Valid Grades
This page provides a current list of valid grades and if/how they are included in calculating students’ grade point averages.
Note that the University of Wisconsin Law School has its own grading scale.
Refer to the Transcript Key/Legend for information about grades that are no longer used.
Grades Included in GPA
| Grade | Grade Points Per Credit |
|---|---|
| A (Excellent) | 4 |
| AB (Intermediate grade) | 3.5 |
| B (Good) | 3 |
| BC (Intermediate grade) | 2.5 |
| C (Fair) | 2 |
| D (Poor) | 1 |
| F (Failure)1 | 0 |
- Failures/repeat course option: Every grade of Failure remains permanently on the student’s academic record. A Failure is counted as 0 grade points per credit in computing the GPA. In effect since August of 1980, all courses receiving an A – F grade are used in the calculation of a GPA. This includes courses which are failed and repeated. ↩︎
Grades Excluded From GPA
What it is
Grades for courses taken on the Pass/Fail basis. For courses taken under the Pass/Fail option, the grade of S shall be recorded by the Office of the Registrar in place of instructors’ grades of A, AB, B, BC, C; the grade of U shall be recorded by the Office of the Registrar in place of instructors’ grades of D or F. The D grade is unsatisfactory for Pass/Fail Courses.
Instructors: When to use it
Report letter grades (A-F) for students as you normally would. If the student chooses to be graded on a Pass/Fail basis, the Office of the Registrar will apply the corresponding grade.
Related policies
What it is
A limited number of courses are offered on a Credit/No Credit basis instead of the A-F grading basis. These courses are noted in Course Search & Enroll as “Graded on a Cr/N basis.” At the completion of the course, the student is given a grade of CR or N rather than a letter grade. A grade of CR will give the student credit toward a degree but will not have any associated grade points. A grade of N will award no credit.
Instructors: When to use it
Offering a course on a Credit/No Credit basis requires approval through the standard course approval process.
What it is
A temporary grade used for courses extending beyond one term, typically for two course sequences and graduate research courses numbered 790, 890, and 990. The final grade determines the grade for each term and replaces P grades for the course.
Instructors: When to use it
Enter a P grade for a student in a course that extends beyond one term (i.e. a graduate student in a research or thesis course). When you enter a final grade at the end of the course, the Office of the Registrar will administratively replace the P grade with the awarded grade; you will not need to complete a grade change.
You would also use a P grade for a student who is enrolled in a series of related courses in which the grade for an earlier course will be replaced by the grade for a later course (i.e. the PSYCH 681/PSYCH 682 series). When you enter a final grade for the last course, the Office of the Registrar will administratively replace the P grade(s) in the earlier course(s) with the new grade; you will not need to complete a grade change for the earlier course(s).
Related policies
What it is
A temporary grade used when work is not completed during a term.
After a specified period of time, an unresolved Incomplete grade will lapse (change) to an F. All Incomplete grades awarded to undergraduate students in Fall Term 2025 or later will lapse to Fs on the Friday of the eighth week of the following spring or fall term.
Instructors: When to use it
It is up to you whether to award an Incomplete. An Incomplete may be reported for a student for whom all of the following are true:
- The student has carried a subject with a passing grade until near the end of a semester;
- The student is unable to complete a small amount of coursework or take a final exam due to extenuating circumstances beyond their control (such as an illness); AND
- The student is positioned to pass the course by successfully completing the work needed to resolve the Incomplete grade.
Before awarding an Incomplete, you should consider:
- Whether the student has completed the vast majority of the work;
- Whether the student is currently in good standing in the course;
- Whether the student can improve their grade and/or pass the course if provided the extra time for the remaining work;
- Whether the work can be completed in a specified period of time;
- Whether you are willing to make a defined plan (with deadlines) and provide the student with the necessary materials/support/guidance to complete the remaining work; and
- Whether you would be willing to make the same exception for other students in the future.
If the answer is “no” for any of those items, it may not be appropriate to award an Incomplete.
An Incomplete is not given to a student who stays away from a final examination unless the student proves to you that they were prevented from attending as indicated above. In the absence of such proof, the final course grade shall reflect the grade earned. Even with such proof, if their work has convinced you that they cannot pass, the grade shall be F. A student cannot retake a course to satisfy an Incomplete.
Related policies
What it is
A temporary grade for an extended time limit for undergraduate students to resolve an Incomplete.
Instructors: When to use it
If the outstanding work is unable to be completed by the deadline due to additional extenuating circumstances, you may extend the time the student has to complete the outstanding work by submitting a request to change the Incomplete grade to a grade of Extended Incomplete (EI).
- The Extended Incomplete grade must be accompanied by a new deadline date which should typically be no later than the last day of instruction for that term.
- If the Extended Incomplete grade is not changed to a final grade by the deadline you specified, the grade will change (lapse) to a grade of F or N (for Credit/No Credit courses).
Related policies
What it is
A permanent grade replacing an Incomplete incurred in a student’s last semester in residence and not removed within five years.
Instructors: When to use it
In most cases, you will not assign the Permanent Incomplete grade; rather, it will be administratively assigned to graduate and undergraduate students when the five-year threshold has been reached.
You may assign a Permanent Incomplete grade to a graduate student if the following occurs after the student is assigned a grade of Incomplete (I) and before the student completes the coursework:
- The course is no longer relevant,
- The instructor of the course is no longer at the university,
- A change in program makes the completion of the coursework unnecessary
You will never assign a Permanent Incomplete grade to an undergraduate student.
Related policies
What it is
A placeholder grade indicating the course was dropped.
Instructors: When to use it
You will never need to enter a DR grade; this grade is automatically assigned when the student’s drop is processed.
What it is
If a student withdraws from the university after specified deadlines, any courses in which the student remains enrolled will have a DR grade. A notation indicating that the student withdrew from the university while enrolled in the course(s) will also appear on the student’s transcript.
Instructors: When to use it
You will never need to enter a DR grade when a student withdraws from the university; both this grade and the withdrawal notation are automatically assigned when the student’s withdrawal is processed.
Related policies
What it is
A notation used for students who enroll in a course and then never attend.
Instructors: When to use it
In this context, “No Work” means there is no evidence that the student ever attended the course, typically determined by attendance tracking or based on the student never submitting any coursework. Any student who does attend for part of the semester, and then stops participating should receive a grade of F unless there are grounds for assignment of a grade of Incomplete.
Related policies
- Fac. Doc. 1028; effective 9/94.
What it is
A notation indicating that an instructor has not submitted a grade by the grading deadline.
Instructors: When to use it
You will never award an NR grade. If you do not submit a valid grade by the deadline, the Office of the Registrar will input an NR administratively. This is necessary to support timely posting of grades and end-of-term academic standing and honors actions for students.
To resolve an NR grade, you will need to submit a grade change individually for each student with an NR grade.
What it is
A temporary grade used during grade reporting to indicate a credit problem.
Instructors: When to use it
A Q grade should only be used when the student is enrolled for the wrong number of credits or their honors indication is incorrect. Once the student has resolved the issue with the Q grade, you should go to Faculty Center and do a grade change.
What it is
Audited courses are graded either Satisfactory or No Report. “AU” will appear on a student’s transcript in place of the number of credits.
Instructors: When to use it
There are two options when a student is auditing a course.
- You may report letter grades (A-F) for students as you normally would. The grade of S shall be recorded by the Office of the Registrar in place of instructors’ grades of A, AB, B, BC, C, or D; the grade of NR shall be recorded by the Office of the Registrar in place of instructors’ grades of F.
- You may enter a grade of S (if the student successfully met your expectations) or NR (if the student was unsuccessful in meeting your expectations).