Grades

The grading system is as follows:

A excellent
B good
C fair
D poor but passing
F failure (the grade of F is a final grade and is not subject to reexamination)

Plus and minus grades are also used, except with D. Grade point averages are computed on the following scale:

A+ = 4.33
A  = 4.00
A- = 3.67

B+ = 3.33
B  = 3.00
B- = 2.67

C+ = 2.33
C  = 2.00
C- = 1.65

D = 1.00

F = 0.00

When the registrar calculates the grade point average, courses are weighted according to the number of credit points. Unless otherwise stated in specific degree or program requirements, each student must maintain at least a C (2.0) average. In the case of repeated courses, only the grades earned for the first attempt will be figured into the grade point average. Except in the case of a grade issued to replace an INC authorized by the Office of Student Life and Alumni Relations, all grades are based exclusively on the work completed by students during the term a course is offered, i.e., supplementary or revised work completed after a course has ended may not become the basis of a change of grade except in the case of an authorized INC. Other course marks are listed below.

P (Passed): Indicates a course taken and passed for examination credit but without indication of quality. Course instructors award the appropriate letter grade, which is converted by the Office of the Registrar into a mark of P (for grades A through D) or F. Elementary and intermediate foreign language courses, except for American Language Program courses, cannot be taken on a Pass/Fail basis. Visiting students should not request the mark of P without first obtaining permission from the appropriate official at their home institution. Students in structured postbaccalaureate programs or in a degree program are not permitted to have courses taken on a Pass/Fail basis counted toward the requirements of the certificate or degree. Students for whom the mark of P is academically acceptable may indicate this choice on their registration forms or on subsequent change-of-program applications (or by selecting the appropriate option from the telephone/web registration menu). Under no circumstance may a student change from taking a course Pass/Fail after the last day to exercise the Pass/Fail option.

Beginning with courses taken in the Spring 2010 semester, students in the Post-baccalaureate Studies and Visiting Students Program are allowed to uncover a grade of Pass within two weeks of the start of the semester immediately following that in which the grade of Pass was received. Students have until the end of the Change-of-Program (Add/Drop) Period in the Spring semester to uncover the grade of a Fall course, and until the end of the Change-of Program (Add/Drop) period in the Fall semester to uncover a grade of a Spring or Summer Session course. Students who wish to uncover their letter grade(s) for courses taken on a Pass/Fail basis may communicate their request to the Office of Student Life and Alumni Relations at sce-studentaffairs@columbia.edu.

UW (unofficial withdrawal): May be assigned to students who discontinue attendance in a course without officially dropping it. Although marks of UW are not counted as part of a student’s overall academic average, they do indicate that the student is not making satisfactory academic progress. Thus, students who receive marks of UW may be placed on academic warning or probation, or they may be asked to terminate their studies.

The mark of UW is permanent and cannot be changed by subsequent completion of course work (see INC, below). A student may repeat a course in which he or she received a UW, but the grade for the repeated course will not count in the student's grade point average.

INC (Incomplete): Granted only with the permission of the Office of Student Life and Alumni Relations in consultation with the course instructor. The purpose of the mark of INC is to permit postponement of the final written work or exam for the course when incapacitating illness (as certified in writing by the University Health Service or by a private medical practitioner), serious family emergency, or other comparably grave situations require such postponement. The major portion of the course requirements must have been completed if a student is to be eligible for the mark of INC.

Students who wish to receive the mark of INC must submit a petition in writing to the Office of Student Life and Alumni Relations before the last day of class; no petition will be accepted after that date. Students who are granted the mark of INC must agree with the course instructor on a terminal date for the completion of the work required for the course. The mark of INC becomes a permanent mark when the course work is not completed by the assigned deadline. In extraordinary instances, a maximum one-term extension may be granted by the Office of Student Life and Alumni Relations. Students with marks of INC in 50 percent or more of their coursework will not be permitted to register for the following term. An INC may not be removed by auditing or otherwise attending the course a second time.

R (registered for the course; no qualitative grade assigned): Students in the School of Continuing Education who wish to be given the mark of R must make their request directly to the instructor. Students who take a course for R credit may be required to complete some or all of the work for the course, including the final, as specified by the instructor. Once awarded, the grade is not subject to change, nor may a course that has been taken for the mark of R be repeated later for examination credit. If the instructor agrees to give the mark of R, the student is not required to take the final examination, but may be required to meet any requirements established by the instructor of the course. No points taken for R credit are creditable toward a degree or certificate. The option of R credit is only open to postgraduate degree and non-degree students. Non-lecture courses such as seminars, credit language courses, writing courses, and laboratory science courses, among others, may not be taken for the mark of R, even with the permission of the course instructor.

Note: Because international students are required to register for at least 12 points of credits to qualify for a student visa, taking courses for R credit (0 points) is generally not permitted. See visa requirements for more information.

Judgments about the performance of students in courses are deemed to be at the instructor's discretion and, except in the most extraordinary circumstances, cannot be changed without the assent of the instructor. When a student finds himself or herself in an untenable situation in a course and believes these procedures are not appropriate, students should bring their complaint directly to the Associate Dean of Student Life and Alumni Relations, whose decision may, if necessary, be appealed to the Dean of the School of Continuing Education.