UCLA students are responsible for understanding the grading policies and regulations established by the Academic Senate. Should any semantic variations exist between explanations in this catalog and regulations in the Manual of the Academic Senate, the manual will prevail in all cases. Copies of the Senate manual are available for review in the Academic Senate Office, 3125 Murphy Hall.
Instructors are required to assign a final grade for each student registered in a course. The following grades are used to report the quality of a student's work at UCLA:
Undergraduate Students Graduate Students
A+ = Extraordinary A = Superior Achievement
A = Superior B = Satisfactorily demonstrates
B = Good potential for professional
C = Fair achievement
D = Poor C = Passed but work does not indi-
F = Failure cate potential for professional
P = Passed (achievement achievement
at grade C level or F = Failure
better) S = Satisfactory (achievement at
NP = Not Passed grade B level or better)
I = Incomplete U = Unsatisfactory
IP = In Progress I = Incomplete
DR = Deferred Report IP = In Progress
DR = Deferred Report
For Undergraduate Students. The grades A, B, C, and D may be modified by a plus (+) or minus (-) suffix, to either raise or lower your grade-point average. The A + grade will not raise your grade-point average because it carries the same number of grade points as the A grade. The grades A, B, C, and P denote satisfactory progress toward the bachelor's degree, but a D grade must be offset by higher grades in the same term for you to remain in good academic standing. An F grade yields no unit or course credit.
For Graduate Students. The grades A, B, and C may be modified by a plus or minus suffix. The grades A, B, and S denote satisfactory progress toward the degree, but a C grade must be offset by higher grades in the same term for you to remain in good academic standing. Courses in which a C grade is received, however, may be applied toward graduate degrees.
The Schools of Dentistry, Medicine, and Law maintain their own grading codes. If you are interested in programs in any of these schools, consult the appropriate school announcement.
In computing scholarship standing, a course counts as four quarter units. Partial or multiple courses are counted proportionally (e.g., one-half course is equal to two units).
Grade points per unit are assigned by the Registrar as follows:
A + = 4.0 C + = 2.3
A = 4.0 C = 2.0
A - = 3.7 C - = 1.7
B + = 3.3 D + = 1.3
B = 3.0 D = 1.0
B - = 2.7 D - = 0.7
F, NP, U = 0
Courses in which you receive a P or S grade may count toward satisfaction of degree requirements, but these grades, as well as DR, I, IP, and NR, are disregarded in determining your grade-point average. (If an I grade is later removed and a letter grade assigned, units and grade points are included in subsequent grade-point averages.) NR indicates that no grade was received from the instructor.
Your grade-point average, or GPA, is determined by dividing the number of grade points earned by the number of units attempted. The number of grade points earned for a course equals the number of grade points assigned times the number of course units. For example, suppose you take three four-unit courses and receive grades of A -, B -, and C +.
To determine your GPA for the term, divide the total grade points earned (34.8) by the total course units attempted (12). Your GPA is 2.9.
Grade Points x Course Units = Total Grade Points
A - = 3.7 4 14.8
B - = 2.7 4 10.8
C + = 2.3 4 9.2
-- ----
12 34.8
For satisfactory standing, undergraduate students must maintain a C average (2.0 GPA) and graduate students a B average (3.0 GPA) in all courses taken at any campus of the University (except UCLA Extension).
Only grades earned in regular session or Summer Sessions at any UC campus and grades earned by Letters and Science students in UCLA Extension courses prefixed by XLC are computed in the UCLA grade-point average. Grades earned at another institution or in UCLA Extension courses other than those prefixed by XLC do not affect your GPA.
Other schools and agencies may calculate grade-point averages differently from the University when evaluating your records for admission to graduate and professional school programs. You should contact them about their policies in this regard.
Undergraduate students in good standing who are enrolled in at least 12 units (14 in the School of Engineering and Applied Science) may take certain courses on a Passed/Not Passed basis.
By alleviating grading pressures, this option allows you to explore areas in which you have little or no previous experience. The grade P is assigned for a letter grade of C or better. Units earned this way count toward satisfaction of degree requirements but do not affect your GPA. You will receive neither units nor course credit for an NP grade.
You may enroll in one course each term on a P/NP basis (two courses if you have not elected the P/NP option in the preceding term). You may not elect this option for Summer Sessions courses without an approved petition. Your department or school may require that you take some or all courses in your major for a letter grade. Certain other courses or programs may also be exempt from the P/NP option; consult your college or school for details.
You may make program changes to or from P/NP grading through the sixth week of instruction (see the Schedule of Classes Calendar for exact dates); changes after the first two weeks of class require a petition (available for purchase in the school supplies section at any ASUCLA Students' Store).
Certain undergraduate courses are offered only on a Passed/Not Passed basis and are designated PN in the Schedule of Classes.
Graduate students in good standing (minimum 3.0 GPA) may enroll for S/U grading in one graduate or upper division course outside the major field each term, in addition to any courses offered only on an S/U grading basis within the major. The grade S is assigned for a letter grade of B or better, but units earned in this manner will not be counted in computing the GPA. You will receive neither units nor degree credit for a U grade. You may not elect the S/U option for Summer Sessions courses without an approved petition.
Courses taken on an S/U basis outside the major, and 500-series courses within the major, are applicable toward degree and/or academic residency requirements if so approved. Interdepartmental majors may not apply S/U courses to degree requirements, except for 500-series courses. Program changes to or from S/U grading may be made through the tenth week of instruction (see the Schedule of Classes Calendar); changes after the first two weeks of class require a petition (available for purchase in the school supplies section at any ASUCLA Students' Store).
Certain graduate courses are offered only on a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis and are designated SU in the Schedule of Classes.
Once an I grade is assigned, it remains on your transcript along with the passing grade you may later receive for the course. Your instructor may assign the I grade when your work is of passing quality but is incomplete for a good cause (i.e., illness or other serious problems). It is your responsibility to discuss with the instructor the possibility of receiving an I grade as opposed to a nonpassing grade.
If an I grade is assigned, you may receive unit credit and grade points by satisfactorily completing the coursework as specified by the instructor. Do not reenroll in the course; if you do, it will be recorded twice on your transcript. If the work is not completed by the end of the next full term in residence, the I grade will lapse to an F, NP, or U as appropriate. Your college or school may extend this deadline in unusual cases (not applicable to graduate students).
Consult the Schedule of Classes for procedure instructions.
For certain courses extending over more than one term (identified by T1, T2, T3, or T4 in the Schedule of Classes, evaluation of student performance is deferred until the end of the final term of the course. Provisional grades of IP are assigned in the intervening term(s) and are replaced with the final grade when you complete the full sequence. The school or college faculty or the Graduate Council will determine credit if you do not complete the full sequence and petition for partial credit.
You may receive a DR grade when the instructor believes your work to be complete but cannot assign a grade because of disciplinary proceedings or other problems. If you are given a disciplinary DR grade, the Office of the Dean of Students will assist you in resolving the problem. For graduate students, the dean of the Graduate Division will set a deadline by which the DR will lapse to an F if the problem is not resolved and a grade assigned. The DR will be changed to a grade, or perhaps to an Incomplete, when the instructor provides written confirmation that you have resolved the situation. The DR grade is not included in determining your grade-point average.
Certain courses, as noted in their course descriptions, may be repeated for credit. Other courses taken at the University (except UCLA Extension) may be repeated only according to the following guidelines:
(1) To improve your grade-point average, you may repeat only those courses in which you receive a grade of C - or lower; NP or U grades may be repeated to gain unit credit. Courses in which you received a letter grade may not be repeated on a P/NP or S/U basis. Courses originally taken on a P/NP or S/U basis may be repeated either on the same basis or for a letter grade.
(2 ) Repetition of a course more than once requires the approval of your college or school or the dean of the Graduate Division, and is granted only under extraordinary circumstances.
(3) Degree credit for a course will be given only once, but the grade assigned each time you take the course will be permanently recorded on your transcript.
(4) For undergraduates who repeat a total of 16 units or less, only the most recently earned letter grades and grade points will be computed in the grade-point average. After repeating 16 units, however, your GPA will be based on all letter grades assigned and total units attempted.
(5) For graduate students, all courses in which a letter grade is given, including repeated courses, will be used in computing the grade-point average.
Students with high scholastic standing may earn credit for regular University courses by taking examinations rather than enrolling in the courses. This is accomplished by establishing, with a UCLA faculty member, an individual plan of study which may include oral and written work in addition to other requirements. To be eligible for this privilege, undergraduate students must have completed a minimum of 12 units at UCLA. Graduate students must be registered at the time of the examination and are limited to a maximum of three courses taken in this manner.
The results of these courses are entered on your record in the same way as regular courses, and corresponding grade points are assigned. Graduate credit earned by examination may be applied toward minimum course requirements for master's degrees but cannot apply to academic residence requirements for master's or doctoral degrees.
You will need approval from the appropriate instructors, the department, and your college or school or the dean of the Graduate Division, from whom petitions for credit by examination (with fee) are available.
All grades except DR, I, and IP are final when filed by the instructor in the end-of-term course report. Thereafter, a grade change may be made only in case of a clerical or procedural error or other unusual circumstances. No grade may be revised by reexamination or, with the exception of the I and IP grades, by completing additional work. If you are dissatisfied with a grade, you should review your work with the instructor and receive an explanation of the grade assigned. All grade changes are recorded on your transcript. See the Appendix for further details and procedures for appealing grades.
Undergraduate classification is determined by the number of units completed.
Classification Completed Units Freshman 0 - 44.9 Sophomore 45 - 89.9 Junior 90 - 134.9 Senior 135 or more
In all campus units except the School of Engineering and Applied Science, you are required to earn a minimum of 180 units from all college-level coursework for the bachelor's degree at UCLA. A maximum of 208 units is allowed in the School of the Arts and Architecture, School of Nursing, and School of Theater, Film, and Television; in the College of Letters and Science a maximum of 216 units (228 for double majors and special programs) is allowed. In the School of Engineering and Applied Science, the minimum units allowed are between 180 and 200 (depending on the program); 213 maximum units are allowed. If you exceed the maximum, you may not be allowed to continue, except in rare cases approved by your college or school. See the degree requirements under each college and school for further details.
Graduate classification is based on your degree objective and whether or not you are advanced to candidacy for a doctorate.