The Graduate School’s grading system is as follows: A, excellent; B, good; C, fair; D, passing but poor; F, failure. Plus and minus letter grades are also used. Unless program regulations specifically state otherwise, all courses to be credited toward the degree will be taken for a letter grade (see also the paragraph on R credit below). A letter grade is given to a student who has completed the required work in a course, including the final exam or paper, and it is expressed on a student’s transcript by the letter grades A, B, C, D, or F. The grade of F is a final grade and is not subject to reexamination. Students should seek advice from the director of graduate studies in their department if they wish to take a course for Pass/Fail or for R credit.

The mark of INC (Incomplete): Given to a student who has satisfactorily met all the requirements of a course except for the completion of certain assigned papers or reports or the final examination, which the student has been compelled to postpone for reasons that are 1) beyond his or her control and 2) satisfactory to the instructor. If the INC is not removed by the submission of a qualitative grade by the instructor within one year, it will be changed to an F. The dean may grant an extension for up to an additional year upon a request made by the student before the expiration of the one-year grace period. If no extension has been granted and the required work has not been submitted to the instructor, the mark of F will be considered a final grade not subject to change at a later date.

The following applies to marks of Incomplete awarded in the fall semester of 2008 or later: If a student is granted a Leave of Absence or withdrawal from the University within a year of receiving an Incomplete, the grade of Incomplete will remain on the student’s transcript while the student is not enrolled, and the time of the leave or withdrawal will not count against the student's one-year grace period. A grade of Incomplete received by a student who does not register but is not granted a Leave of Absence or withdrawal from the University will be changed to an F after one year.

The mark of R (Registered for the course; no qualitative grade assigned): Awarded in place of a letter grade. Students who wish to be given R credit for a course must receive written permission from the instructor that specifies the instructor's expectations within the standard course-change period.  In addition, they must hand in to the GSAS dean's office (not the Registrar's office) a course add-drop form, signed by the instructor, with the desired R grade indicated. The deadline to hand in the form is the same date as the deadline to request to take a course pass-fail (see the University Academic Calendar).

A course that has been taken for R credit may not be repeated for a letter grade. A student who has been approved to take a course for R credit is not required to take the final examination but is required to meet any other requirements established by the instructor of the course. It is assumed that the student will meet all course requirements other than the final examination unless the instructor states otherwise in writing when the permission for R credit is granted. Courses taken for R credit are applied toward the calculation of Residence Units for billing purposes in the same way as courses taken for a letter grade. The number of points of R credit acceptable for a degree, however, is set by each program in consultation with the Executive Committee of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

The mark of YC (year course): A mark given at the end of the first term of a course in which the full year of work must be completed before a qualitative grade is assigned. The grade given at the end of the second term is the grade for the entire course.

The mark of CP (credit pending): The mark of CP implies satisfactory progress. It is differentiated from INC in that it is given only in graduate research courses in those rare situations in which the research project, by the nature of its subject, unavoidably and predictably continues beyond the end of the term. Upon completion, a final qualitative grade is assigned and credit allowed. If the CP is not removed within one year, it will be changed to an F. The dean may grant an extension for an additional year upon request made by the student before the expiration of the one-year grace period. If no extension has been granted and the required work has not submitted to the instructor, the mark of F will be considered a final grade not subject to change at a later date.