The instructor of record determines grades for each course, based on students' performance. The College of Letters and Science offers two grading options for undergraduates: letter grades A-F and passed/not passed (P/NP) grades. In addition, three grades (I, IP, and W) are assigned in certain circumstances.
Letter Grades
- Letter grades are used in calculating the university grade-point average.
- Unit credit is awarded for any grade of D- or above (A+ through D-).
- No unit credit is awarded for F grades.
- Required for all courses applied to the major (and minor if one is chosen), both within the department and from other departments, unless explicitly listed otherwise in the General Catalog.
- At the time of graduation, you must have completed either 120 UCSB units or at least 2/3 of your total UCSB units on a letter-grade basis.
- See chart A below for a description of the meaning of each letter grade.
Passed/Not Passed
- Passed/Not Passed (P/NP) grades are not included in the computation of the university grade-point average.
- A grade of P will be assigned for coursework equivalent to a C or higher on the letter-grade basis, and is acceptable for unit and appropriate subject credit.
- A grade of NP will be assigned for coursework equivalent to a C- or below, and no unit or degree credit will be awarded.
- P/NP grading is not acceptable for courses to be applied to the major or minor (unless explicitly accepted in the General Catalog).
- No more than 1/3 of your total UCSB units may be graded P at the time of graduation.
- There is no quarterly limit on the number of units that can be taken P/NP.
- Students must be in good academic standing to choose P/NP grading.
Chart A: Meaning of Grades
| A = Excellent | I = Incomplete |
| B = Good | IP = In Progress |
| C = Adequate | NP = Not Passed |
| D = Barely Passing | P = Passed |
| F = Failing | W = Withdrawal |
Chart B: Grade-Point Values
Letter grades A through D can be modified with a plus (+) and minus (-), which add or subtract 0.3 grade points (except that a plus added to an A does not add .3 grade point). Grades of F are not modified.
| A+ | 4.0 |
| 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 |
| D- | 0.7 |
| F | 0.0 |
| I | 0.0 |
| IP | 0.0 |
| NP | 0.0 |
| P | 0.0 |
| W | 0.0 |
Choosing Your Grading Option in a Course
-
The quarterly Schedule of Classes lists the grading option that is available. Undergraduate courses may be offered exclusively on a letter-grade basis (Let), exclusively on a passed/not passed basis (P/NP), or on an optional grading basis (Opt).
-
If you are not in good academic standing (i.e., on academic probation), you are not eligible to choose P/NP grading. However, you may enroll in courses that are offered exclusively on a P/NP basis.
-
Normally, you must choose letter grading for courses that you intend to apply to your major or minor, whether lower- or upper-division. This includes courses required for the major or minor but offered by a different department (e.g., political science majors must complete required History 4A-B-C and Economics 1 and 2 on a letter-grade basis). Some departments have designated a small number of specific courses that can be applied to the major or minor on a P/NP basis; check the General Catalog or official requirement sheet to see whether any such exception is made for your major or minor.
-
At the time of graduation, either 120 units or at least two-thirds of your units earned in residence at UCSB must be earned on a letter-grade basis.
-
To earn honors at graduation, you must have completed at least 76 letter-graded units within the University of California.
-
A grade of NP in a quarter disqualifies you from earning dean's honors for that quarter. (See GRADES/Why Are Grades Important?)
-
It is acceptable to use P/NP grading if you hope to attend graduate or professional school, but it is probably best to use it sparingly. P/NP grading gives less detail for evaluators to consider. If you plan to apply to law school, be sure you pass any course you take on a P/NP basis, as the Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS) will calculate your NP grades as Fs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the benefits of taking a course Passed/Not Passed?
Some students may choose to take a course Passed/Not Passed to maintain
their high GPAs. If you are confident that you will receive at least a
C in the course, but that the grade will bring down your GPA, you may
wish to consider this option. Conversely, if you are absolutely certain
that you will fail a course (not even a D-), a grade of NP will not affect
your GPA.
What are the potential downsides of taking a course Passed/Not Passed?
- If you are taking a course Passed/Not Passed, a grade of C- will become a grade of NP on your transcript. With a grade of NP, you may save your GPA but lose units; with a grade of C-, you will earn units but you may harm your GPA.
- You must complete a minimum of 76 letter-graded University of California units to graduate with honors, high honors, or highest honors.
- Also, pre-law students should note that the Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS) will calculate a grade of NP as an F when considering applicants for admission into their program.
Is there a limit to the number of Passed/Not Passed classes I take in one quarter?
- No, there is no limit to the number of courses you take P/NP in a given quarter (provided that you do not intend to apply the courses to your major or minor).
- However, remember that at the time of graduation, at least 120 or two-thirds of your UCSB units must be on a letter-graded basis.
If I've completed everything for my major but want to take extra courses
in that department, do those have to be for a letter grade too?
Students who take major or minor courses in excess of minimum major or
minor requirements may elect the P/NP grading option for those courses.
Other Grades
Incomplete ( I ) Grades:
- The grade Incomplete (I) may be assigned when a student's work is of passing quality but is incomplete.
- I grades will be excluded in the computation of the student's grade-point average at the end of the quarter.
- An I grade may be placed on a student's record only if the completed Petition for an Incomplete Grade, signed by the instructor, is on file in the Office of the Registrar by the last day of the quarter. The student's BARC account is billed for the processing fee. In the absence of the petition or of a specific grade other than I, the Office of the Registrar will record a grade of F or NP
- Coursework for an I-graded course must be completed by the end of the term following the term in which the I grade was reported, whether or not the student is enrolled for the quarter or the course is offered.
- Unless the work is completed and a grade is reported to the Office of the Registrar by the deadline, the I will be changed to F or NP, as appropriate.
In-Progress ( IP ) Grades:
- The grade In Progress (IP) may be assigned provisionally in each but the last term of special courses extending over more than one term.
- In-progress courses are identified in the Schedule of Classes.
- In the last term, the grade assigned by the instructor replaces the provisional IP grades for all portions of the course.
- IP designations are not included in the computation of grade-point averages.
- If a student fails to enroll in or complete the final course of a sequence in the next quarter in which it is offered, the IP grades will be replaced by the grade of I. Further changes of that grade will be subject to the conditions covering incomplete grades.
Withdrawal (W) Grade:
- The Withdrawal Grade (W) will be assigned when a student withdraws from the university or receives permission to drop a course after the deadline for course withdrawal set by the executive committee of the college or school in which the student is enrolled. (This includes undergraduate enrollment in graduate-level courses.)
- The W grade will be assigned for each course affected.
- Courses in which a W has been entered on the student's record will be disregarded in determining a student's grade-point average and will not be considered as courses attempted in assessing the student's grade-point average for graduation.
- Subsequent enrollment in a W-graded course is considered the same as first-time enrollment, not a repeat.
