Undergraduate Students
Pass/No Pass Grading Option
Students may elect the Pass/No Pass grading option and may change their grading option in a course up to the 15th day of instruction. For the Pass/No Pass option, students receive a P for work that is performed at C or clearly passing level or better. For work that is not clearly passing, no academic credit is awarded; and students receive a NP (No Pass). Beginning fall 2001, the grade notation NP appears on the official transcript in all cases, regardless of when a student was admitted. For work that is passing, but incomplete, the grade notation I (Incomplete) may be issued.
The following courses are not available for a letter grade:
Student Directed Seminars: Courses Numbered 42
College Eight 10
College Nine 80C
College Ten 80C, 110, 110B
Cowell 10, 184A, 184B, 184C
Biology: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology 190
Biology: Molecular, Cell and Developmental
Biology 189F, 190
Earth Sciences 190
Economics 93, 191, 193, 193F, 198, 198F
Environmental Studies 83, 84, 183, 184
Film 198, 198F
History of Art and Visual Culture 198
Linguistics 190
Merrill 10, 85B, 85C
Oakes 10, 80C
Physical Education (all courses)
Psychology 193, 198
Social Sciences 194B
Stevenson 10
Theater Arts 45
Writing 11A-B-C, 20, 21, 22A-B, 180, 191D
Letter Grading Option
Before the Grade Option deadline (the 15th day of instruction), confirm your letter grade request for each course on the MyUCSC portal.
In Progress Notations
The notation IP (In Progress) is reserved for a single course extending over two or three terms of an academic year. The grade for such a course may be awarded at the end of the course and shall then be recorded as applying to each of the terms of the course. A student satisfactorily completing only one or two terms of a course, extending over two or three terms of an academic year, will be given grades for those terms. The grade option selected in the first quarter of the multiple term sequence applies to all quarters of the sequence.
Grade Changes
Incomplete grade notations of “I” must be changed to final grades, based upon work submitted to the instructor, within the deadline for Incompletes. Other grade changes can be made by the instructor only on the basis of clerical or procedural error and never on the basis of reexamination or completion of additional work.
Accessing Grades
You may access your grades for any quarter via the MyUCSC portal. Grades are usually available about one week after the end of the quarter.
Catalog Rights
Effective for all undergraduates who entered in fall quarter 1993 or after, students may follow the degree requirements from either the UCSC General Catalog published at the time of entering UCSC or subsequent catalog(s). Students need not follow a catalog in its entirety, but may elect to follow different catalog years for their college requirements, university and general education requirements, the requirements of their major(s), and the requirements of any minor(s).
Catalog year will initially be set for the first year of enrollment at UCSC. Students may elect to follow requirements from other catalog year(s) when filing the Proposed Study Plan/Declaration of Major/Minor. All requirements for graduation outlined in the catalog(s) selected must be met before graduation. Changing catalog year(s) is done by submitting a new Proposed Study Plan/Declaration of Major/Minor.
Students transferring from other collegiate institutions may elect to meet as graduation requirements one of the following:
- those in effect at the time of transfer to UCSC;
- those subsequently established; or
- those in effect when the student entered a previous collegiate institution, provided that entry was not more than three years prior to the
- time of transfer to UCSC.
Students who seek readmission to UCSC after a break in attendance greater than two years (six regular quarters) must adhere to the graduation requirements in effect at the time of readmission or those subsequently established.
Students who entered prior to 1993 should see an adviser. Their catalog year(s) for graduation, whether the year they entered UCSC or subsequent year(s), will be decided at the discretion of their major department and/or their college.
Undergraduates Who Entered UCSC Prior to Fall 1997
Guidelines for undergraduates who entered UCSC between fall 1997 and spring 2001 also apply to undergraduates who entered UCSC prior to fall 1997, with the following exception: those who entered prior to fall 1997 may elect letter grades, but a grade-point average will not be displayed on the official transcript. All undergraduates, regardless of when they entered UCSC, must meet the UC minimum GPA requirement in order to receive a degree from the University of California: 2.0 calculated from all UCSC letter-graded courses and from all letter-graded courses taken at other UC campuses and through the Education Abroad Program.
Grade Point Average
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The grade point average is determined by dividing the number of grade points earned by the number of credits attempted for a letter grade. The number of grade points earned for a course equals the number of grade points assigned multiplied by the number of course credits. For example, suppose a student takes three 5-credit courses and receives grades of A-, B-, and C+.
| Grade Point Average |
| Grade |
Grade Points* |
Course Credits |
Total Grade Points* |
| A- |
3.70 |
5 |
18.50 |
| B- |
2.70 |
5 |
13.50 |
| C+ |
2.30 |
5 |
11.50 |
| Total |
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15 |
43.50 |
| 43.50 divided by 15 = 2.90 GPA |
Grade points are assigned to each letter grade as shown below.
Grades shown in bold (W, I, IP, P, NP) are not included in the UCSC GPA. |
| A+ = 4.00 |
B+ = 3.30 |
C+ = 2.30 |
F = 0.00 |
IP = 0.00 |
| A = 4.00 |
B = 3.00 |
C = 2.00 |
W = 0.00 |
P = 0.00 |
| A- = 3.70 |
B- = =2.70 |
D = 1.00 |
I = 0.00 |
NP = 0.00 |
Graduate Students
Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory Grading and the Letter Grade Option
Beginning fall 1997, all graduate students in graduate or undergraduate courses will be graded Satisfactory (S) (equivalent to a B or better), Unsatisfactory (U), or Incomplete (I). Graduate students also have the option of receiving a letter grade of A, B, C, D, or F in most courses. The grades of A or B shall be awarded for satisfactory work. Grades of C or D will not satisfy any course requirement for a graduate degree at UCSC.
In order to receive a letter grade, you must enter your letter grade request no later than the 15th day of instruction for each class in each quarter.
Evaluations
Graduate students receive an evaluation for all courses except those with no credit value.
Incompletes
An Incomplete (I) grade notation may be assigned when the graduate student’s work is of passing quality but is incomplete. See the Graduate Student Handbook for complete instructions about arrangements to receive and to remove an Incomplete grade notation.
In Progress
The notation IP (In Progress) is restricted to certain sequential courses that extend over two or three
quarters of an academic year. The grade option you select in the first quarter of the multiple term sequence applies to all quarters of the sequence. You receive the same notation for each course upon completion of the two- or three-quarter sequence, and the final grade is applied to all quarters.
Repeating Courses
Graduate students may repeat a course in which they earn a grade of C, D, F, or U. Degree credit for a repeated course will be granted only once, and the most recently earned grade will be used to determine whether a degree requirement has been met.
| UCSC Graduate Grading Policies |
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Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory Grading
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If You Elect a Letter Grade
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Enrollment
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You must request Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grading by the published deadline.
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You must request a letter grade by the published deadline.
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Available
Grades
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You will be graded S (equivalent to a B or better), U (unsatisfactory), or I (Incomplete).
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You will be graded A, B, C, D, F, or I (Incomplete).
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Degree Requirements
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If you receive a U, the course cannot be used to satisfy a degree requirement.
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If you receive a C, D, or F, the course cannot be used to satisfy a degree requirement.
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Incompletes
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An I (Incomplete) may be assigned if your work is of passing quality, but is incomplete. You must petition to remove the I and submit the completed course work to the instructor by the end of the third quarter following that in which the grade notation I was received unless the instructor or department specifies an earlier date. If you fail to file the petition and complete the work, or if the instructor
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An I (Incomplete) may be assigned if your work is of passing quality, but is incomplete. You must petition to remove the I and submit the completed course work to the instructor by the end of the third quarter following that in which the grade notation I was received unless the instructor or department specifies an earlier date. If you fail to file the petition and complete the work, or if the instructor does not submit an A, B, C, or D, the Incomplete will be changed to an F.
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Repeats
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You may repeat courses graded Unsatisfactory.
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You may repeat courses graded C, D, or F. Credits are counted once, and the most recently earned grade determines whether a degree requirement has been met.
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Either way
- Graduate students enrolled in physical education courses will be graded Pass/No Record.
- Graduate students enrolling in undergraduate courses will be graded as outlined above.
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| UCSC Undergraduate Grading Policies |
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Undergraduates Entering UCSC
Fall 2001 and After
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Undergraduates Entering UCSC
Fall 1997–Spring 2001
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Enrollment
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When students enroll, letter grading is the default. The P/NP option is available only to students in good academic standing.
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When enrolling, students are required to choose either letter grading or Pass/No Pass grading.
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Students may change the grading option up to the 15th day of instruction.
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Withdrawal
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After the last day to drop a course, students may withdraw from a course whether enrolled for a letter grade or for Pass/No Pass grading. The Academic and Administrative Calendar lists deadlines for withdrawing from a course.
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Grades
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If enrolled in a course for a letter grade, students will receive a grade of A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, D, F, W (Withdraw), I (Incomplete), or IP (In Progress). If enrolled in a course for Pass/No Pass, students will receive a grade of P (Pass), NP (No Pass), W (Withdraw), I (Incomplete), or IP (In Progress).
Note: Beginning fall 2001, NP grades will appear on official transcripts of all students, like all other grades.
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Evaluations
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Beginning fall 2010, undergraduate evaluations are provided at the option of the faculty. In each course for which you receive a grade of D or better (or P), an evaluation of your academic performance may be submitted.
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UCSC Grade PointAverage
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For all students, a UCSC GPA is calculated from UCSC courses, courses taken through the Education Abroad Program, and courses taken on another UC campus in an intercampus exchange program. The UCSC GPA is displayed on the official transcript. Courses taken through the Domestic Exchange Program and UC Extension are not calculated in the UC or the UCSC GPA.
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Students who have received a letter grade in at least
2/3 of their credits attempted at UCSC have a UCSC GPA calculated and displayed on their official transcripts. Students who receive letter grades in fewer than 2/3 of their UCSC credits attempted are not eligible for UCSC GPA. Courses taken through the Domestic Exchange Program and UC Extension are not calculated in the UC or the UCSC GPA.
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UC Grade
Point Average
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All students have a UC GPA calculated from courses taken for a letter grade at UCSC, at other UC campuses, and through the Education Abroad Program. The UC GPA is not on the official transcript but is available from the MyUCSC when checking grades from a previous quarter. Your UC GPA must be at least 2.0 in order for you to graduate. Courses taken through the Domestic Exchange Program and UC Extension are not calculated in the UC or the UCSC GPA.
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Satisfying
Requirements
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Departments may require that some or all courses used to satisfy the major must be taken for a letter grade.
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A course graded D or F cannot be used to satisfy a course prerequisite or to satisfy major or general education requirements. Credits earned with a D will not count toward satisfactory academic progress. Any course graded P is equivalent to a C or better and can be used to satisfy general education requirements and will count towards satisfactory academic progress.
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Incompletes
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The notation I (Incomplete) may be assigned when work for a course is of passing quality but is not complete. Prior arrangements must be made with the instructor for a grade of I. To remove the Incomplete, the student must file a petition and the completed course work by the deadline on the last day of the following quarter. If an I is not removed by the deadline, it will lapse to F or NP, depending on the grading option in effect. The F and the NP will appear on official transcripts, along with the removal of incomplete notation.
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Repeats
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Undergraduates may repeat courses in which they earn a D, F, or No Pass. Courses in which a D or F is earned may not be repeated on a Pass/No Pass basis. Courses in which a grade of No Pass is earned may be repeated on the same basis or for a letter grade. Students may only repeat a maximum of 15 credits for courses in which a grade of D or F was received. In computing the GPA for these repeats, only the grade and corresponding grade points earned the last time the course was taken will be used. After the 15-credit maximum is reached, the GPA will be based on all grades assigned and total credits attempted. To repeat a course more than once, consult with your college adviser. Credit is not awarded more than once for the same course, but the grade assigned each time the course is repeated will be permanently recorded on the official transcript.
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Graduation
Requirements
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No more than 25 percent of the UCSC credits applied toward graduation may be graded on a Pass/No Pass basis. This includes any credits completed in the Education Abroad Program or on another UC campus in an intercampus exchange program. Departments may require that some or all courses used to satisfy the major must be taken for a letter grade.
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There is no limit on the number of credits graded Pass/No Pass which may be applied toward graduation.
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Students must complete all requirements for the major with a grade of P, C (2.0), or better. All undergraduates, regardless of when they entered UCSC, must meet the minimum UC GPA requirement of 2.0 in order to receive a degree from UCSC. See the section above on Catalog Rights regarding graduation requirements in effect for each student.
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