Academic Letter Grades
With the exception of letter grades assigned to 500-level professional development courses, these letter grades carry grade points and are used to calculate grade point averages (GPAs). Faculty must submit a last date of attendance in conjunction with an F grade.
| Code | Description |
|---|---|
| A | Honor grade; indicates comprehensive mastery of required work. |
| B | Indicates high level of performance in meeting course requirements. |
| C | Indicates satisfactory level of performance. |
| D | Indicates lowest passing grade; may not be acceptable to fulfill prerequisites for certain courses or satisfy requirements in certain majors and in graduate programs. |
| F | Indicates failure. |
Non-Academic Grades
These grades do not carry grade points and are not used to calculate GPAs. However, CR, NC, P, NB and NP grades may be used to determine satisfactory academic progress for purposes of financial aid. Faculty must submit a last date of attendance in conjunction with an NB grade.
| Code | Description |
|---|---|
| CR | Indicates credit was received for the course. |
| DF | Deferred indicates course requirements cannot be completed by end of semester. It is to be used for courses that cannot normally be completed in a semester (such as thesis, project, research, internships, etc.). |
| I | Incomplete indicates additional work must be completed to receive a final grade. If the coursework is not completed within one year and the faculty member does not submit a change of grade at that time, the I will become a permanent grade. |
| NB | No basis indicates there is insufficient progress or attendance for evaluation to occur. |
| NC | Indicates no credit was received for the course. |
| NP | Indicates work that is not passing (no credit received). |
| P | Indicates passing work. |
Other Designations
These designations do not carry grade points and are not used to calculate GPAs but may be used to determine satisfactory academic progress for purposes of financial aid.
| Code | Description |
|---|---|
| AU | Audit indicates enrollment for information only (no credit received). |
| W | Indicates withdrawal from the course. |
Credit/No Credit
Credit/no credit (CR/NC) is a grading option that encourages students to explore areas of interest. Undesignated electives may be completed under this option. A maximum of 15 credits earned by this option may be applied to an associate or baccalaureate degree.
This option may not be used in courses that meet General Education Requirements (GERs) or major or minor requirements in a student’s program. If a student later changes their major/minor and the course becomes a requirement, the course may be accepted in the new major/minor at the discretion of the new department.
The CR/NC option is not available for graduate courses, nor can this option be used on courses repeated for GPA improvement.
The instructor grades students using the grading basis approved for the course (A-F or P/NP). Students are awarded credit for the course if their final grade is P or a minimum grade of C. A grade of CR (credit) is entered on the student’s transcript.
For performance comparison only, a grade of CR is considered equivalent to a minimum grade of C. A grade of CR does not carry grade points and is not included in GPA calculations.
Students may request the CR/NC grading option by contacting the Office of the Registrar and must do so by the semester add/drop deadline. Once selected, this grading option may not be changed to regular grading after the semester add/drop deadline.
Deferred Grade
A deferred grade (DF) is used when the student is making satisfactory progress but completion of the course (such as thesis, project, research courses, internships, etc.) typically requires more than one semester. Credit is withheld, without academic penalty, until the course requirements are met. If coursework is not completed prior to fulfilling graduation requirements or if the student fails to maintain enrollment for one year, the DF will become a permanent grade, and it will be necessary for the student to re-register to obtain credit for the course.
Incomplete Grade
An incomplete grade (I) is assigned only at the discretion of the instructor. It is used to indicate that a student has made satisfactory progress in the majority of the work in a course but, for unavoidable absences or other conditions beyond the control of the student, has not been able to complete the course. Students assigned an incomplete grade are not entitled to complete the remaining coursework within the classroom/lab or to any additional instruction, nor may they participate in the class/lab during a future semester without re-registering, paying tuition and retaking the course.
An Incomplete Grade Contract Form between the student and the faculty member, stipulating the assignment(s) required to finish the course and the time frame for submission, is required and should be filed with the department or dean’s office when an incomplete grade is assigned. Coursework must be completed by the date specified in the contract, not to exceed one year.
Upon completion of the required coursework, the faculty member must submit a Change of Grade Form to the Office of the Registrar. If coursework is not completed by the contract deadline and the faculty member does not submit a Change of Grade Form at that time, the incomplete will become a permanent grade. The student has until the last day of class of the first full semester following the end of the contract to resolve any grading discrepancies.
No Basis Grade
A no basis (NB) grade may be used when the student has not attended or there is insufficient student progress and/or attendance for evaluation to occur. No credit is awarded, nor is NB calculated in the GPA. However, this grade may be used to determine satisfactory academic progress for purposes of federal financial aid. This is a permanent grade and may not be used to substitute for the incomplete grade. It cannot be removed later by completing outstanding work. Earning a NB grade in a retaken course will not replace the grade previously earned. Faculty must submit a last date of attendance in conjunction with this grade.
Pass/No Pass
In some courses, students are graded on a pass/no pass (P/NP) basis. This grading system is established at the time the course is approved and must apply to the class as a whole. Pass/no pass grading is not a student option.
When a course is graded pass/no pass, the faculty member must clearly explain this fact to the students at the beginning of the class.
For performance comparison only, a grade of P (pass) is considered equivalent to a minimum grade of C in undergraduate courses and a minimum grade of B in graduate courses. Pass/no pass grades are used to determine satisfactory academic progress for purposes of federal financial aid. However, P/NP grades do not carry grade points and are not used in GPA calculations.
Grade Changes
Grades submitted by the faculty, other than incomplete (I) or deferred (DF), are assumed to be final grades. A grade may not be changed unless a grading error, such as a mathematical miscalculation or inaccurate recording, has been made on the part of the faculty member. Corrections of grading errors must be made by the last class day of the next regular semester following the one in which the grade was originally assigned. A Change of Grade Form must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar by the appropriate faculty member. Change of Grade Forms will not be accepted if submitted by the student.
Allegations of final grading errors or arbitrary and capricious grading for a final grade assignment are reviewed according to the Academic Dispute Resolution Procedure.
Grade Point Average (GPA) Computation
UAA uses the 4-point system as a measure of scholastic success. Academic letter grades carry the following values:
| A | 4.00 |
| B | 3.00 |
| C | 2.00 |
| D | 1.00 |
| F | 0.00 |
A quality hour is defined as one credit hour for a course graded A-F. For each course the student takes with quality hours, that number of quality hours for the course is multiplied by the point value of the grade to give the total grade points for that course. The sum of the total grade points for all courses is then divided by the total number of quality hours to compute the grade point average (GPA).
For example, a student who took three courses and earned an A for a 3-credit course, a C for a 1-credit course, and a P (pass) for a 2-credit course would have a total of four quality hours. The total grade points for the first course would be 12 and for the second would be 2. The GPA would be calculated by dividing the sum of 12 and 2 by 4, the number of quality hours, to determine a GPA of 3.50.
The following non-academic grades do not carry grade points and are not used in calculating the GPA: P, NP, CR, NC, DF, I, NB and letter grades assigned to 500-level courses. In addition, AU and W are not grades and are not used in GPA calculations.
Credits accepted in transfer are not used to calculate the student’s UAA GPA. They are, however, used to calculate the student’s overall GPA for graduating with honors. Grades and credits earned from all retaken courses are also included in calculating the student’s GPA for graduating with honors. Students may find additional information on the impact of retaken courses on GPA by viewing Retaking Courses.