Instructors assign grades on the basis of their evaluation of the academic performance of each student enrolled in their courses. At the end of the term, the grades are reported to the Office of the Registrar which is responsible for maintaining student academic records and making grades available to students.

Grades

Letters are used to designate the quality of student academic achievement.

Graduate Grades
Grade	Definition	Grade Points per Semester Hour
A	Commendable	4
B	Satisfactory	3
C	Marginal	2
I	Incomplete
P	Pass
U	Unsatisfactory	0
SP	Satisfactory Progress
UP	Unsatisfactory Progress
W	Withdrawal
WE	Withdrawal with Extenuating Circumstances
N	No Credit
UX	Academic Dishonesty Violation
AU	Audit
NR	No recognition given for audit

Grade of I (Incomplete)

The grade of I is assigned at the discretion of the instructor when a student who is otherwise passing has not, due to circumstances beyond their control, completed all the work in the course. The missing work must be completed by the deadline specified by the instructor, but no later than 12 months. If the I is not removed during the specified time, a grade of U as appropriate is automatically assigned. Time extensions for the completion of an I beyond one year cannot be approved except by a Graduate Academic Petition to the Graduate School under extraordinary circumstances. The grade of I cannot be removed by enrolling again in the same course, and students should not re-enroll in a course in which they have been assigned the grade of I.  A grade of I cannot be replaced with a grade of W (Withdrawal).

Grade of P/U (Pass/Unsatisfactory) Option

Certain graduate courses, such as research seminars, tutorials, and internships, may be designated for Pass/Unsatisfactory grading upon recommendation of the offering department and approval of the Graduate Council.  The grade of P (Pass) in such a course shall be considered as evidence of satisfactory performance.  A grade of U (Unsatisfactory) will affect eligibility for continued enrollment and will not apply toward requirements for the degree.  Graduate students may not elect the Pass/Unsatisfactory option for a standard graded course, with the exception of GRAD courses.

Grade of SP/UP (Satisfactory Progress/ Unsatisfactory Progress) Option

The grade of SP (satisfactory progress) or UP (unsatisfactory progress) is assigned to graduate coursework for research activity that extends over more than one semester, typically dissertation or thesis research.  In these cases, the research is ongoing so only the progress made in that term can be evaluated.  SP indicates the student made acceptable progress as assessed by their advisor.  A grade of UP indicates the student did not make agreed upon progress.  Neither a grade of SP nor UP will factor into a student’s GPA.  Credit graded as UP will not count toward the required credit hours for the degree, but will apply toward the total credit hours earned and noted on the transcript.

It is possible for a student to be registered in multiple sections of research in a given semester.  The student could earn both SP and UP grades that term, thereby making partial progress.  Any grade of UP must be accompanied by written feedback from the faculty advisor, which explains what is expected for a grade of “satisfactory” progress.

The second semester in which a grade of UP is earned will trigger a discussion between the student and advisor about lack of progress in the program.  This discussion will include all possible recommendations from the advisor, such as pursuing a new topic, moving to a new advisor or even termination from the program.  The advisor will discuss any recommendation to terminate a student for lack of progress with the Graduate Program Director prior to forwarding such a request to the Graduate School for consideration.

Note: Graduate students cannot select the Satisfactory Progress/Unsatisfactory Progress option for a standard graded course.

Grade of W (Withdrawal)

No grade will be given for a course dropped on or before the last day to drop a course without record. After this period, a student is permitted to withdraw from a course with a grade of W, in accordance with the conditions and deadlines of the Withdrawals policy.  Post-deadline withdrawal is only allowed for approved extenuating circumstances. Unsatisfactory academic performance itself is not an extenuating circumstance. The date of withdrawal is determined when the “Withdrawal” notification is received by the Office of the Registrar. The grade of W is posted on the academic transcript.

Grade of WE (Withdrawal for Extenuating Circumstances)

After the deadline to withdraw from a course, a student may, in certain circumstances, request to withdraw from their courses based on an extenuating circumstance (i.e., a medical emergency, a death in the immediate family, or other serious event).  The student must provide documentation to support their request.  WE requests for the current term are submitted through the Office of the Dean of Students.  Although rarely granted, WE requests for prior terms are submitted through the Graduate School using the Academic Petition tool.  If approved, a grade of WE is noted on the student’s transcript.

Grade of N (No Credit)

The grade of N (No Credit) is used in very special circumstances. The N grade signifies that there is no credit given for the course. Therefore, any course that receives the N grade does not enter into the student’s grade point average. The N grade is used for the master’s and doctoral level, resident and non-resident, graduate student continuing registration courses (GRAD 7999  or GRAD 9999 ). The N grade is also used to replace IP grades which have expired, and for GRAD 8990 . These are the only three uses for the N grade.

Grade of UX (Academic Dishonesty Violation)

For details on the use of the UX grade, please see University Policy 407, Code of Student Academic Integrity, Section IV - Penalties.

Grade Point Average (GPA)

The grade point average for a graduate student is based only on those graduate courses taken at UNC Charlotte.  It is determined by multiplying the number of grade points for each grade (A=4, B=3, C=2, U=0) by the number of credit hours credit received in that courses adding all accumulated grade points together, and then dividing by the total number of credit hours the student has attempted except those for which the student received a grade of I, IP, SP, UP, W, P, N, AU, or NR.  When a course not listed as “May be repeated for credit” is repeated, no additional credit hours attempted accrue and the hours earned and grade points of the previous grade are replaced by those of the current grade in their degree plan of study.

Graduate students must have a 3.0 GPA in the courses on their degree plan of study in order to graduate. However, the grades for all courses attempted will remain on the transcript and will be included in the calculation of the student’s cumulative GPA as it is reported on the transcript (except as described in the above paragraph). 

Repeating Graduate Courses

Graduate students are allowed to repeat a maximum of two courses in which the student has been assigned a grade of C or U (but not an I). If the course grade has resulted in suspension or termination of enrollment, the student must appeal to be reinstated in order to repeat the course. A given course may be repeated one time only. Each grade earned in a repeated course is shown on the student’s transcript. The record of the first attempt remains a part of the student’s permanent record and counts in the number of marginal (C) grades accumulated and the overall GPA.  However, the hours earned and grade in the first attempt are not computed in the program GPA used for graduation clearance.  Successfully repeating a course does not change the number of marginal (C) grades accumulated.  Enrollment will be terminated if a student receives a grade of U in a repeated course for which the student previously earned a U.

Final Grades

Final grades are available through the secure student access pages of My UNC Charlotte. 

Final Grade Changes and Appeals from Final Course Grades

When a final course grade other than Incomplete (I) is officially reported by the instructor at the end of an academic term, the grade is recorded by the Office of the Registrar and can be changed only if the grade has been assigned arbitrarily or impermissibly as defined in University Policy 410, Policy and Procedures for Student Appeals of Final Course Grades, available online at legal.charlotte.edu/policies/up-410.

For guidelines on applying this policy, please visit University Policy 411, Request for Review of a Final Course Grade Guidelines for Students, online at legal.charlotte.edu/policies/up-411.

Students should follow the procedures outlined in that policy if they believe that the final course grade that has been assigned is incorrect. The policy encourages the student to discuss the grade with the instructor as soon as possible after the grade is received. Students should note, however, that the University is not obliged to respond to a grade appeal unless the student files it with the appropriate department chairperson or interdisciplinary program director within the first four weeks following the last day of the regular semester or the summer term in which the grade was received. When a grade is assigned consistent with University policy, only the instructor has the right to change the grade except as provided in the Incomplete grade policy. When an instructor reports a grade change for a grade other than I, the Change of Grade request must be approved by their Department Chairperson and the Graduate School.