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Evaluating Academic Performance

Winter Quarter 2025

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 ninth week 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). 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
Anthropology 283
Biomolecular Engineering 281G, 281Y
Chemistry and Biochemistry 8N, 110N
Computational Media 15, 20
Cowell 10
Critical Race and Ethnic Studies 45
Earth Sciences 190
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology 75
Economics 93, 191, 193, 193F
Environmental Studies 83, 183, 184
Film 198, 198F
Global and Community Health 20
Graduate 215
History of Art and Visual Culture 198
Legal Studies 188A, 188B
Linguistics 190
Merrill 85B, 85C
Oakes 188A, 188B
Athletics and Recreation (all courses)
Psychology 193, 198
Stevenson 10
Theater Arts 45 (Student-Directed Production courses)
UCDC 194B
Writing 11A-B-C, 180, 191D

Letter Grading Option

Before the Grade Option deadline (the 15th day of instruction for graduate students; the ninth week of instruction for undergraduates), 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 After Grades are Posted

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

Navigator: Catalog Rights

Grade Point Average

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		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	D+ = 1.30	F = 0.00	IP = 0.00
A = 4.00	B = 3.00	C = 2.00	D = 1.00	W = 0.00	NP = 0.00
A- = 3.70	B- =2.70	C- = 1.70	D- = 0.70	I = 0.00	NP = 0.00

Graduate Students

Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory Grading and the Letter Grade Option

All graduate students in graduate or undergraduate courses are 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. Grades A and B may be modified by plus (+) or minus (-) suffixes and the grade C may be modified by plus (+). A graduate student receiving a grade of C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, or F will not be able to use the credit for that course to satisfy any course requirement for a graduate degree in the Santa Cruz Division.

In order to receive a letter grade, you must enter your letter grade request by the Undergrad/Grad Grade Change Option date for each quarter on the Academic and Administrative Calendar.

Evaluations

At the end of the term, each instructor teaching a course shall have the option to prepare a written evaluation for any student taking the course for credit.

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 (Graduate Students)

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

Undergraduates may repeat courses in which they earn a C-, D+, D, D-, F, No Pass, or W. For an undergraduate to repeat a course more than once requires approval of the student’s college. A grade of W counts as an attempt. Courses in which a C-, D+, D, 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. For the first 15 credits of repeated courses, the original grade is excluded from the GPA, and only the grade from the repetition is used. After the 15-credit maximum is reached, all grades are included in the GPA. However, credit is not awarded more than once for the same course. The grade assigned each time the course is taken will be permanently recorded on the official transcript.

Three-column table describing graduate grading policies. Column one lists the type of scenarios involved; column two lists the policies for students choosing satisfactory/unsatisfactory grading; column three lists the policies for students choosing a letter grade.
UCSC Graduate Grading Policies*
	Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory Grading	If You Elect a Letter Grade
Enrollment	You must request Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grading by the published deadline.	You must request a letter grade by the published deadline.
Available Grades	You will be graded S (equivalent to a B or better), U (unsatisfactory), or I (Incomplete).	You will be graded A, B, C, D, F, or I (Incomplete).
Degree Requirements	If you receive a U, the course cannot be used to satisfy a degree requirement.	If you receive a C, D, or F, the course cannot be used to satisfy a degree requirement.
Incompletes	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 coursework 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	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 coursework 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.
Repeats	You may repeat courses graded Unsatisfactory.	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.

*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.

Two-column table of undergraduate grading policies. Column one lists the types of scenarios involving grading; column two describes the policies for that particular situation.
UCSC Undergraduate Grading Policies
Enrollment	When students enroll, letter grading is the default. The P/NP option is available only to students in good academic standing. Students may change the grading option up to the ninth week of instruction.
Withdrawal	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 Academicand Administrative Calendar lists deadlines for withdrawing from a course.
Grades	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, graduate students only). 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).
Evaluations	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.
UCSC Grade PointAverage	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.
UC Grade Point Average	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 on the official transcript and is available from 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.
Satisfying Requirements	Departments may require that some or all courses used to satisfy the major must be taken for a letter grade. A course graded C-, D+, D, 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.
Incompletes	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 coursework 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.
Repeats	Undergraduates may repeat courses in which they earn a C-, D+, D, D-, F or No Pass. Courses in which a C-, D+, D, 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.
Graduation Requirements	No more than 25 percent of UCSC and UC 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 approved intercampus exchange program, but does not include transfer work from community colleges or other institutions. Pass/No pass courses should be carefully considered; departments may require that some or all courses used to satisfy the major must be taken for a letter grade. 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.

Revised: 11/07/24