Plus/Minus Grades

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Plus/Minus Grades


Historically the University's standard letter grading system of A, B, C, D, and F did not include grades such as B+ or C− as options for instructors to use in undergraduate and graduate courses.

In response to the concern that such a grading system did not provide enough distinguishing performance feedback within the range of a single letter grade, effective for the Summer 2017 term the University approved the use of plus/minus grades for undergraduate and graduate student course grading.

The revised grading system includes the following grades that may be used on undergraduate and graduate students in standard letter-graded courses:

Grade Symbol

Undergrad. Definition

Graduate Definition

Grade Points Per Credit Hour

A Excellent. Excellent. 4.000
A − Excellent. Excellent. 3.667
B + Good. Good. 3.333
B Good. Good. 3.000
B − Good. Conditional, not fully satisfactory. 2.667
C + Satisfactory. Conditional, not fully satisfactory. 2.333
C Satisfactory. Conditional, not fully satisfactory. 2.000
C − Satisfactory. Conditional, not fully satisfactory. 1.667
D + Poor. Poor, not satisfactory. 1.333
D Poor. Poor, not satisfactory. 1.000
F Failure. Failure. 0.000


Questions About Plus/Minus Grades: