Accessing Grades
Grades are not mailed. Students are able to access their final grades by logging on to the Student Administration System and link to Student Center Help to navigate to their self service information. Click a task to launch the associated help page. Students may log on with their NetIDs and passwords and view grades for courses once they’ve been posted.
For detailed information about grades and grading policies, see the “Grades” section of the Academic Regulations page on the Undergraduate Catalog site.
Grading Scales
Although instructors are free to set the standard of performance expected in their courses, the following uniform scales are published to encourage general agreement on the meaning of grades.
Undergraduate Grading Scale
| Explanation | Grade |
|---|---|
| Excellent | A |
| A- | |
| Very Good | B+ |
| Good | B |
| B- | |
| C+ | |
| Average | C |
| Fair | C- |
| Poor | D+ |
| D | |
| Merely Passing | D- |
| Failure | F |
“A” is the maximum grade that can be earned by any undergraduate in all level courses or non-degree students in 1000-4999 level courses.
Graduate Grading Scale
- The letter “A” represents work of distinction.
- The letter “B” represents work of good quality, such as is expected of any successful graduate student.
- The letter “C” represents work below the standard expected of graduate students in their area of study.
- The letter “D” represents work of unsatisfactory quality.
- The letters “F” and “U” signify failure in the course and necessitate a recommendation by the advisory committee to the Graduate School as to whether or not the student shall be permitted to continue graduate study.
Plus and minus values may be assigned to all but failing grades, are entered on the permanent record, and are computed into the student’s grade point average.
*Note that Fall 2020 is the last semester that an “A+” will be part of the Graduate Grading Scheme. Effective Winter 2021, the maximum grade that can be earned is an “A.”
Grade Point Formula
Grade points for courses graded “A”-“F” are the product of the course credits and the points per credit for the grade earned. For example, given a “B-” for a 3-credit course, points earned for the course are 8.1 (2.7 x 3). For any period, the total grade points for the courses graded “A”-“F” divided by the total credits give the grade point average. The term GPA includes all courses graded “A”-“F” in a semester or summer session. The cumulative GPA averages all courses graded “A”-“F.” If a student repeats a course that may not be repeated for credit, the Registrar records the grades for both attempts. If the repeat occurred prior to Summer Session 2002, both attempts are included in the GPA calculations. If the repeat occurred after Spring 2002, only the second attempt is included in the GPA calculations although both grades appear on the transcript. The student should note that when a lower grade is earned on the second attempt, that lower grade is the one that is used in the calculations. Students withdrawing from a full-year course at the close of the first semester will, if they have passed the first part of the course, receive credit for the work of the first semester, unless the course description states otherwise.
Incorrect Grade
The Office of the Registrar can confirm for you the grade that the instructor recorded. If you believe the grade is incorrect, contact the instructor.
The process for appealing a final course grade is described in the University Senate By-Laws.
Non-degree Credits
You should see the Dean of the school in which you are enrolled who will make a decision regarding which courses will be accepted. The Registrar’s Office will then be notified in writing specifying which courses have been allowed.
Parents and Students’ Grades
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (“FERPA”) set forth the standards for privacy and access to student education records. Under FERPA, access and rights in accordance with post-secondary education records are exercised by the student. Unless information from a student’s education record falls under a specified exception, the information cannot be released to third parties (including parents) without a signed and dated consent from the student. FERPA allows – but does not require – schools to disclose student information to the student’s parents if the student is a dependent child for tax purposes. The decision on whether to grant such parental access is a matter of individual policy for each University. In the absence of certain exceptional circumstances, it is the position of the University of Connecticut to provide access only to the respective student and any specific party that has obtained the consent of the student. The University regards this position as appropriate and consistent within the relationship that exists between the student and the University. Students must follow a specific procedure before the University will release their grades to parents. First, students must complete and sign the Student FERPA Release Form. Parents must send the signed form, along with a request for grades, to the Registrar. As the University does not maintain copies of the Student Release on file, a separate Student Release must accompany each request. If parents anticipate that they will request grades on more than one occasion, they are encouraged to make several copies of the original; photocopied duplicates will be accepted.
S and U Grades
The S/U grade option is determined by the faculty; it is not a student-driven option. This course designation is available only for courses that have been approved as such by the University Senate (undergraduate courses) or the Executive Committee of the Graduate Faculty Council (graduate courses). Instructors assign a grade of “S” to represent satisfactory work or “U” to represent unsatisfactory work. These courses may or may not award credit, but in neither case will grade points be awarded. No course used to fulfill University general education requirements may be assigned an S/U grade.
R Grades (graduate students)
The administrative designation “R” describes the character of the course, not the performance of the student. The “R” denotes “registered” and is assigned to graduate students in Master’s or Ph.D. reading courses for thesis or dissertation preparation. The Registrar, not the instructor, assigns the mark of “R.”
Pass/Fail Option
An undergraduate student who is not on scholastic probation may elect a maximum of 12 credits (not including credits on P/F recorded in spring 2020) to be distributed over not more than one course per semester and three courses total to be recorded as “P” for Pass or “F” for Fail on his or her permanent record. Students who are selecting a course for the Pass/Fail option or want to convert a Pass/Fail back to a graded basis must do so by the eleventh week of the semester. Students seeking to put a course on Pass/Fail after the eleventh week of the semester must get approval from the student’s advisor and by the Dean or designee of the school or college in which the student is enrolled. Approvals are given only for extenuating circumstances beyond the student’s control; poor academic performance is not an extenuating circumstance. For courses taught outside of the fall and spring semesters, these deadlines will be adjusted in a pro-rated fashion by the Registrar.
During the semester, the student completes the course and is graded in the usual way by the instructor; and the instructor submits a letter grade. This letter grade is translated into a “P” (“D-” or above) or remains an “F.” In neither event will a course taken under the Pass/Fail option be included in the computation of the semester or cumulative grade point average, but a grade below “C” makes the student ineligible for the Dean’s List. The individual schools and colleges have the privilege of adopting the Pass/Fail option with or without supplementary restrictions. Students are referred to the detailed statements of the various schools in the Undergraduate Catalog for such restrictions.
Repeating a Course to Raise the Grade
Undergraduate students
Any undergraduate student who is regularly registered for courses and who satisfies the requirements shall receive credit except that no student shall receive credit for the same course twice, unless it is specifically so stated as in a variable content course. Courses with the same number that cover the same course content cannot be counted more than once for credit. The parenthetical phrases (Formerly offered as…) and (Also offered as…) that follow a course title as a cross reference indicate that a student may not take both the course and the cross-referenced course. A student is regularly registered for a course only if he or she has conformed to all university or college regulations or requirements applying to registration for the course.
A student may repeat a course previously taken one time without seeking permission in order to earn a higher grade. The student may take the course a third time with the permission of the dean of the school or college in which the student is enrolled and the instructor of the course. Under no circumstances may a student take a course more than three times. When a student repeats a course, credit shall be allowed only once. Furthermore, in the computation of the grade point average, the registered credit and grade points for the most recent taking of the course shall be included in the GPA calculation and the registered credit and grade for the prior taking of the course shall remain on the transcript, but shall be removed from the GPA calculation. The student should note that repeating a course that was previously passed can have negative consequences. For example, if a student fails a class previously passed, the student would lose credit for the first, passed, attempt and not earn credit for the second, failed, attempt. Repeating a previously passed course may also have an effect on financial aid. Students considering repeating previously passed courses should consult their advisors and Student Financial Aid Services staff.
When a student repeats a course after receiving a degree, the student’s transcript will indicate a grade, but no registered credit, for the repeated course. The grade and registered credit recorded for the course prior to receipt of the degree shall continue to be included in the GPA and credit calculations.
A student must have department head permission to repeat a course that is listed as a prerequisite or corequisite for any course that the student has passed. For example, a student who received a “D” in CHEM 1127Q and subsequently passed CHEM 1128Q may not retake CHEM 1127Q without permission.
Graduate students
Any student who is regularly registered for courses and who satisfies the requirements shall receive credit except that no student shall receive credit for the same course twice, unless repeating the course is specifically authorized in the Graduate Catalog, as in a variable content course. Courses with the same number that cover the same course content cannot be counted more than once for credit. The parenthetical phrases (Formerly offered as…) and (Also offered as…) that follow a course description as a cross reference indicate that a student may not take both the course and the cross-referenced course. A student is regularly registered for a course only if he or she has conformed to all university or college regulations or requirements applying to registration for the course.
A student may repeat a course previously taken two times without seeking permission in order to earn a higher grade. When a graduate student repeats a course, credit shall be allowed only once. Furthermore, in the computation of the grade point average, the registered credit and grade points for the highest grade shall be included in the GPA calculation and the registered credit and grade for the lower grade shall remain on the transcript, but shall be removed from the GPA calculation.
The student should note that repeating a course that was previously passed can have negative consequences. For example, repeating a previously passed course may have an effect on financial aid. Students considering repeating previously passed courses should consult their advisors and Student Financial Aid Services staff. When a student repeats a course after receiving a degree, the student’s transcript will indicate a grade, but no registered credit, for the repeated course. The grade and registered credit recorded for the course prior to receipt of the degree shall continue to be included in the GPA and credit calculations.
A student must have major advisor permission to repeat a course that is listed as a prerequisite or corequisite for any course that the student has passed. For example, a student who received a C in ACCT 5121 and subsequently passed ACCT 5122 may not retake ACCT 5121 without permission.
Grade Changes
Instructors may change marks once turned in only if they can demonstrate that a computational error was made. An instructor is not permitted to reconsider the matter, or to re-examine the student, or to accept additional work from the student after the marks are submitted. You are urged to do careful and conscientious work at the start in order to ensure that your grades give a fair reflection of student competence and achievement in the course.
Additional Grading Notes
Please note also that the scholastic records of all students are private information. Instructors are urged to keep their students informed as to the quality of work which they are doing but should use proper precautions to see that no student’s record is made known to other students. Class grades must not be posted so that a student may identify another students’ grades; i.e. neither by name, Social Security number, Net ID, nor PeopleSoft number.