Credits & Grades
UW Grading System
The University of Washington uses a numerical grading system. Instructors may report grades from 4.0–0.7 in 0.1 increments and the grade 0.0. Grades reported in the range of 0.6–0.0 will be converted to 0.0. A grade of at least 2.7 is required for courses to meet UW Graduate School requirements.
Numerical grades may be considered equivalent to letter grades as follows:
| A | 4.0–3.9 | C | 2.1–1.9 |
|---|---|---|---|
| A- | 3.9–3.5 | C- | 1.8–1.5 |
| B+ | 3.4–3.2 | D+ | 1.4–1.2 |
| B | 3.1–2.9 | D | 1.1–0.9 |
| B- | 2.8–2.5 | D- | 0.8–0.7* |
| C+ | 2.4–2.2 | E | 0** |
*Lowest passing grade for undergraduates.
**Failure or unofficial withdrawal; no credit earned.
Quarter vs. Semester Credits
U.S. colleges and universities that operate on a semester system award semester credit. The UW operates on a quarter system and awards quarter credit. To convert quarter credits to semester credits, multiply by 0.67. Thus, a student who earned 10 quarter credits would be awarded 6.7 semester credits.
Credit/No Credit
Some courses are offered on a credit/no credit (CR/NC) basis. Credit/no credit classes can’t be taken for a regular grade. The instructor assigns a grade of either CR or NC, neither of which is calculated into your grade point average. Whether or not you receive credit, the course and the grade (CR or NC) are recorded on the transcript.
Satisfactory/Not Satisfactory
You may elect to take certain courses on a satisfactory/not satisfactory (S/NS) basis. S/NS is a pass/no-pass grading option. A grade of 2.0 or higher is converted to an S on your transcript, and a grade below 2.0 is converted to a NS. Neither the S or NS is factored into your grade point average. You may select the S/NS option when registering for a course on MyUW.
To learn about the deadlines for changing to or from an S/NS grade option, see the Summer Sessions dates on the Academic Calendar.
Auditing a Class
If you want to audit a class, you must first register for the class on MyUW and then go in person to the Office of the University Registrar at 225 Schmitz Hall (campus map) to change your registration to audit. For audit deadlines, see the Summer Sessions dates on the Academic Calendar.
Course audits are granted with consent of the instructor and are subject to space availability. Permission to audit is ordinarily granted for lecture classes only, and auditors are not eligible to participate in class discussion or laboratory work. An auditor's registration may be canceled at the discretion of the instructor. No entry is made on a student’s permanent record for audited courses.
Variable Credits
Some courses are offered for a variable number of credits. You must choose the number of credits you would like to earn from within the variable credit range, and be prepared to enter the number of credits when you register. Changes in variable credits are made at the Office of the University Registrar at 225 Schmitz Hall (campus map). For deadlines for changing variable credits, see the Summer Sessions dates on the Academic Calendar.
Class Attendance and Grades
If you do not attend regularly scheduled class meetings during the first week of the quarter, you could be dropped from the class at the discretion of the department to free up space for other students. Do not assume that departments will automatically drop you from the course if you don't attend. If you are not going to go to class, you should drop the course through MyUW. Students who are registered for a course section but don't attend will be assigned a failing grade by the instructor.
Incomplete Grades
A grade of Incomplete can only be awarded to a student doing satisfactory work up until the last two weeks of the quarter and has provided satisfactory proof that the work cannot be completed because of illness or other circumstances beyond the student’s control.
To get credit for the course, an undergraduate student must convert an Incomplete into a passing grade no later than the last day of the next quarter. An Incomplete not made up by the end of the next quarter (summer excluded) will be converted to the grade of 0.0 by the registrar unless the instructor has indicated, when assigning the Incomplete grade, that a grade other than 0.0 should be recorded if the incomplete work is not completed. The original incomplete grade is not removed from the transcript.
For more details, see the Incomplete Grades page on the Office of the University Registrar site.
Grade Reports
Final course grades are available on MyUW. For dates when grades are posted, see the Summer Sessions dates on the Academic Calendar.
Transcripts
An official UW transcript is established when you register for your first credit course, and all future credit course activity is recorded on this permanent record of academic work at the UW. The grades earned in courses taken during Summer Sesssions are factored into your overall grade point average if you later apply for and are accepted as a degree-seeking student at the UW.
For a copy of your transcript, visit the Transcripts page of the Office of the University Registrar site and follow the instructions listed there. Transcripts with current quarter courses and grades will be available approximately one to two weeks after the end of the quarter.
Grade Appeals
See UW Grading Procedures for details regarding the appeal process.
