process. The submitted grade will replace the 鈥淚鈥� on the transcript. If no grade is submitted the Incomplete will convert to a grade of 0.0 and the 鈥淚鈥� will be removed from the official transcript. If a default grade was submitted by the instructor this grade will replace the 鈥淚鈥� on the transcript. Courses taken CR/NC will change to a NC. In no case shall an Incomplete on the record at the time a degree is granted be subsequently changed to any other grade. The grade I shall count neither for registered hours nor in computation of grade-point averages. Instructors, on behalf of the student, may request an extension for one additional quarter beyond the original grading quarter utilizing the established extension request process. |
| 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 University 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 | No Credit 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. An annotation of Withdrawal and the date of withdrawal shall be noted on the transcript for a complete withdrawal. Effective through Summer 2020. |
| HW | Hardship Withdrawal - 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. Effective through Winter 2020. |
| RD | Registrar Drop - Grade assigned when a student drops a course through the Current Quarter Drop process between the third week of the quarter through the end of the quarter and/or through the Former Quarter Drop process when a student completes the process to have a grade changed to RD for a quarter that has passed. RD grades are not computed in GPA calculations. Effective Spring 2020. |
| X | This is not a grade, but a Missing Grade Annotation in the Student Database.聽X indicates that no grade was submitted by the instructor. |
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. Grading should be consistent with the University's policy for numerically graded courses, in which students receive credit for grades of 0.7 or greater. Students demonstrating such competence shall have CR entered on the transcript; those who do not shall have NC entered on the transcript. Although CR and NC grades are entered on the transcript, they are not used in the computation of the grade-point average.
Students may elect to take certain courses on a satisfactory/not satisfactory (S/NS) basis.
When registering through Personal Services on , 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.
Students may only register for up to 20 credits of S/NS through Personal Services on MyUW. Exceptions may be granted by sending a request to petition@uw.edu.
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 transcript. No more than 25 S/NS credits may apply toward an undergraduate degree.
Graduate students who earn grades of 2.7 or above will receive a grade of S while 2.6 or below are recorded as NS.
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.
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.
| 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.
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.
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.
Review for additional information about repeating courses.
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 that the instructor erred in the assignment of a grade, or who believes a grade recording error or omission has occurred, shall first discuss the matter with the instructor before the end of the following academic quarter (not including Summer Quarter.)
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 of receipt of the appeal, the chair shall consult with the instructor to determine whether the evaluation of the student's performance was fair and reasonable or whether the instructor's conduct in assigning the grade was 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.
Review Student Governance and Policies for additional information.
Grades are not mailed. Students may view and print a grade report through .