Grades and Exams

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What grade notations are used at Berkeley?

The following grades are used to report the quality or status of students’ work:

A Excellent (= 4.0 grade points)

B Good (= 3.0)

C Fair (= 2.0)

D Barely passed (= 1.0)

F Failure (= 0)

P Passed, at a level of C- or better *

NP Not passed

S Satisfactory or passed, at a level of B- or better *

U Unsatisfactory

I Work of passing quality but incomplete due to circumstances beyond the student’s control

IP Work in progress; final grade to be assigned upon completion of course sequence

* If an undergraduate takes a graduate course, he or she can receive a letter grade or P and would be expected to perform at least at a C- level. If a graduate student takes an undergraduate course, he or she may be assigned a letter grade or S, and would be expected to perform at least at a B- level.

For undergraduates, a course for which the grade A, B, C, D, or P is received counts toward a student’s degree requirements. If an F or NP is received, the course does not count toward degree requirements. A course graded I or IP does not count toward the degree until replaced by an A, B, C, D, or P.

For graduate students, a course for which the grade A, B, C, or S is received counts toward a student’s degree requirements. If a D, F, or U is received, the course does not count toward degree requirements. A course graded I or IP does not count toward the degree until replaced by an A, B, C, or S.

The grades A, B, C, and D may be modified by plus (+) or minus (-) suffixes. A plus grade carries three-tenths of a grade point more per unit; a minus, three-tenths less. (Exception: An A+, like an A, equals 4.0 grade points.) P, S, NP, U, I, and IP carry no grade points, and the units accrued in such courses are excluded in determining the student’s grade-point average.

All grades except I and IP are considered final when submitted by an instructor on the end-of-term course report. No final term grade, except I, may be revised as a result of re-examination or submission of additional course work after the close of the term, subject to the provisions of Berkeley Regulation A202 governing the replacement of I grades. No grade may be changed except within the limits and under the conditions specified in Berkeley Regulation A207 governing grade appeals. However, the correction of a clerical or procedural error may be authorized as the Berkeley Division of the Academic Senate directs.

A student may repeat only those courses for which he or she has received a D+, D, D-, F, NP, or U. This rule is subject to restrictions listed in Berkeley Division Regulation A201(D).

Students enrolled in degree programs may receive credit for courses graded Passed or Satisfactory to a limit of one-third of the total units undertaken and passed on the Berkeley campus at the time the degree is awarded. The P/NP option is available for undergraduates in good academic standing, the S/U option for graduate students in good academic standing. For additional limitations on P/NP and S/U grades, see Berkeley Division Regulations A204 and A205.

For complete information, refer to the Regulations of the Berkeley Division.

last updated on 3/15/07