Grade Policies

Listed below are the grading policies for each school. Refer to the registrar of each school for additional information.

School of the Environment

Standard grades are:

H	Honors – Work of exceptional character, not only as indicated by examinations, reports, and project work, but coupled with assurance of the student’s ability to perform work of similar character in association with professionals following graduation (approximate numerical range 90-100)
HP	High Pass – Work of outstanding character, as indicated by examinations, reports, and project work, coupled with an indication of interest, attitude, and ability decidedly above average (approximate numerical range 80-89)
P	Pass – Work of professional character, as indicated by examinations, reports, and project work, including satisfactory completion of all work assigned (approximate numerical range 70-79)
*P	Pass in Pass/Fail grading option
CR	Credit in Credit/Fail grading option
F	Failure – Work below professional character or failure to complete assigned work on time without adequate reason (approximate numerical threshold ≤ 69).  If a student fails a course, it may not be made up.
AU	Audit – Choose the “AU” grade if the student has fulfilled your audit requirements.
TI	Temporary Incomplete
INC	Permanent Incomplete

Withdrawals are recorded only by the Registrar of the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

The standard grades assigned in the Graduate School are:

H	Honors
HP	High Pass
P	Pass
F	Fail
Y	Temporary grade for the first term of a full-year course that is not yet completed.
AUD	Audit successfully completed
NA	Audit not fulfilled; requirements for an Audited course not satisfied

Departments may specify that certain courses be graded on a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis. All students enrolled in the course must be graded on this basis.

Sat	Satisfactory
U	Unsatisfactory

Withdrawals are recorded only by the Registrar of the Graduate School.

Incompletes

TI	Temporary Incomplete for a course that is expected to be completed

Faculty are responsible for assigning dates for submission of coursework by students that will allow instructors to meet the established grade reporting deadlines. If a student and instructor have agreed, however, that an extension of time is appropriate, the student must submit a request for a grade of Temporary Incomplete (“TI”) with the intended completion date, signed by the instructor and the Director of Graduate Studies. The instructor should then indicate the mark of “TI” on the grade sheet that is to be submitted to the Office of the Registrar by the appropriate grade submission deadline. Only one “TI” for courses taken in a single term is permitted. Temporary Incompletes received in an academic year must be converted to final grades by September 30 of the following academic year. If a grade is not received by the Registrar by this date, the “TI” will be converted to a Permanent Incomplete (“I”) on the student’s record. Some departments do have additional regulations governing the assignment of a Temporary Incomplete grade; students should therefore ask their Director of Graduate Studies about the academic regulations governing the recording and submission of the grade of Temporary Incomplete. Click here to download the Graduate School’s Request for a Temporary Incomplete Grade Submission form.

Extensions

In certain extraordinary circumstances, such as serious illness or a family emergency, or other factors beyond the student’s ability to predict or control, and on the recommendation of the student’s department, the appropriate Associate Dean may grant the student an additional extension of time to complete all coursework. A written request for such an extension must be made by the Director of Graduate Studies on the student’s behalf within two weeks of the regular grade submission deadline. The request should indicate the student’s special circumstances and also suggest a date by which the student will complete his or her work.  If the request is approved, the Associate Dean will inform the student and the course instructor. If the grade is submitted to the Registrar’s Office by the new deadline approved by the Associate Dean, it will replace the Temporary Incomplete already recorded. In all other cases, a Temporary Incomplete (“TI”) will be converted to a Permanent Incomplete (“I”) on the student’s record.

“Provisional” or “temporary” grades are not permitted. Once submitted to the Office of the Registrar, a grade may be changed only in cases of arithmetical or clerical error on the part of the instructor and only with the approval of the appropriate Associate Dean. Click here to download the Graduate School’s Notification of Course Grade Change form.

Law School

Standard grades are:

CR	Credit: the course has been completed satisfactorily; no particular level of performance is specified.
H	Honors: Performance in the course demonstrates superior mastery of the subject.
P	Pass: Successful performance of the work in the course.
LP	Low Pass: Performance in the course is below the level expected for the award of a degree.
F	Failure: no credit is given for the course.

School of Drama

Yale School of Drama courses are graded on a Pass/Fail basis for the following departments only:

• Acting
• Design
• Sound Design
• Directing
• Playwriting
• Theater Management

P	Pass (75 and above)
F	Fail (below 75)
I	Temporary Incomplete

Standard grades in courses within the School of Drama at the discretion of the instructor in the departments of Stage Management, and Technical Design and Production are offered as:

H	Honors (92 -100)
HP	High Pass (82-91)
P	Pass (75-81)
F	Fail (below 75)
I	Temporary Incomplete

At the discretion of the instructor, courses in Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism may be offered as:

H+	Honors+ (98 and above)
H	Honors (95-97)
H-	Honors- (92-94)
HP+	High Pass+ (88-91)
HP	High Pass (85-87)
HP-	High Pass- (82-84)
P+	Pass+ (78-81)
P	Pass (75-77)
F	Fail (below 75)
I	Temporary Incomplete

In addition students may elect the Pass/Fail option in other courses outside Yale School of Drama and within the School of Drama. In this situation, possible grades will be:

P*	Pass in Pass/Fail option
F*	Fail in Pass/Fail option
I	Temporary Incomplete

Audits:

AUD	Audit: attended at least two-thirds of the class.*

*If the student did not attend at least two-thirds of the class, record no grade.

Withdrawals are recorded only by the Registrar of the School of Drama.

Divinity School

Standard grades are:

H	Honors
H-	Honors minus
HP+	High Pass plus
HP	High Pass
HP-	High Pass minus
LP	Low Pass
F	Fail

There is also a Credit/No Credit system. The Credit/No Credit option for a course may be chosen by the instructor, in which case the entire class will be graded thus, unless individual students in such a course obtain the instructor’s approval to take the course on the regular grading system. Conversely, a student taking a course graded on the regular grading system may request the instructor’s approval to be graded Credit/No Credit. The grade of CR in the Credit/No Credit system requires achievement at the level of HP– or better.

Withdrawals are recorded only by the Registrar of the Divinity School.

School of Management

Standard grades are:

HH	High Honors:This grade should be given to no more than 10% of the SOM students enrolled unless there are fewer than 30, in which case the guideline is 10% + 2 (e.g., if 26 SOM students are enrolled the maximum would be 5 High Honors).
H	Honors: Given to the next 25% of the SOM students enrolled.
PR	Proficient: Given to the next 55% of the SOM students enrolled.
P	Pass: Lowest 10% in core courses; guideline of 5% in electives.
F	Fail: An absolute standard; no minimum requirement.  To the extent it is used, the F grade counts toward the 10% Pass category.
AUD	Audit: Student attended regularly.

Withdrawals are recorded only by the Registrar of the School of Management.

School of Music

Standard grades are:

A+ = 4.0	A- = 3.7	B = 3.0	C+ = 2.3	C- = 1.7
A = 4.0	B+=3.3	B- = 2.7	C = 2.0	F = 0.0

A+ grades must be accompanied by a letter from the instructor indicating why this extraordinary grade has been granted. It can be emailed to studentservices.music@yale.edu.

P = Pass/Fail Option

Withdrawals are recorded only by the School of Music Registrar.

School of Art

Courses within the School of Art and courses outside the School of Art for which the student has selected the Pass/Fail option:

P	Pass: work of such quality as to count fully towards the degree
F	Fail: work of insufficient quality to count towards the degree
INC	Incomplete

Courses outside the School of Art for which the student has not selected the Pass/Fail option:

A	Excellent
B	Very Good
C	Good
D	Passing
F	Fail
INC	Incomplete

Withdrawals are recorded only by the Registrar of the School of Art.

School of Public Health

Standard grades are:

H	Honors
HP	High Pass
P	Pass
F	Fail
I	Incomplete
A	Audit

Withdrawals are recorded only by the Registrar of the School of Public Health.

School of Architecture

Standard grades are:

P	Pass
LP	Low Pass
F	Fail

Withdrawals are recorded only by the Registrar of the School of Architecture.

Yale College

Standard grades are:

A	Excellent
A-
B+
B	Good
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D	Passing
D-
F	Fail

Academic Regulations concerning grades appear in the YCPS.

When a student elects to take a course on the Credit/D/Fail option, the instructor is asked to provide a letter grade. Grades of C- or above are converted by the Registrar’s Office to the mark of CR (Credit). Grades of D+, D, and D- are converted to the mark of D by the Registrar’s Office.

In certain year-long courses (such as senior essays) it is not possible to report a final grade at midyear.  The temporary marks below refer to the rate of progress at the end of the fall term and are replaced by the letter grade reported in May.

SAT	Satisfactory
NS	Not Satisfactory

For work incomplete at the end of term, only a residential college dean or the Registrar’s Office may report either a TI or ABX indication. (See the YCPS for more information.) These marks appear as the final grade and can be updated by the instructor using the grade change form.

TI	Authorized Temporary Incomplete
ABX	Absent from the Final Examination

The marks of W, NM, and # are entered only by the Registrar’s Office:

W	Withdrawn after the midterm
NM	No Mark is entered when a final course grade is not received in a timely manner. Unresolved NMs are converted to a grade of ‘F’ shortly after the grading period concludes.
#	No grade recorded: instructor should consult with student’s residential college dean.

Instructor’s End-of-Term Report

Instructors use the End-of-Term Report form to communicate with the Residential College Dean about a student who has failed the course or who has done excellent work. The Deans use these forms in academic counseling and reference-letter writing. At the Dean’s initiative, a copy may be given to the student.

School of Nursing

Physician Assistant Online Program

Grades are reported in the following manner:

H	Honors (94–100%)
P	Pass (72–93.99%)
F	Failure (Below 72%)
INC	Course was incomplete
W	Withdrawal

The Yale PA Online Program does not calculate GPA. Yale does not calculate class rank or standing.

Physician Assistant Program

H	Honors (95-100)
HP	High Pass (90-94.99)
P	Pass (75-89.99)
F	Fail (below 75)

  

School of Global Affairs

H	Honors
HP	High Pass
P	Pass
F	Fail
TI	Temporary Incomplete
YR	Year-long Course*
SAT/UNSAT	Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
AUD	Audit
CRW	Credit Waiver

 

*A mark of YR is assigned as a temporary grade for the first term of a full-year course and will be converted to a standard grade once both terms are completed.