Grades

Grade Points & GPA Calculation

Grade Points & GPA Calculation

Letter grades A-F and “WU” (unauthorized withdrawal) are used for GPA calculation. Grades are followed by their assigned grade point values.

A (4.0); A- (3.7); B+ (3.3); B (3.0); B- (2.7); C+ (2.3); C (2.0); C- (1.7); D+ (1.3); D (1.0); F (0.0); WU (0.0)

AU, CR, I, NC, RD, RP and W are not used in GPA calculation, However, I and RP may convert to grades that are used to calculate GPA. See details for each grade below .

Learn more about GPA calculation on the Learning Center website.

Letter Grades (A-F)

Letter Grades (A-F)

A Indicates outstanding achievement of course objectives.

B Very good, commendable achievement of course objectives

C Indicates satisfactory achievement of course objectives. Note: The letter grade “C” does not imply satisfactory achievement at the graduate level. See Graduate Grade Minimums and Requirements below.

D Non-satisfactory achievement of course objectives, yet achievement of a sufficient proportion of the objectives so that it is not necessary to repeat the course unless required to do so for particular major, minor and/or general education requirements.

F Non-satisfactory achievement of course objectives to an extent that the student must repeat the course to receive credit.

CR/NC (Credit/No Credit)

CR/NC (Credit/No Credit)

CR (Credit)

Credit indicates satisfactory achievement of course requirements. A grade of CR is not used in GPA calculation. See Unit limits for Credit-Graded Courses for additional information.

Evaluating Credit

For an undergraduate, unclassified post-baccalaureate, and second bachelor’s degree students credit is equivalent to a passing grade (A, B, C, or C-).

For a graduate student who is in a master’s degree program or a credential-seeking student, credit is equivalent to a passing grade (A, B, or B-).

NC (No Credit)

NC indicates unsatisfactory achievement of course requirements.

For an undergraduate, unclassified post-baccalaureate, and second bachelor’s degree students no credit is equivalent to a D+ or lower.

For a graduate student who is in a master’s degree program or a credential-seeking student no credit is equivalent to a C+ or lower. However, some universities and many graduate and professional schools interpret an NC grade as F.

Unit Limits for Credit-Graded Courses

Unit Limits for Credit-Graded Courses

Credit Limits (Undergraduate Students)

No more than 24 semester units of credit/no credit (mandatory and/or optional) mode courses taken at Cal Poly Humboldt will be counted toward the bachelor's degree.

Courses taken on an optional credit/no credit basis may not be used to fulfill major requirements.

Credit Limits (Graduate Students)

Graduate students can choose optional credit/no credit (CR/NC) only for courses not required by their approved program. No more than one-third of master’s degree courses may be taken Mandatory CR/NC.

AU (Audit)

AU (Audit)

Audit refers to the student’s status as an auditor. A grade of AU is not used in GPA calculation.

I (Incomplete)

I (Incomplete)

Incomplete indicates that a portion of required coursework has not been completed and evaluated in the prescribed time period due to unforeseen, but fully justified, reasons and that there is still a possibility of earning credit. It is the responsibility of the student to bring pertinent information to the attention of the instructor and to determine from the instructor the remaining course requirements which must be satisfied to remove the Incomplete.

The instructor of the course will initiate an Incomplete Contract. The date by which the course is to be completed will be stated; however, no more than one year from the time the class ended will be allowed to complete the requirements. See Accept an incomplete contract in Student Center.

Either the instructor will change the Incomplete to an appropriate grade or it will administratively be changed to either a letter grade of F (Failure) and will be included in the student’s grade point average or to a grade of NC (No Credit) depending on the grade mode of the course. An extension of the one-year time limit (maximum of one additional year) may be granted by petition for circumstances beyond a student's control. The petition must be submitted by no later than the last Friday of classes during the semester the incomplete is set to expire. [Once a final grade is assigned to the course, students are NOT eligible for an extension; a student has the option of repeating the course, subject to the limits of the repeat policy.]

RD (Report Delayed)

RD (Report Delayed)

The grading symbol RD indicates that due to circumstances beyond the control of the student, a grade has not been reported to the Office of the Registrar. (Grade is assigned by the Registrar)

RP (Report in Progress)

RP (Report in Progress)

The grading symbol RP indicates that work is in progress but that assignment of a final grade must await completion of additional work. This grade is used for thesis, project and other courses where work assigned extends beyond one academic term. Work is to be completed in one year except for master’s thesis courses. Master’s thesis courses with an RP grade must be completed within seven years from the end of the term in which it was assigned. 

If an undergraduate student does not complete the coursework within one year, the RP grade will be administratively changed to a grade of F (Failure) and will be included in the student’s grade point average or to a grade of NC (No Credit) depending on the grade mode of the course. If a graduate student does not complete the coursework within seven years, the RP grade will be administratively changed to a grade of F (Failure) and will be included in the student’s grade point average or to a grade of NC (No Credit) depending on the grade mode of the course.

W (Official Withdrawal)

W (Official Withdrawal)

The grading symbol "W" on the transcript indicates that the student was permitted to withdraw from the course after the add/drop deadline with an approved and documented reason. A grade of "W" carries no connotation of quality of student performance and is not used in GPA calculation. If a student withdraws completely from Cal Poly Humboldt, an instructor has the right to override a W with an F or NC, depending on the grade mode of the course.

WU (Unauthorized Withdrawal)

WU (Unauthorized Withdrawal)

The grading symbol "WU" indicates that an enrolled student did not follow the procedures to officially withdraw from the course and also failed to complete course requirements. It is used when, in the opinion of the instructor, completed assignments and/or course activities were insufficient to make normal evaluation of the academic performance possible. For purposes of GPA calculation, this symbol is equivalent to an F.

Petition for Grade Forgiveness of First “WU” Grade(s)
Undergraduate students may petition the Office of the Registrar to apply grade forgiveness to the first “WU” grade(s) received at Cal Poly Humboldt. The "WU" grade(s) will remain on the student's transcript, but will not be included in GPA calculations. We strongly recommend that students contact an advisor or the Office of the Registrar to discuss this petition.
  • Students may petition the Office of the Registrar at any time prior to degree awarding. However, we strongly recommend that students submit their petition at least one semester before they plan to graduate. After the degree has been awarded, the transcript is final and petitions will not be considered.
  • This policy only applies to the first term a student receives one or more “WU” grades at Cal Poly Humboldt. 

Grade Disputes

Grade Disputes

Students should make every attempt to resolve a grade dispute with the instructor and department chair prior to filing a grade appeal. Refer to the Grade Appeal Policy and Grievance Procedure for Students for guidelines and procedures. 

Grade Modes

Grade Modes

Courses are offered with the following grade modes: 

  • Mandatory CR/NC - course grading is credit/no credit only
  • Mandatory Letter Grades - A-F grading only
  • Optional Grade Mode - courses with optional grade mode may be taken with either letter or credit/no credit grading. See Unit Limits for Credit-Graded Courses for restrictions and limits. 
Changing a grade mode (optional grade mode only)

Students may change the grade mode of a course with an optional grade mode in their Student Center during the first 8 weeks of classes. Consult with your advisor before selecting a grade option other than Letter Grade. How to change a grade mode.

Graduate Grade Minimum and Requirements

Graduate Grade Minimum and Requirements

A minimum passing grade of B- is required for courses used to satisfy the requirements of a master's degree at Cal Poly Humboldt. A higher grade standard than the campus minimum (B-) may be specified by a graduate degree program.

A minimum GPA of 3.0 is required.

Repeating Courses (Graduate)

Repeating Courses (Graduate)

Graduate students may repeat courses; however, all grades will appear on the permanent record and count in the grade point average. The units earned toward the degree count only once.

Repeating Courses (Undergraduate)

Repeating Courses (Undergraduate)

Course Repeats with Grade Forgiveness

Undergraduate students may: 

  • repeat courses only if they earned a grade lower than a C.
  • repeat up to 16 units with grade forgiveness (the new grade replaces the former grade in the calculation of GPA).  
  • repeat an individual course no more than two times. Each of these attempts counts toward the 16-unit maximum for repeats.

Grade forgiveness will not be allowed for a course for which the original grade was the result of a finding of academic dishonesty.

Course Repeats with Grades Averaged

Undergraduate students may repeat an additional 12 units of coursework with grade averaging (both the original and new grade are included in the calculation of GPA) for a maximum total of 28 units of course work. This limit applies only to units completed at Cal Poly Humboldt.

Exceptions: Courses set up by the department to be repeatable for which the automatic repeat process does not take place. For instance, ESM 111 is set up by the department to be repeatable 4 times. This means that a maximum of 5 attempts of this course will count toward the student’s grade point average.

A student may not take a course at Cal Poly Humboldt, repeat it at another college, and then use the repeat policy to remove the Cal Poly Humboldt course from the grade point average.

If you are interested in repeating a course with grades averaged, submit a Petition for Exception to University Policy to the Office of the Registrar, SBS 133, if special circumstances are involved.

If you are repeating a course at Humboldt that was previously taken at another college (equivalency is already established by articulation agreement), consult with the Office of the Registrar after you pass the equivalent course at Humboldt regarding grade forgiveness of transfer credit.

The grades of I, NC, RP, RD, and W are not considered as attempts for grade point average computation. Contact the Office of the Registrar, SBS 133, regarding courses taken prior to fall semester 1996. Please note: Some universities calculate all attempts of every course and ignore the undergraduate grade point average provided by Cal Poly Humboldt for post-baccalaureate programs (e.g. graduate level programs, law school, and medical schools).

Students who are pursuing a second bachelor’s degree or who are unclassified post-baccalaureate students are eligible to use the undergraduate repeat policy.

Semester Honors

Semester Honors

Dean's List

An undergraduate student who completes at least 12 graded (A-F) units with a minimum term grade point average of 3.50 is designated as on the Dean's List. This designation appears on the student’s academic transcript.

Presidential Scholar

An undergraduate student who completes at least 12 graded (A-F) units with a minimum term grade point average of 3.85 is designated a Presidential Scholar. This designation appears on the student’s academic transcript.

Disclosure of Student Information

We take your privacy seriously. Read more about the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

FERPA