Undergraduate Grading System
UW Bothell uses a numerical grading system. Instructors may report grades from 4.0 to 0.7 in 0.1 increments and the grade 0.0. The number 0.0 is assigned for failing work or unofficial withdrawal. Grades in the range 0.6 to 0.1 may not be assigned. Grades reported in this range are converted by the Office of the Registrar to 0.0. Numerical grades may be considered equivalent to letter grades as follows:
Additional Letter Grades
N – Indicates that the student is making satisfactory progress and a final grade will be given at the end of the quarter the work is completed. Used only for hyphenated courses (courses not completed in one quarter) and courses numbered 600, 601, 700, 750, and 800.
I – An Incomplete is given only when the student has been in attendance and has done satisfactory work until within two weeks of the end of the quarter and has given proof satisfactory to the instructor that the work cannot be completed because of illness or other circumstances beyond the student’s control.
To obtain credit for the course, an undergraduate student must convert an Incomplete into a passing grade no later than the last day of the next quarter (end of Finals Week). For Spring Quarter, the following quarter is considered to be Fall Quarter. The student should never re-register for the course as a means of removing the Incomplete. An Incomplete grade not made up by the end of the next quarter is converted to the grade of 0.0 by the Office of the University Registrar unless the instructor has indicated, when assigning the Incomplete grade, that a grade other than 0.0 should be recorded if the incomplete work is not completed. The original Incomplete grade is not removed from the permanent record.
An instructor may approve an extension of the Incomplete removal deadline by writing to the UW Bothell Office of the Registrar no later than the last day of the quarter (end of Finals Week) following the quarter in which the Incomplete grade was assigned. Extensions, which may be granted for up to three additional quarters, must be received by the UW Bothell Office of the Registrar before the Incomplete has been converted into a failing grade.
In no case can an Incomplete received by an undergraduate be converted to a passing grade after a lapse of one year.
In no case shall an Incomplete on the record at the time a degree is granted be subsequently changed to any other grade.
An Incomplete grade does not count for registered hours nor in computation of grade-point averages.
S – Satisfactory grade for courses taken on a satisfactory/not-satisfactory basis. An S grade is automatically converted from a numerical grade of 2.0 or above for undergraduate classes. The grade S may not be assigned directly by the instructor, but is a grade conversion by the Office of the Registrar. Typically, undergraduate students may elect this option only for free electives and cannot be used to satisfy a university, college or department course requirement unless the quarter is deemed as one of extraordinary circumstances where courses will count towards pre-requisites, major and degree if the student earns an S grades. With the approval of their program advisor, graduate students may elect to be graded S/NS in any numerically graded course for which they are eligible. A maximum of 25 credits of S/NS grades may be applied to an undergraduate degree. S is not computed in GPA calculations. For graduate students, see an academic advisor.
NS – Not-satisfactory grade for courses taken on a satisfactory/not-satisfactory basis. A grade less than 2.0 for undergraduates is converted to NS. NS is not included in GPA calculations. No credit is awarded for courses in which an NS grade is received.
CR – Credit awarded in a course offered on a credit/no credit basis only, or in courses numbered 600, 601, 700, 750, and 800. The minimum performance level required for a CR grade is determined, and the grade is awarded directly, by the instructor. CR is not computed in GPA calculations.
NC – Credit not awarded in a course offered on a credit/no-credit basis only, or in courses numbered 600, 601, 700, 750, and 800. The grade is awarded directly by the instructor and is not included in GPA calculations.
W – Official withdrawal or drop from a course from the third through the seventh week of the quarter for undergraduates. A number designating the week of the quarter is recorded with the W, when a course is dropped. It is not computed in GPA calculations.
RD – Grade is assigned when a student is allowed to withdraw from a course(s) after the 14th calendar day of the quarter (see Current and Former Drop/Withdraw Policy). It is not computed in GPA calculations.
HW – Hardship Withdrawal (through Winter 2020). Grade assigned when an undergraduate is allowed a hardship withdrawal from a course after the fourteenth calendar day of the quarter. It is not computed in GPA calculations.
X – An instructor may submit a grade of “X” for a student if the student’s grade is not available when grades for the classes are submitted. The GPA is not affected and no credit is granted. The “X” will remain on the transcript and the student does not receive credit for the course until a passing grade is turned in. A faculty member should assign a grade of “X” when a student is undergoing student conduct proceedings for the course at the time grades are due.
Nontraditional Grading Options
Credit/No Credit-Only as a Course Option
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.
Satisfactory/Non-Satisfactory Grading Option
(a) An undergraduate may earn up to 20 elective credits, of the 180 minimum credits required for graduation, on a satisfactory/non-satisfactory (S/NS) basis. S/NS graded courses may not be used to satisfy major or general education requirements. Each instructor shall report numeric grades to the Registrar, who shall convert satisfactory grades (2.0 or greater) to S, and non-satisfactory grades (less than 2.0) to NS for the student’s transcript. S/NS shall not be considered in computation of the grade-point average.
(b) The student may indicate at the time of registration if she or he elects to take a course on an S/NS basis. The student can change to and from an S/NS option on MyUW but must do so by the deadlines noted in the academic calendar for the given course’s term. There is no limit to the number of S/NS credits that a student can register for in a given quarter. Withdrawal from an S/NS course is subject to the same regulations as for any other course.
(c) An instructor may not submit an S or NS in a course. S/NS grades shall appear on the transcript only in the event that the student is registered on an S/NS basis.
Grade-point average
The cumulative grade-point average is based solely on courses taken in residence at the University of Washington; this includes some, but not all, courses taken through UW Professional & Continuing Education. The UW transcript reflects grades for UW Professional & Continuing Education course work that is not residence credit, and the grades for credit by examination. These latter grades do not affect the student’s UW cumulative grade-point average.
Computation of grade-point average
The grade-point average for graduation is computed by dividing the total cumulative grade points by the total 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 credits attempted. 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 grade-point average, but they do count as credits earned toward graduation. Not-satisfactory grades, NS, do not count in the quarterly and cumulative grade-point averages and do not count as credits earned toward graduation.
Example 1:
| Course | Credits | Grade | Grade | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BIS 498 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 30.5 |
| BIS 300 | 5 | 2.9 | 14.5 | |
| BIS 343 | 5 | 3.2 | 16.0 |
Total credits earned toward graduation is 10
Total graded credits attempted is 13
Grade-point average: 30.5/13 = 2.35
The total graded credits attempted, not the credits earned toward graduation, are used in computing the grade-point average.
Example 2:
| Course | Credits | Grade | Grade | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BIS 325 | 5 | 2.3 | 11.5 | 26.0 |
| BIS 463 | 5 | 2.9 | 14.5 | |
| BIS 313 | 5 | I | 0.0 |
Total credits earned toward graduation is 10
Total graded credits attempted is 15
Grade-point average: 26.0 /10 = 2.60
The student attempted 15 credits, but only 10 are graded, because the I is not computed in the grade-point average. If the work in BLS 313 is not made up by the end of the quarter, the “I” will convert to a numeric grade of 0.0, and the grade-point average will be recomputed. When the grade of 0.0 is received, it is computed in the grade-point average, but no credit is awarded toward graduation.
Undergraduate Grading Scale
| Letter Grade | Number Grade |
|---|---|
| A | 4.0 – 3.9 |
| A- | 3.8 – 3.5 |
| B+ | 3.4 – 3.2 |
| B | 3.1 – 2.9 |
| B- | 2.8 – 2.5 |
| C+ | 2.4 – 2.2 |
| C | 2.1 – 1.9 |
| C- | 1.8 – 1.5 |
| D+ | 1.4 – 1.2 |
| D | 1.1 – 0.9 |
| D- | 0.8 – 0.7 (lowest passing grade) |
Repeating Courses
With the approval of the academic department offering the course, a student may repeat a course once. Both the original grade and the second grade will be computed in the grade-point average, but credit will be allowed only once. Veterans receiving benefits must receive approval from the Office of Student Affairs before a course is repeated.
Courses considered to have been taken once include any with a numerical grade or those with grades of I, CR/NC, or S/NS. Withdrawn or dropped courses and courses with X or no grade reported will not count as the first taking of a course. If you are currently enrolled in a course, registration for the same course in the following quarter will be counted as a repeat registration.
Departments may restrict undergraduates from repeat registration into courses. Restrictions may include:
- Only allowing registration after Period I
- Only allowing registration after the quarter has begun, or
- Requiring an Entry Code for a repeat registration
A second repeat (taking a class for a third time [or more]) cannot be done using MyUW. A second repeat requires the department to register you into the course. Grades in the third or subsequent takings will not be included in the grade-point average (GPA).
Grading Procedures
Change of Grade: Except in case of error, no instructor may change a grade that he or she has turned in to the Registrar. Grades used to meet graduation requirements cannot be changed after the degree has been granted.
Grade Appeal Procedure
A student who believes he or she has 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 his or her 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.
Once a student submits a written appeal, this document, and all subsequent actions on this appeal, are recorded in written form for deposit in a department or college file.
Grade Reports
As of Autumn Quarter 1996, the University of Washington no longer mails grade reports to students after the quarter is completed. Grades are available through MyUW at the end of each quarter.
University Policy on Student Education Records
A copy of the University’s policy on a student’s right to inspect his or her education records and the University’s responsibility to maintain the confidentiality of such records is summarized in the Time Schedule each quarter.
Scholarship – Undergraduate Level
Academic Standards
Students are expected to meet the traditional standards of honesty and truthfulness in all aspects of their academic work at UW Bothell. In particular, all work submitted to an instructor in fulfillment of course assignments, including papers and projects, written and oral examinations, and oral presentations and reports, must be free of plagiarism. Plagiarism is using the creations, ideas, or words of someone else without formally acknowledging the author or source, through appropriate use of quotation marks, references, and the like. Student work in which plagiarism occurs will not ordinarily be accepted as satisfactory by the instructor and may lead to disciplinary action against the student submitting it. Any student who is uncertain whether his or her use of the work of others constitutes plagiarism should consult the course instructor for guidance before formally submitting the course work involved.
Low Scholarship
Academic Warning
An undergraduate student, whose grade-point average falls below 2.00 in his or her first quarter at the University, receives an academic warning.If a cumulative grade-point average of at least 2.00, for courses earned in residence at the University, is not achieved by the end of the next quarter, he or she is placed on academic probation.
Probation and Dismissal for Low Scholarship
An undergraduate student is placed on academic probation at the end of any quarter (except for the first quarter at the University, when an academic warning is issued), in which his or her cumulative grade-point average falls below 2.00. Once on probation, the student must attain at least a 2.00 for each succeeding quarter’s work, until the cumulative grade-point average is raised to a 2.00, or the student is dropped for low scholarship.
Reinstatement
A student who has been dropped under low scholarship rules will be readmitted to the University upon review of a reinstatement petition submitted to their program office. A student readmitted, after being dropped under these rules, reenters on academic probation. The student’s grade-point average is the same as when dropped from the University, and the student may not use grades from other colleges or universities to raise his or her UW grade-point average. A readmitted student is dropped if he or she fails to attain either a 2.00 grade-point average for the following quarter’s work, or a cumulative UW grade-point average of 2.00 at the end of that quarter. The student is removed from probation at the end of the quarter in which a cumulative grade-point average of 2.00 or better is reached.
Senior in Final Quarter
A senior who has completed the required number of credits for graduation, but whose work in what would normally be his or her final quarter places him or her on probation, does not receive a degree until removed from probation.
High Scholarship
Quarterly High-Scholarship List
The quarterly high-scholarship list includes the names of matriculated undergraduate students who have attained a quarterly grade-point average of 3.50 in the final grades for at least 12 graded credits. Appropriate high-scholarship entries are made on the student’s permanent academic record.
Yearly Undergraduate Honors
The yearly award for high scholarship is received on the academic transcript of students who have achieved the following:
- A cumulative grade-point average of 3.50 in at least three quarters of the academic year (Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring)
- 12 graded credits or more for each of the three quarters, exclusive of Satisfactory/Not Satisfactory (S/ NS) and Credit/No Credit-only (C/NC) courses.
- Students who have attended the UW four quarters of the school year (Summer through Spring) must have a grade-point average of 3.50 for each of any three quarters, a minimum of 12 graded credits (exclusive of S/NS and C/NC courses) for each of the three quarters, and a cumulative GPA of 3.50 for the four quarters.