G RADES

Every instructor is required to assign a grade for each student enrolled in a course. The grades you earn are meant to be a reflection of your learning, although it might not always feel that way. Below are the different types of grades you may see on your transcript at UC Davis.

would not get the units toward Minimum Progress (MP) for the quarter in which you took the class

S atisfactory/U nsatisfactory G rading

Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) grading is rarely used, but if you come across it, S/U grading is the same as Pass/No Pass (P/NP) grading.

TYPES OF GRADES
The following grades are used to report the quality of your work at UC Davis: A B C D F P NP S U I IP Excellent Good Fair Barely passing Not passing Pass (grade C or better) No Pass (grade D+ or worse) Satisfactory (grade C or better) Unsatisfactory (grade D+ or worse) Incomplete In progress

I ncomplete G rading
An Incomplete (I) grade means you have done well enough in the class but for a good reason cannot finish all the course requirements by the end of finals. If something major comes up that will prevent you from finishing a class, make sure you talk to your instructor as soon as possible before finals. Make sure you know what must be done in order to receive your final grade; better yet, get it in writing! It is important to do the work for an I grade as soon as possible because if an incomplete grade is not cleared within three quarters the I grade automatically becomes an F grade! If you graduate before clearing an I grade and the deadline to replace the grade NOT passed, the I grade will stay on your transcript unless you clear it before the deadline (which would be after your graduation). If you got an I grade, you do not get any units for the class until you clear itthat means that you would not get the units toward Minimum Progress (MP) for the quarter in which you took the class. If you took a class and received an I grade, you will have to work out completing your course requirements with the instructor by your deadline to replace the grade. In order to replace your I grade, you would have to fill out a Grade Change Petition available from the Registrars Office in 12 Mrak Hall or at your colleges Deans Office. Give the form to the instructor and he or she will turn it into the Office of the University Registrar. It typically takes 3-4 weeks for a grade change to be reflected on your transcript.

L etter G rading
The basic grades you can earn for most classes are A, B, C, D, and F, and you can earn a plus (+) or minus () on each grade as well. Each letter represents how well (or not so well) you did in a particular class, with an A+ grade being the highest you can earn and an F grade being the lowest you can earn. It is important to know that F grades are considered not passing, and must be repeated for a better grade if the class is required for your major or another requirement. Also, if you earned an F grade, you do not get any units for the class until you repeat itthat means that you would not get the units toward Minimum Progress (MP) for the quarter in which you took the class.

P ass/N o P ass G rading

Some courses are automatically graded on a Pass/No Pass (P/NP) basis and cannot be taken for a letter grade, while other courses can be changed from letter grading to the P/NP option. The main benefit to this grading option is that courses can still be applied toward graduation if passed, but do not affect your Grade Point Average (GPA) for better or worse. Here are some important points to know about classes that you elect P/NP grading for: You cannot elect to take classes required for your major as P/NP without prior approval from your college or major department NP grades must be repeated for a better grade if the class is required for your major or another requirement If you earned an NP grade, you do not get any units for the class until you repeat itthat means that you

I n P rogress G rading
You usually only see In Progress (IP) grades in classes that span more than one quarter, like some Engineering Design classes, or in study abroad classes before your final grade is available. Once you final grade is available, it will replace the IP grade on your transcript. IP grades do count toward Minimum Progress (MP).

GRADE POINT AVERAGE

One way to measure how well you are doing academically is by using your Grade Point Average (GPA), which is a reflection of the grades that you have received at UC Davis. There are two types of GPAs: quarter GPA and cumulative GPA. Your quarter GPA, some times called a term GPA, is a snapshot of how you did in a particular quarter or summer session. Your cumulative GPA reflects all of the classes that you have ever taken for a letter grade at UC Davis.

Whether you want to calculate your quarter or cumulative GPA, grade points (GP) are assigned to each letter grade as follows: A+ = 4.00 B+ = 3.30 C+ = 2.30 D+ = 1.30 F = 0.00 A B C D = 4.00 = 3.00 = 2.00 = 1.00 A- = 3.70 B- = 2.70 C- = 1.70 D- = 0.70

If this sounds a little complicated thats because it can be, but knowing how to calculate your GPA comes in handy.

REPEATING CLASSES
You are allowed to retake a class if you earned a D+ or lower or a NP grade; however, you can only repeat up to 16 units to have the new grade calculated into your Grade Point Average (GPA). What this means is that in up to 16 units, you may retake a course and your new grade will completely replace your old grade, for better or worse, in your GPA calculation. Both grades still appear on your transcript with special notes indicating you repeated the class. If you are considering repeating a course, keep in mind the following: You only gets units toward graduation for a class once, so repeating a 4-unit class only gives you 4 units toward graduation, not 8 units. Classes for which you earned an F or NP grade do not give you any units toward graduation until you repeat them. You can only retake a course once. To repeat a course more than once you must petition your Deans Office before enrolling in the course for a third time. Your 16-unit repeat allotment is used best if you retake four different 4-unit courses totaling 16 units. For example, if you were to retake three 5-unit courses, you could only repeat three classes instead of four. If a course is originally a Pass/No Pass graded course, you must retake it for a P/NP grade. If a course is originally letter graded, but you opted for P/NP grading and received a NP, when you retake the course you may opt to retake the course P/NP again or choose to leave it as a letter graded course. However, if you are retaking a course you received a letter grade for you must retake the course for a letter grade. If you retake courses after repeating 16 units worth of classes, both grades will count towards your GPA. With repeating classes, just because you can retake up to 16 units for a new grade, it does not mean you should retake that many course. Either way, it is a good idea to meet with your Program Specialist or an academic advisor before repeating any course.

If you are wondering why you dont earn more than 4 grade points for an A+ grade, it is because UC Davis grades are on a 4.0 scale, so the total GPA can never be more than 4.0. Keep in mind that I, IP, P/NP, and S/U grades as well as Workload classes carry no grade points and the amount of units from those classes are not included in the GPA calculation. Incomplete (I) grades and the units associated with the class are not included in the GPA calculation at the end of the quarter, but are counted as F grades in determining if you have a minimum 2.0 GPA required for graduation if you have not cleared the I grade by the time you graduate. GPA is calculated at UC Davis by taking the total GP and dividing it by the units you have taken: GPA = Total GP Units taken To get the total GP, you need to multiply each GP by the number of units your earned for the class, and then add it all up: Total GP = (GP x units) + (GP x units) + (GP x units) So, if you earned a B- in a 4-unit class and a C+ in a 5-unit class, the total GP would be 22.30: Total GP = (2.70 GP x 4 units) + (2.3 GP x 5 units) = 22.30 To calculate the GPA for those classes, you would divide the total GP by the total number of units taken for those classes, and you quarter GPA for those classes would be 2.47: GPA = Total GP = 22.30 = 22.30 = 2.47 Units taken (4 + 5) 9

FINAL GRADES
Your final grades refer to the official grade you earned in each class at the end of each quarter or summer session. You can check your final grades online using SISWeb, like an online report card. Final grades are typically available 1-2 weeks after the last day of finals.

If you did the math and are wondering why you cant round up to a 2.48 GPA, its because a GPA only goes to the hundredths place and you do not get to round, so a quotient of 2.4777778 is a 2.47 GPA. To calculate a quarter GPA, you would only use the grades from the units taken that quarter and the corresponding grade points, like the example above. For a cumulative GPA, you would take into account the grade points and units for all of the letter grades you have earned at UC Davis.

TRANSCRIPTS
A transcript is a record of your academic work. There are two kinds of transcripts that you will hear about: official and unofficial. Official transcripts are printed and verified by the University Registrar to be your most up-to-date academic record. But

what makes them official, you ask? Official transcripts are sealed by the Registrar and are marked with the official University sealif you break the seal, the transcript is no longer considered official. You may need an official transcript when applying to graduate or professional schools, or for certain scholarships. If you need an official transcript, you can get request it from the Office of the University Registrar for a small fee per transcript. The form to request an official transcript is available in 12 Mrak Hall or online at http://registrar.ucdavis.edu/PDFFiles/D044OrderingOfficial UCDTranscripts.pdf. Make sure to order them at least two weeks before they are needed or you will have to pay extra for a rush job. Unofficial transcripts are what you have access to on SISWeb. They are considered unofficial because they are not verified by the Registrar and do not contain the University seal, but unofficial transcripts can still be an up-to-date record of your academic history. You may need to use your unofficial transcript for things like a good student discount on car insurance or certain scholarships. It is a good idea to check your unofficial transcript on SISWeb every quarter to make sure everything is correct.

ACADEMIC PROBATION
Academic Probation (AP) is a designation for students not in good standing based on GPA and number of units taken and passed for the academic year. Based on GPA, you will be placed on AP if you earn a quarter GPA less than 2.00 but greater than 1.50, or if you have a cumulative GPA less than 2.00 but greater than 1.50. Based on units, you will be placed on AP if you completed more than or equal to 36 units but less than 39 units for the academic year. If you find yourself on AP, schedule a meeting with your TRiO Program Specialist as soon as possible.

SUBJECT TO ACADEMIC DISQUALIFICATION

Subject to Academic Disqualification (SD) is the most serious level of academic standing. You will be SD if you earn a quarter GPA less than 1.50, have a cumulative GPA less than 1.50, if you have more than 16 units with Incomplete grades, or if you have been on AP for two consecutive quarters. You will also become SD if you took and passed less than 36 units for the academic year. If you are SD at the end of two back-to-back quarters, you can be dismissed from UC Davis. The quickest way to get dismissed is to not seek help and the resources available to you. Being proactive and keeping in touch with your TRiO Program Specialist will help you on the road to good academic standing, If you are SD, expect to get an email from your college about it. It is very important that you reply to this email and schedule a meeting with someone in your colleges Deans Office. Also, schedule a meeting with your TRiO Program Specialist as soon as possible. If possible, schedule the meeting with your TRiO Program Specialist before your meeting with your college to help prepare for the meeting with your college.

A CADEMIC S TANDING
As a student, there are three different levels of academic standing based on your academic performance: Good Standing, Academic Probation, and Subject to Academic Disqualification. Minimum Progress (MP) standards can also place you in academic difficulty. Your academic standing is based on two general standards: qualitative standards and quantitative standards. Qualitative standards refer to your Grade Point Average (GPA). This can be either your overall, or cumulative, GPA or your GPA from one particular quarter. Quantitative standards refer to the units you have attempted and passed, which is the MP requirement. Quantitative standards are usually only measured after spring quarter.

MINIMUM PROGRESS
The Minimum Progress (MP) requirement says you have to take and pass an average of 13 units each quarter, for a total of 39 units for the academic year. Units toward MP will be calculated at the end of spring quarter for that academic year. Also, summer units count toward the following academic year. For example, if you take eight units in Summer 2006, those units will count toward your MP calculation for the 2006-2007 academic year not the 20052006 academic year. When your MP units are calculated, there are three possibilities: 1. You took and passed an average of 13 or more units per quarter and have 39 or more units total for the academic year Congratulations, you have met the MP requirement and you are in good standing!

GOOD STANDING
Good standing is an academic standing for students with above a quarter or cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.0 or higher and/or those who have taken and passed at least 39 units each academic year. Remember, academic standing is based on both qualitative (GPA) and quantitative (units) measures, so it is possible to be in good standing for one and not be in good standing for the other. For example, if your cumulative GPA was 2.67 but you had only completed 37 units for the academic year, you would be good standing for qualitative reasons but not in good standing for quantitative reasons.

2.

3.

You took and passed an average of less than 13 units but greater than or equal to 12 units per quarter and have a more than or equal to 36 but less than 39 total units for the academic year You did not meet the MP requirement and will be placed on Academic Probation (AP). You took and passed an average of less than 12 units per quarter and have less than 36 total units for the academic year You did not meet the MP requirement and will be Subject to Academic Dismissal (SD).

what steps you are taking to get back in good standing. Along with a letter, your appeal should also include any supporting documentation like doctors notes or letters of support. If approved, you get one more chance to improve your academic status the next quarter you are enrolled. If you find yourself in this situation, contact your TRiO Program Specialist as soon as possible, and keep in mind that a successful appeal still counts as your first dismissal, and a second dismissal is final, so it is very important that you improve your academic standing the following quarter.

For students who do not meet MP as of the end of spring, a Degree Progress Average (DPA) will be calculated at the end of the following fall quarter. Only taking into account full-time quarters, the DPA is the total number of units passed at UC Davis divided by the total number of full-time quarters completed at UC Davis: DPA = Total UC Davis full-time units Total UC Davis full-time quarters

At the end of the following fall quarter, if your DPA is 13 or more units, you will have satisfied MP. If your DPA is less than 13 units, you will be SD. If you are SD at the end of two back-to-back quarters for failing to meet MP standards, you can be dismissed from UC Davis. For more information about MP, you can refer to the General Catalog or to the online site: http://registrar.ucdavis.edu/UCDWebCatalog/academicinfo/ dismiss.html.

DISMISSAL
Dismissal means that you have been kicked out You can be dismissed for not meeting qualitative and/or quantitative standards, meaning that earning a poor GPA or not taking and passing enough units for the Minimum Progress (MP) requirement can get you booted from UC Davis. Being dismissed is based on the decision of your colleges Dean. Keep in mind that dismissal is from the entire UC system not just your college or the UC Davis campus! If you are ever dismissed, make sure you discuss your readmission options with your Deans Office. Generally, if you seek help early and often with your Deans Office, and other campus resources like the TRiO Scholars Program, you can avoid dismissal and improve your academic status. If despite your efforts, you are dismissed, there is an appeal process that you can use to make your case for why you should stay at UC Davis. The next section deals with the appeal process.

APPEAL PROCESS
If you have been dismissed, you can file an appeal with your colleges Dean. An appeal is a written statement from you explaining your situation, what has added to your academic difficulty, and