DELAWARE'S GRADING SYSTEM

HOW WE GRADE YOU
At the end of each term grades are reported to students electronically. Reports of grades are available via UD & Me and SIS+ personal access website. The University uses a system of letter grades with plus and minus designators.
NOTE: In courses requiring a minimum letter grade (for example, a C or better), the minus grade (for example, C-), fulfills the requirement, unless 2.0 minimum is specified. Similarly, when a B or better is required, a B- fulfills the requirement. However, the quality points per credit for a C- are fewer than for a C (see chart below). Undergraduate students must achieve an overall cumulative grade point index of at least 2.0 for graduation.
The following final grades are used:

The following temporary grades are used:

All students, whether or not they intend to return to the University, may remove temporary grades from their records by adhering to the following regulations:

• A grade of I (Incomplete) must be removed not later than the end of the first two weeks of the semester immediately following the course in question. Incomplete work for the fall semester and Winter Session must be completed within the first two weeks of the spring semester; incomplete work in the spring semester and summer sessions must be completed within the first two weeks of the following fall semester. Under extenuating circumstances, such as prolonged illness, the faculty member, with the additional approval of the dean, may approve extensions of these limits.
• At the time of grading, instructors who give an I grade must submit copies of the Incomplete Grade Explanation Form to the department chair, the instructor's dean, the student's dean and the Registrar's Office, but only when the grade to be awarded, if the work is not completed, is not an F. This form will show (1) the nature of the incomplete (absent from final examination, absent from hourly examination, project or paper not turned in, etc.), (2) the reason for the incomplete (illness, accident or injury, serious illness or death in immediate family, etc.), and (3) the grade to be awarded to the student in the course if the work is not completed. If, after the time limit stated above, the uncompleted work has not been made up, the grade will automatically be recorded as an F if the instructor has not designated otherwise by submitting the Incomplete Grade Explanation form. Control and approval of all incomplete grades, including those given for absence from the final examination, will rest with the dean of each college.
• Temporary grades of S and U may stand until the completion of the thesis or research, at which time final grades of A, B, C, D (plus or minus), or F will be recorded. These grades replace all S or U grades in preceding periods of enrollment. Students may not graduate if their records contain any temporary grades.

PASS/FAIL IS SOMETIMES AN OPTION
Some courses are offered only on a pass/fail basis. In addition, each semester matriculated students have the option to take one course that is offered on a letter-grade basis as a pass/fail course. The total number of credits earned on a pass/fail basis may not exceed 24 in the baccalaureate degree program, excluding those courses that are graded pass/fail only. In addition, a course taken on a pass/fail basis cannot be used to fulfill the University multicultural requirement.
Some colleges do not permit pass/fail courses to be used to complete degree requirements, and in most instances a pass/fail course can only be used as a free elective. Sometimes a student may take a “free elective” course on a pass/fail basis, then later change to a college or major which classifies that course as a requirement. In that event, upon petition through the dean’s office, the letter grade earned in the course may be posted and the student may receive credit for fulfilling a course requirement. Students are encouraged to consult with and obtain approval from their advisors in the selection of courses to be taken on a pass/fail basis.
Even when students complete a course on a pass/fail basis, the instructor will assign a regular grade, which is available for review by deans, advisors and committees. If the student has a grade of A, B, C or D (plus or minus), a grade of P will be listed on the report of grades and on the transcript. If the student receives a grade of F, it will be recorded on the permanent record. A passing grade will not be counted in the GPA. A failing grade under the pass/fail option will be counted in the GPA.

HOW YOUR INDEX IS CALCULATED
The cumulative grade point index (also known as GPA) is computed by dividing the total number of quality points by the total number of quality hours. The quality points for each course are obtained by multiplying the quality point value for each grade by the credits for that course: e.g., a grade of A in a three credit course would earn 12 quality points (4 quality points x 3 credits). A minimum average of C, or a scholastic index of 2.0, in all work taken at the University of Delaware is required for the baccalaureate degree. Both term and GPAs are calculated and reported to students after each grading period.
A grade of Z is equal to a grade of F in calculating the index (0 quality points per credit). For courses taken on a Pass/Fail basis, F grades are included in the calculation of the grade point index, but P grades are not. All other grades for courses taken for credit at the University are included in the calculation of the index, including the first and later grades for courses that have been repeated. The credits for courses repeated to improve a grade are counted only once toward the minimum required for graduation.
If a baccalaureate degree has been awarded previously from the University of Delaware and then the student returns to another academic degree program, a separate grade point index will be calculated for the second program. However, a single grade point index is calculated for students who elect to pursue more than one baccalaureate degree simultaneously.
Credits and quality points for courses completed elsewhere and transferred to the University will not be included in the student’s University of Delaware cumulative grade point index.