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.