Understanding the UW GPA to Letter Grade Conversion

The University of Washington (UW) and several other institutions employ a numerical grading system that can be converted to letter grades. This article provides a comprehensive overview of how the UW GPA system works and how it translates to letter grades, with a focus on policies, special cases, and related academic procedures. Scholastic standing is determined by the grade point system. Grade points are used to determine an official scholastic average for each student.

Numerical Grading System at UW

The UW uses a numerical grading system, where instructors can assign grades from 4.0 to 0.7 in 0.1 increments, as well as 0.0. The number 0.0 is assigned for failing work or if a student does not officially withdraw. Grades in the range of 0.6 to 0.1 are not assigned; if reported, they are converted to 0.0 by the Office of the University Registrar.

Standard Grade Conversion

While the UW primarily uses numerical grades, these correspond to letter grades for easier understanding and comparison. Here’s a general conversion scale used at many universities, including UW:

A: 4.0
A-: 3.7 - 3.9
B+: 3.3 - 3.6
B: 3.0 - 3.2
B-: 2.7 - 2.9
C+: 2.3 - 2.6
C: 2.0 - 2.2
C-: 1.7 - 1.9
D+: 1.3 - 1.6
D: 1.0 - 1.2
D-: 0.7 - 0.9
F: 0.0

The School of Nursing and Health Studies uses the grading scale below for the School’s coursework for both graduate and undergraduate students, including Nursing (BNURS), Health Studies (BHS) and Health Electives (BHLTH).

GPA Calculation

The GPA for graduation is computed by dividing the total cumulative grade points by the total graded credits attempted for courses taken in residence at the University. Grade points are calculated by multiplying the number of credits by the numeric value of the grade for each course. The sum of the grade points is then divided by the total graded credits attempted.

Read also: Navigating College with a 2.0

A semester grade point average is calculated by dividing the grade points earned by the number of credits attempted that semester. The cumulative average is the total number of grade points earned divided by the total number of credits attempted. GPAs are not rounded; they are truncated at two digits and a zero is added as the third digit for all students. UWL grade point averages are determined only by grades in UWL courses.

Satisfactory/Not-Satisfactory (S/NS) Grading

Students may elect to take certain courses on a satisfactory/not satisfactory (S/NS) basis. S/NS is a pass/no-pass grading option. A grade of 2.0 or higher is converted to an S on your transcript, and a grade below 2.0 is converted to a NS. Neither the S or NS is factored into your grade point average. As an undergraduate, a course in which an S is earned may not be used to satisfy any department, college, or University requirement, except that the credits may be applied to the minimum of 180 credits required for graduation. Each instructor will report numerical grades to the Registrar, who will convert satisfactory grades (2.0 or greater) to S, and unsatisfactory grades (less than 2.0) to NS for the student's transcript.

Courses elected on an S/NS basis are counted as follows: Satisfactory grades are printed on the permanent record as an S and do not count in the quarterly or cumulative GPA, but they do count as credits earned toward graduation.

Restrictions and Implications

As an undergraduate, a course in which an S is earned may not be used to satisfy any core requirement, except that the credits may be applied to the minimum of 180 credits required for graduation. A maximum of 25 credits of S/NS grades may be applied to an undergraduate degree. Students may only register for up to 20 credits of S/NS through Register.UW.

Credit/No Credit (CR/NC) Grading

Some courses are offered on a credit/no credit (CR/NC) basis. Credit/no credit classes can’t be taken for a regular grade. The instructor assigns a grade of either CR or NC, neither of which is calculated into your grade point average. With appropriate departmental review and approval, a course may be offered on a credit/no credit-only basis. The standard for granting credit in credit/no credit-only courses under this option is the demonstration of competence in the material of the course to the instructor’s satisfaction. Grading should be consistent with the University’s policy for numerically graded courses, in which students receive credit for grades of 0.7 or greater. Students demonstrating such competence shall have CR entered on the transcript; those who do not shall have NC entered on the transcript.

Read also: Crafting Perfect Thank You Notes

Incomplete Grades

Instructors may grant an incomplete grade if the student has done satisfactory work to within three weeks of the last day of the quarter and if circumstances prevent the student from completing the remaining work for the course by the end of the quarter. Instructors are never obligated to grant a student’s request for an Incomplete. To obtain credit for a course a grade must be submitted by the instructor of the course by the grading deadline per the Academic Calendar for the next subsequent quarter. For Spring quarter, the subsequent quarter is considered to be the Fall Quarter. This submission is done through the established late grade submission process. The submitted grade will replace the “I” on the transcript. If no grade is submitted the Incomplete will convert to a grade of 0.0 and the “I” will be removed from the official transcript. If a default grade was submitted by the instructor this grade will replace the “I” on the transcript. In no case shall an Incomplete on the record at the time a degree is granted be subsequently changed to any other grade.

Policy Details

An incomplete (I) is a temporary grading symbol (not a final course grade) that may be reported for a student who carried a subject through the last date that one may withdraw from a course and then, because of illness or other unusual and substantiated cause beyond the student’s control, was unable to take the final examination or complete a limited amount of remaining course work. In no case may an incomplete be recorded by an instructor for a student who, through personal fault, has failed either to complete the requirements of the course on time or failed to report for the final examination as scheduled. Before an incomplete is reported, there should be, in the judgment of the instructor, a reasonable probability that the student can complete the course successfully without attending class sessions again.

An incomplete (I) will be removed when the student submits all work due. An incomplete must be removed and a final grade recorded in the Office of Records and Registration no later than one calendar year (12 months) following the term in which the Incomplete was incurred, whether or not the student is enrolled. If the student has graduated, an incomplete will be changed according to this policy; however, the graduation GPA will not change. In order to remove an incomplete, the student must make arrangements with the instructor for the satisfactory completion of the work remaining to be done in the course. This work was indicated on the "Incomplete Grade Request" that was submitted by the student and the instructor when the "I" was originally requested. When the work has been completed, the instructor submits a final grade, which must also be approved by the department chair and the student’s dean.

Consequences of Not Completing

If the required coursework is not completed by the deadline, the Incomplete grade is converted to a grade of 0.0 that is recorded on the student’s official UW transcript. If the deadline for completion is not met, a grade of "F" will be recorded automatically at the time stated above. If the instructor indicated a grade other than "F" on the information sheet that was filed, that grade will be used instead of "F." A student should never register again for any course to remove a previously recorded incomplete unless the "I" grade has been converted to "F." This conversion of the "I" must be done prior to re-enrollment. For undergraduates, the highest grade earned in repetition will be accepted in the GPA. For graduates, the most recent grade earned will be calculated in the GPA.

Withdrawal Grades

W (Official Withdrawal): Official Withdrawal or drop from a course after the fourteenth calendar day of the quarter through the seventh week - to be followed by a number representing the week in which the course was dropped. An official withdrawal is not computed in GPA calculations. Students who do not officially drop a course(s) will receive a grade of 0.0. For DL-suffix courses that do not follow the quarter schedule, the grade W shall be assigned to any course dropped after the fourteenth calendar day after the start of the course and more than two weeks before the end of the maximum term for completion of the course, as specified at the time of registration. An annotation of Withdrawal and the date of withdrawal shall be noted on the transcript for a complete withdrawal.
HW (Hardship Withdrawal): Grade assigned when a student is allowed a hardship withdrawal from a course after the fourteenth calendar day of the quarter. HW grades are not computed in GPA calculations.
RD (Registrar Drop): Grade assigned when a student drops a course through the Current Quarter Drop process between the third week of the quarter through the end of the quarter and/or through the Former Quarter Drop process when a student completes the process to have a grade changed to RD for a quarter that has passed. RD grades are not computed in GPA calculations.

Repeating Courses

With the approval of the academic department offering the course, an undergraduate may repeat a course once. Both the original grade and the second grade will be computed in the GPA, but credit will be allowed only once. Graduate students may repeat any course. Both the original grade and the second grade are computed in the GPA. Subsequent grades will not be included, but will appear on the permanent record. The number of credits earned in the course will apply toward degree requirements only once. Departments may restrict undergraduates from repeat registration into courses. A second repeat (taking a class for a third time [or more]) cannot be done using Register.UW. A second repeat requires the department to register you into the course.

Read also: Business Letter Writing

Grade Changes and Appeals

Except in case of error, no instructor may change a grade that he or she has turned in to the Registrar. A student who believes they have been improperly graded first discusses the matter with the instructor. If the student is not satisfied with the instructor’s explanation, the student may submit a written appeal to the dean or director of the student’s academic unit (or their designee) with a copy of the appeal also to the instructor. The dean or director consults with the instructor to ensure that the evaluation of the student’s performance has not been arbitrary or capricious. Should the dean or director believe the instructor’s conduct to be arbitrary or capricious, and the instructor declines to revise the grade, the dean or director, with the approval of the voting members of their faculty, shall appoint an appropriate member, or members, of the faculty of that department, to evaluate the performance of the student and assign a grade. The Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs should be informed of this action.

Formal Appeal Procedures

Grade appeals for final grades must involve one or more of the following factors:

An error was made in grade computation.
The grade was based on factors contrary to those stated in the course syllabus or reasonable interpretation of it.
The grade includes a penalty for actions involving the freedom of written or spoken classroom expression.
The grade involved a breach of federal or state constitutional protections, laws, Universities of Wisconsin or UW-La Crosse policies.

The student must attempt an informal resolution with the instructor no later than the 10th working day of the next regular semester (Fall/Spring). The instructor may require a written request from the student. The Chair may either attempt informal resolution of the problem or inform the student in writing of formal grievance policies within five working days.

Accessing Grades and Transcripts

Final course grades are available on MyUW. An official UW transcript is established when you register for your first credit course, and all future credit course activity is recorded on this permanent record of academic work at the UW. For a copy of your transcript, visit the Transcripts page of the Office of the University Registrar site and follow the instructions listed there.

You must have either created a UW NetID or have your UW Student Identification Number to order your transcript through Parchment. There is an $11 fee for each transcript copy. We recommend that you review your unofficial transcript before ordering it to confirm all grades and courses have been recorded.

Additional Considerations

UW Extension Credits: The UW transcript also reflects grades for UW Extension course work that is not residence credit, and the grades for credit by examination.
FERPA Rights: According to the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), once a student has reached the age of 18 and/or matriculated at an institution of higher education, FERPA rights to the education records and all FERPA rights move from the parent to the student. For this reason, UWHS school officials will not release any UWHS education records to parents or family members. The high school has the option to share education records under their control, which may include UW education records. Parents or guardians are encouraged to speak to their students to obtain information on their UW education records, including final grades in the UWHS course.
Quarter vs. Semester Credits: Quarter vs. colleges and universities that operate on a semester system award semester credit. The UW operates on a quarter system and awards quarter credit. To convert quarter credits to semester credits, multiply by 0.67.

tags: #uw #gpa #to #letter #grade #conversion