Grade REporting

Why Standardization Matters

Standardizing grade information in reports ensures consistency, transparency, and reliability across all institutional analyses. It enables stakeholders, including faculty, staff, and administrators, to make informed decisions based on accurate and comparable data. By defining clear grade groupings and crosswalks, we create a shared understanding of academic performance metrics.

Collaborative Development of Grade Groupings

The grade groupings displayed in our reports were developed collaboratively by IREDM and The Division of Student Success to align with institutional goals and best practices. This partnership ensures that the grade groupings reflect a balance between academic data integrity and practical applications for student success initiatives.

Grade Groupings

Below is an overview of how grades are grouped for analysis. These groupings are used to summarize grade data, with particular attention to their inclusion in DFWI (D, F, Withdrawal, Incomplete) analyses:

Grade GroupGrade Group DescriptionIncluded in DFWI
A/SuccessfulAny A or successful completion gradeNo
BAny B gradeNo
CAny C gradeNo
DAny D gradeYes
F/Non-PassAny failing or non-passing gradeYes
W (GPA)Any W grade resulting in a GPA penaltyYes
W (Non-GPA)Any W grade not resulting in a GPA penaltyYes
IncompleteAny incomplete gradeYes
W (Extenuating)Any W grade granted for extenuating circumstancesNo
OtherAny other ungrouped gradeNo
MissingMissing or not reported gradeNo

Note: Not all Withdrawal grades are included in DFWI analysis. The W (Extenuating) grade group represents withdrawals granted for reasons other than academic performance, such as personal emergencies, military service, or administrative decisions. Since DFWI analysis is specifically intended to study student performance in courses, including these grades could misrepresent the impact of academic challenges and was purposefully excluded to maintain the integrity of the analysis.


Grade Crosswalk

The following table provides a detailed crosswalk of individual grades, their descriptions, and the grade grouping they belong to. This crosswalk allows users to understand how specific grades are categorized in institutional reports:

Grade GroupGradeGrade DescriptionGPA
A/SuccessfulA+A+4.3
A/SuccessfulAA4.0
A/SuccessfulA-A-3.7
A/SuccessfulPPassingNon-GPA bearing
A/SuccessfulSSatisfactoryNon-GPA bearing
A/SuccessfulSASatisfactory (COVID)Non-GPA bearing
A/SuccessfulSPSpecial examNon-GPA bearing
BB+B+3.3
BBB3.0
BB-B-2.7
CC+C+2.3
CCC2.0
CC-C-1.7
DD+D+1.3
DDD1.0
DD-D-0.7
F/Non-PassFF0.0
F/Non-PassNPNot PassingNon-GPA bearing
F/Non-PassUUnsatisfactoryNon-GPA bearing
F/Non-PassUSUnsatisfactory (COVID)Non-GPA bearing
W (GPA)WFWithdrawal, failure0.0
W (Non-GPA)WWithdrawalNon-GPA bearing
W (Non-GPA)WNWithdrawal, not passing (pass/not pass courses only)Non-GPA bearing
W (Non-GPA)WXWithdrawal, no GPA penaltyNon-GPA bearing
IncompleteIIncompleteNon-GPA bearing
IncompleteIXIncomplete, extensionNon-GPA bearing
IncompleteIZIncomplete, final extensionNon-GPA bearing
W (Extenuating)WTWithdrawal, no GPA penalty, full-termNon-GPA bearing
W (Extenuating)WMWithdrawal, no GPA penalty, full-term, militaryNon-GPA bearing
W (Extenuating)WEWithdrawal, no GPA penalty, administrativeNon-GPA bearing
OtherNCNo credit, course auditNon-GPA bearing
OtherIPIn progressNon-GPA bearing
MissingNRNot reported, instructor missed deadlineNon-GPA bearing
MissingnullMissingNon-GPA bearing

Note: Grades of A+ were discontinued beginning in Fall 2018. However, they are included in the table above to ensure completeness for analyses involving time periods before the discontinuation or in case this decision is ever reversed.


See our Policies and Guidelines related to grading (Undergraduate and Graduate) at UNC Greensboro.


Contact Us

For questions about these grade groupings, please contact the Office of Institutional Research and Enterprise Data Management at oir@uncg.edu.