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Grade Definitions and Grading Policy


Students are to be graded in courses according to the traditional system of letter grades (A, B, C and F). 

Student Credit Points Earned

Students who receive credit for a class by the end of the semester (or term) will have a grade ranging from A to C on their transcript and these will be entered into the calculation of the grade point average. The grade of P is not counted in the GPA.

No Student Credit Points Earned

Students who will not receive credit points may have an F or an INC, or a grade beginning with “W”. See explanation after chart. The F grade is counted in the GPA.

Retention Standards 

CUNY mandates uniform student retention standards for all CUNY colleges. Decisions about whether or not students may continue in a CUNY college are made on the basis of a student’s grade point average (GPA). To determine GPA, course grades are assigned quality points (which count toward the GPA), as shown in the following table:  

Grades and Designations Assigned by College Administration

Effective fall 2007, grades in graduate courses are reported as follows:

Grade

Definition

Quality Points (GPA Index)

A+

97.5 – 100%

4.0

A

92.5 – 97.4%

4.0

A-

90.0 – 92.4%

3.7

B+

87.5 – 89.9%

3.3

B

82.5 – 87.4%

3.0

B-

80.0 – 82.4%

2.7

C+

77.5 – 79.9%

2.3

C

70.0 – 77.4%

2.0

F

0 – 69.9%

0

P =

Satisfactory completion. Used only for the thesis research or equivalent course where required in the particular graduate program.

INC =

Incomplete

SP =

Satisfactory progress – restricted to thesis and research courses requiring more than one semester for completion

W =

Official withdrawal

WU =

Unofficial withdrawal

WA =

Y=

Administrative withdrawal

Y = Year’s course of study – must continue to completion

PEN=

A placeholder grade submitted by the Office of Student Conduct when a student is alleged to have committed a violation of the Policy on Academic Integrity and the student denies the allegation. The PEN grade is a placeholder during the pending resolution of the allegation and will be changed by the instructor following such resolution.

In the School of Social Work the H/CR/NC grading system is mandatory. These grades, which carry no quality points, are assigned as follows:

H =

Honor

CR =

Credit

NC =

No credit

The assignment of traditional letter grades in the School of Social Work may be arranged by consultation with the instructor at the beginning of each semester. A grade of CR is given for “acceptable graduate-level work,” equivalent to a B or an A. The grade of H signifies “unusual or outstanding  graduate-level work, well above the A level.

Students are not permitted to repeat courses in which they have previously received a grade of B or better unless otherwise specified by the department. Courses in which a grade of C is earned may be repeated only with departmental permission. Credit for the repeated course will be counted in the GPA, but not toward graduation.