The work of all students at UCLA is reported in grades. Instructors are required to assign a final grade for each student enrolled in a class.

Undergraduate Grades

The following grades are used to report the quality of undergraduate student work at UCLA:

Grades A, B, C, and D may be modified by a plus (+) or minus (−) suffix. Grades A, B, C, and P denote satisfactory progress toward the degree. A grade of D may be applied toward degrees unless otherwise prohibited by program requirements. However, courses in which a grade of D is received must be offset by higher grades in the same term for students to remain in good academic standing. A grade of F yields no unit or course credit.

Graduate Grades

The following grades are used to report the quality of graduate student work at UCLA:

The grades A, B, and C may be modified by a plus (+) or minus (−) suffix. The grades A, B, and S denote satisfactory progress toward the degree. A grade of C may be applied toward graduate degrees unless otherwise prohibited by the program requirements. However, courses in which a grade of C is received must be offset by higher grades in the same term for students to remain in good academic standing. A grade of F yields no unit or course credit.

The schools of dentistry, law, and medicine use their own grading codes. Students interested in dentistry, law, or medicine programs should contact the appropriate school for more information.

Grade Points and Grade-Point Average

Grade Points

Grade points per unit are assigned by the Registrar as follows:

As indicated, a plus (+) or minus (−) suffix added to a grade raises or lowers the grade-point value, except in the case of A+, which carries the same number of grade points as the A grade. Courses in which students receive a grade of P or S may count toward satisfaction of degree requirements, but these grades, as well as DR, I, IP, and NR, are disregarded in determining the grade-point average. (If a grade of I is later removed and a letter grade assigned, units and grade points are included in subsequent GPAs.) NR indicates that no grade was received from the instructor.

Grade-Point Average

The grade-point average (GPA) is determined by dividing the number of grade points earned by the number of units attempted. The total grade points earned for a course equals the number of grade points assigned times the number of course units. For example, if a student takes three 4-unit courses and receives grades of A−, B−, and C+, then the GPA for the term equals the total grade points (34.8) divided by the total course units (12); the GPA is 2.9. For satisfactory standing, undergraduate students must maintain a 2.0 (C) GPA and graduate students a 3.0 (B) GPA in all courses taken at any UC campus (except UCLA Extension).

Only grades earned in regular session or summer sessions at any UC campus—and grades earned by undergraduate students in UCLA Extension courses prefixed by XLC—are computed in the UCLA grade-point average. Grades earned at another institution or in UCLA Extension courses other than those prefixed by XLC do not affect the GPA.

Other schools and agencies may calculate GPAs differently from UCLA when evaluating records for admission to graduate and professional school programs. Students should contact those entities about such policies.

Other Types of Grades

Passed/Not Passed Grades

Undergraduate students in good standing who are enrolled in at least 12 units (14 in the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science) may take certain courses on a Passed/Not Passed (P/NP) basis.

The grade P is assigned for a letter grade of C or better. Units earned this way count toward degree requirements but do not affect the GPA. Students receive neither units nor course credit for a grade of NP.

Students may enroll in one course each term on a P/NP basis (two courses if they have not elected the P/NP option in the preceding term). Their department or school may require that they take some or all courses in their major for a letter grade. Certain other courses or programs may also be exempt from the P/NP option; contact the College or school for details.

Students may make changes to or from P/NP grading through the sixth week of instruction using MyUCLA.

Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory Grades

Graduate students in good standing (minimum 3.0 GPA) may enroll for Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) grading in one graduate or upper-division course outside the major field each term, in addition to any courses offered only on an S/U grading basis within the major. The grade S is assigned for a letter grade of B or better, but units earned in this manner are not counted in computing the GPA. Students receive neither units nor degree credit for a grade of U. They may not elect the S/U option for summer session courses without an approved petition.

Courses taken on an S/U basis outside the major, and 500-series courses within the major, are applicable toward degree and/or academic residence requirements if so approved. Interdepartmental majors may not apply S/U courses to degree requirements, except for 500-series courses.

Students may make changes to or from S/U grading through the tenth week of instruction using MyUCLA.

Incomplete Grades

Once a grade of Incomplete (I) is assigned, it remains on the transcript along with the passing grade students may later receive for the course. The instructor may assign the grade I when work is of passing quality but is incomplete for a good cause (such as illness or other serious problem). It is the student’s responsibility to discuss with the instructor the possibility of receiving an Incomplete as opposed to a nonpassing grade.

If a grade of I is assigned, students may receive unit credit and grade points by satisfactorily completing the coursework as specified by the instructor. Students should not re-enroll in the course; if they do, it is recorded twice on the transcript. If the work is not completed by the end of the next full term in residence, the I lapses to an F, NP, or U as appropriate. For undergraduate students, the College or school may extend the deadline in unusual cases.

In Progress Grades

For certain courses extending over more than one term, evaluation of student performance is deferred until the end of the final term of the course. Provisional grades of In Progress (IP) are assigned in the intervening term(s) and are replaced with the final grade, and credit/units awarded and calculated, in the culminating term upon completion of the full sequence. The College or school faculty, or the Graduate Division, determines credit if students do not complete the full sequence and petition for partial credit.

Deferred Report Grades

Students may receive a grade of Deferred Report (DR) when the instructor believes their work to be complete but cannot assign a grade because of disciplinary proceedings or other problems. If students are given a grade of DR, the Office of the Dean of Students assists them in resolving the problem. For graduate students, the dean of the Graduate Division sets a deadline by which the DR lapses to an F if the problem is not resolved and a grade assigned. The DR is changed to a grade, or perhaps to an Incomplete, when the instructor provides written confirmation that the situation is resolved. The DR is not included in determining the grade-point average.

Grade Assignment, Correction, and Complaints

Grade Assignment

The instructor in charge of a course is responsible for determining the grade of each student in the course. The standards for evaluating student performance are based on the course description as approved by the appropriate course committee.

The final grade in the course is based on the instructor’s evaluation of the student’s achievement in the course. When on an examination or other work submitted by a student, the student is suspected of having engaged in plagiarism or otherwise having cheated, the suspected infraction is to be reported to the appropriate administrative officer of the University for consideration of disciplinary proceedings against the student. Until such proceedings, if any, have been completed, the Deferred Report (DR) grade is assigned for that course. If in such disciplinary proceedings it is determined that the student did engage in plagiarism or otherwise cheat, the administrative officer, in addition to imposing discipline, reports the nature of the plagiarism or cheating back to the instructor of the course involved. In light of that report, the instructor may replace the DR grade with a final grade that reflects an evaluation of that which may fairly be designated as the student’s own achievement in the course as distinguished from any achievement that resulted from plagiarism or cheating.

Grade Correction

All grades, except DR, I, and IP, are final when filed by the instructor in the end-of-term course report. However, the Registrar’s Office is authorized to change a final grade (1) on written request of an instructor, provided that a clerical or procedural error is the reason for the change; or (2) on written request of the chair of the UCLA Academic Senate, in cases where it has been determined by the Committee on Privilege and Tenure that an instructor has assigned a grade on any basis other than academic grounds. No change of grade may be made on the basis of re-examination or, with the exception of I and IP grades, the completion of additional work. Any grade change request made more than one year after the original filing must be validated for authenticity of the instructor’s signature by the department chair. Any grade change request made by an instructor who has left UCLA must be countersigned by the department chair. No grade change may be made once a student has graduated. All grade changes are recorded on the transcript.

Grade Complaints

A grade may be appealed, on any reasonable grounds, to the instructor, the chair of the department, and the dean of the division or school.

If the student believes that the instructor has violated the Faculty Conduct Policies by assigning the grade on any basis other than academic grounds, the matter should first be taken up with the instructor. If the matter is not resolved, the student may go for counsel to the Office of Ombuds Services, or may follow the procedures for the formal filing of charges. If a charge is sustained by the Academic Senate committees on Charges and on Privilege and Tenure, an ad hoc committee is appointed within two weeks to review the disputed grade, and any warranted change is made within four weeks.