Definition of Grades
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The general University grading system is applicable to all classes at Stanford University except those offered by the Graduate School of Business, the School of Law, and M. D. students in the School of Medicine.
The following reflects changes adopted by the Faculty Senate on June 2, 1994 and effective Autumn Quarter 1995-96. All grades/notations for courses taken in 1995-96 or later are to be visible on student transcripts. Effective Summer Quarter 2008-09, the notation * was changed to NGR (No Grade Reported).
| Grade |
Description |
| A (+,-) |
Excellent |
| B (+,-) |
Good |
| C (+,-) |
Satisfactory |
| D (+,-) |
Minimal Pass |
| CR |
The ‘CR’ represents performance that is satisfactory or better. In a course with optional grading some students will elect a credit/no credit option instead of letter grades. |
| I |
The ‘I’ is restricted to cases in which the student has satisfactorily completed a substantial part of the course work. No credit will be given until the course is completed and a passing grade received. When a final grade is received, all reference to the initial ‘I’ is removed.
In courses taken before 1994-95, satisfactory completion of the course work when an ‘I’ has been given is expected within a year from the date of the course’s final examination, but an alternate time limit may be set by the instructor. Students may petition that these courses with an ‘I’ grade be removed from their records.
In a course taken in 1994-95 or later, ‘I’ grades must
be changed to a permanent notation or grade within a maximum of four
quarters. If an incomplete grade is not cleared within four quarters,
it is changed automatically by the Registrar’s Office
to an ‘NP’ (not
passed) or ‘NC’ (no credit) as appropriate for the grading
method of the course.
Students must request an incomplete grade by the last class meeting. Faculty may determine whether to grant the request or not. Faculty are free to determine the conditions under which the incomplete is made up, including setting a deadline of less than one year. |
| L |
The ‘L’ is a temporary notation that represents creditable completion of a course for which the student will receive a permanent letter grade before the start of the next quarter. The ‘L’ is given when the instructor needs additional time to determine the specific grade to be recorded, but it is not appropriate if additional work is expected to be submitted by the student. A student receives unit credit for work graded ‘L’. |
| N |
The ‘N’ indicates satisfactory progress in a course that has not yet reached completion. Continuation courses need not continue at the same number of units, but the grade for all quarters of such a course must be the same. |
| N- |
The ‘N-’ grade indicates unsatisfactory progress in a continuing course. The first ‘N-’ grade constitutes a warning. The adviser, department chair, and students should discuss the deficiencies and agree on the steps necessary to correct them. A second consecutive ‘N-’ will normally cause the department to deny the student further registration until a written plan for the completion of the degree requirements has been submitted by the student and accepted by the department. Subsequent ‘N-’ grades are grounds for dismissal from the program. |
| NC |
The notation ‘NC’ represents unsatisfactory performance in courses taken on a satisfactory/no credit basis. Performance is equivalent to letter grade ‘D+’ or below. |
| NP |
The notation ‘NP’ is used by instructors in courses taken for a letter grade that are not passed. |
| RP |
The notation ‘RP’ (meaning Repeated Course) replaces the original grade recorded for a course when a student retakes a course. |
| S |
For an activity course or a course in which the instructor elects to grade students only on a satisfactory/no credit basis, the ‘S’ represents performance that is satisfactory or better. For such a course, no letter grades may be assigned for satisfactorily completed work.
The “satisfactory” options are intended to relieve the pressure on students for achievement in grades. The “satisfactory” options in no way imply fewer or different course work requirements than those required of students who elect evaluation with a letter grade. A department may limit the number of “satisfactory” courses to count for a major program. For those students admitted as freshmen for Autumn Quarter 1996-97 or later, no more than 36 units of Stanford course work (including activity courses) in which a ‘CR’ or ‘S’ was awarded can be applied toward the 180 (225 if dual degrees are being pursued) units required for a bachelor’s degree. Students who enter Stanford as transfer students in 1996-97 or later are limited to 27 ‘CR’ or ‘S’ units applied to the 180/225 minimum. |
| W |
The notation ‘W’ (meaning Withdrew) is recorded when a student withdraws from a course. |
| * |
The ‘*’ symbol appears when no grade has been reported to the Registrar. The ‘*’ symbol remains on the transcript until a grade has been reported. (Effective through Spring 2008-09.) |
| NGR |
The notation ‘NGR’ appears when no grade has been reported to the Registrar. The ‘*’ symbol remains on the transcript until a grade has been reported. (Effective beginning Summer 2008-09.) |
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Effective September 2000, all courses offered by the Graduate School of Business will be graded according to the following five-levels:
| Grade |
Description |
| H |
Honors. Work that is of truly superior quality. |
| HP |
High Pass. A passing performance, and one that falls approximately in the upper quarter of passing grades. |
| P |
Pass. A passing performance that falls in the center of the distribution of all passing grades. |
| LP |
Low Pass. A passing performance that falls approximately in the lower quarter of passing grades. |
| U |
Unsatisfactory. A failing performance. Work that does not satisfy the basic requirements of the course and is deficient in significant ways. |
| NGR |
No Grade Reported. (Effective Autumn 2009-10.) |
Students in some GSB courses may elect to take the course on a pass/ fail basis, where any passing grade (H, HP, P, or LP) is converted to Pass, and U is converted to Fail. Students wishing to take a GSB course on a pass/fail basis should consult the GSB Registrar for rules and procedures.
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Effective Autumn Quarter 2009-10, units earned in School of Law are quarter units. Units earned in School of Law prior to 2009-10 are semester units. The following grading system became effective in Autumn Semester 2008-09
| Grade |
Description |
| H |
Honors (exceptional work, significantly superior to the average performance at the school) |
| P |
Pass (successful mastery of the course material) |
| R |
Restricted Credit (work that is unsatisfactory) |
| F |
Fail (work that does not show minimally adequate mastery of the material) |
| MP |
Mandatory Pass (representing P or better work) |
| N |
Continuing Course |
| * |
No Grade Reported |
| NGR |
No Grade Reported (effective Autumn Quarter 2009-10) |
Under the grading system above, in 2008-09 third-year J.D. students remained under the prior grading system (below). Under the numerical system (with letter equivalents), the range of satisfactory grades runs from 4.3 to 2.5 as outlined in the following distribution. Below the grade of 2.5 is one level of restricted credit (2.2) and one level of failure (2.1). The number grades with letter equivalents are as follows:
| Numeric Value |
Letter Grade Equivalent |
| 4.3, 4.2 |
A+ |
| 4.1, 4.0, 3.9 |
A |
| 3.8, 3.7, 3.6, 3.5 |
A- |
| 3.4, 3.3, 3.2 |
B+ |
| 3.1, 3.0, 2.9 |
B |
| 2.8, 2.7, 2.6, 2.5 |
B- |
| 2.2 |
Restricted Credit |
| 2.1 |
Failure |
Students may elect to take a limited number of courses on a credit/ restricted credit/no credit system (K/RK/NK). ‘K’ will be awarded for work that is comparable to numerical grades 4.3 to 2.5, ‘RK’ for Restricted Credit-level work (2.2), and ‘NK’ for Failure-level work (2.1). A limited number of courses are offered on a mandatory credit (KM)/no credit basis. ‘N’ is a temporary notation used in a continuing course; it is replaced with a final grade upon completion of the course series. An asterisk (*) notation will be placed when no grade has been reported.
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In general, the following grades are used in reporting on the performance of students in the M.D. program:
| Grade |
Description |
| + |
Pass. Indicates that the student has demonstrated to the satisfaction of the department or teaching group responsible for the course that he or she has mastered the material taught in the course. |
| - |
Fail. Indicates that the student has not demonstrated to the satisfaction of the department or teaching group responsible for the course that he or she has mastered the material taught in the course. |
| I |
Incomplete. Indicates that extenuating medical or personal circumstances have prevented the student from completing the course requirements. This grade shall be given when requested by the student with the prior approval of the Advising Dean in the School of Medicine. |
| EX |
Exempt. Indicates a course that is exempted by examination. No units are awarded for courses completed. |
| NGR |
No Grade Reported. (Effective Autumn 2009-10.) |
In general, a “Fail” grade can be cleared by repeating and passing the particular course or by other arrangement prescribed by the department or teaching group. An “Incomplete” grade can be made up in a manner specified by the department or teaching group within a reasonable time; if the deficiency is not made up within the specified time, the “Incomplete” grade becomes a “Fail” grade. The opportunity to clear a “Fail” grade or an “Incomplete” grade cannot be extended to individuals who are not registered or eligible to register as students in the M.D. program. For more specific information, see the School of Medicine bulletin.
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Note that the GPA (grade point average) and rank in class are not computed under the general University grading system. Stanford does use an internal-only GPA that is based on units completed at the time of conferral of the first bachelor's degree. This information is used for internal purposes only and is not displayed on the official transcript.
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Previous grading systems may be viewed on the Registrar's expanded Key to Grading on the Stanford University Transcript page or on the back of the printed transcript which is available for download here.
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