Grading
UW–Madison uses a 4.00 grading scale.
Courses numbered 300 and above in which your grade is A, AB, B, BC, C, or S (satisfactory) count toward the Graduate School’s minimum credit requirement for graduation. Research courses with grades of P (in progress) also fulfill the Graduate School’s minimum credit requirement. Courses taken under the 300 level, for audit, pass/fail, or in which a student receives grades of D or F do not count.
Your program may have a higher grade requirement than the Graduate School’s minimum. Check the Graduate Guide for your program’s requirements.
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Types of grades
Beyond A–F letter grades, you may see the following grades on your transcript.
Credit (CR)/No Credit (N)
CR grades indicate you earned credit for a credit/no credit course. Courses numbered 300 and above count toward the minimum credit requirements for graduation.
N grades indicate you did not earn credit for a credit/no credit course.
Progress (P)
P grades are temporary grades for courses extending beyond one semester.
Any P grades for courses other than research and thesis courses must be changed to a final grade before you can receive your preliminary exam warrant or degree warrant.
Unreported grades for courses 790, 890, and 990 will be automatically assigned a P (Progress) grade at the end of the grading period. This will automatically revert to an S (Satisfactory) grade when your instructor assigns a grade for your final semester in the course.
Satisfactory (S)/Unsatisfactory (U)
S grades and U grades are used in certain advanced topics, seminar, and research courses that don’t have exams or other performance criteria.
These do not affect your GPA, but may impact your satisfactory academic progress.
No Report (NR)
NR grades show that the instructor has not yet submitted your final grade. Students should contact the instructor if they notice an NR grade on their record and request them to post a final grade.
Incomplete (I)
I grades are temporary grades that you should resolve by your instructor’s deadline or the end of the following semester.
Permanent Incomplete (PI)
Your instructor may request a PI grade if the work is no longer relevant, you change your academic degree program, or if the instructor is no longer at UW–Madison. The Registrar’s Office also converts incomplete grades more than five years old to PI grades.
You may graduate with PI grades on your transcript.
Grade changes
The Graduate School only permits grade changes for specific reasons, including miscalculation and to resolve incomplete or progress grades.
Grades for repeated courses
If you repeat a course, both grades are used in calculating your graduate grade-point average.
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