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Home > Current Students > Undergraduate Students > Advisement & Academic Services > Academic Policies & Procedures > Grades

Grades

Grading Policy
A system of grade points is used to determine a student’s grade point average. The following grade points are earned for each unit of a letter graded course. To calculate your grade point average, use the following formula:
Grade points (see chart below) x units in each course = grade points earned for a particular class
Add up the total grade points earned for all courses, and then divide by the total number of units in all courses.
The resulting number is your GRADE POINT AVERAGE.

Letter Grade / Mark
Grade Points Earned

                    A

                    4.0

                    A-

                    3.7

                    B+

                    3.3

                    B

                    3.0

                    B-

                    2.7

                    C+

                    2.3

                    C

                    2.0

                    C-

                    1.7

                    D+

                    1.3

                    D

                    1.0

                    D-

                    0.7

                    F

                    0

 
Minimum passing grade is D- for undergraduate credit.
 
Some additional marks are also used for undergraduate courses. The chart below shows those marks, when they are used, and how they affect a student’s GPA, if at all.

Letter Grade / Mark
When Used
Effect on GPA
CR
Mark of “Credit.”  Passing grade for credit/ no credit courses.  Equivalent to C- quality or above.
No effect.
NC
Mark of “No Credit.”  Less than the equivalent of C- quality work.
No effect, but no credit is earned for the course.
P
Mark of “Pass.”  Passing grade for pass/no pass course.  Equivalent to C- quality or above.
No effect.
NP
Mark of “No Pass.”  Less than the equivalent of C- quality work.
No effect, but no credit is earned for the course.
W
“Withdrawn.”  Used when a course is dropped after the 3rd week of classes and before the end of the 12th week of classes.
No effect.
IP
“In Progress.”  Interim mark for a course exceeding one semester. 
No effect.  Failure to complete a course with a mark of IP will be assigned a grade of NC.
UW
“Unofficial Withdrawal.” This mark is given if a student stops attending class prior to the end of the 12th week of classes without officially withdrawing.
A mark of UW earns a student 0 grade points, and affects the GPA similarly to a grade of F.
MG
“Missing Grade” is an administrative mark used in cases when the instructor fails to submit a final course grade for a student.
No effect.
See the following section on Missing Grades.
 
IN
“Incomplete” for work that is not completed due to a documented illness or some other emergency occurring after the 12th week of the semester.  Arrangements for the IN should be initiated by the student and agreed to by the instructor before the final exam.
No effect if the course is completed within the allowed time.  See mark of IX for information on an IN not completed in a timely manner.
IX
“Expired Incomplete.”  If an course receiving a mark of “IN” is not completed within 1 year of the “IN” being awarded, the mark changes to “IX.”
A mark of IX earns a student 0 grade points, and affects the GPA similarly to a grade of F.

 
 
 
 
Missing Grades
 
How to resolve:
Missing grades (with a mark of MG) can be resolved by the instructor of the course through the correction of grade process.  Please see the following section on Correction of Grades.
 
MGs and Graduation:
All missing grades on a student’s record should be resolved before his or her degree is posted.  Degrees will be posted for students who have missing grades (MGs) on their record provided the student agrees and all other graduation requirements have been met. Students wishing to graduate with an MG must sign the Request to Graduate with a Missing Grade form at the Degree Progress Department in JHH 010.
 
 
 
Correction of Grades
A grade once reported to the Office of Academic Records and Registrar may not be changed except by request of the instructor to the Committee on Academic Policies and Procedures using a Correction of Grade form. Changes should be requested only on the basis of an actual error in assigning the original grade, not on the basis of a request by the student or special consideration for an individual student. Students are not permitted to complete course work after the semester has ended.   (Source: USC 2005-2006 Catalogue, p. 35)
 
Disputing a Grade
An appeals process is available for students who wish to dispute a grade assigned by a faculty member.  Information on this process is available through the SCampus student guidebook.