How GPA Is Calculated at American University
AU employs a 4.0 grading scale for both undergraduate and graduate programs. Each letter grade corresponds to a specific number of quality points. To compute your GPA, multiply the quality points by the number of credit hours for each course, sum these totals, and then divide by the total number of attempted credit hours.
Standard Grade Scale
| Grade | Description | Quality Points |
|---|---|---|
| A | Excellent | 4.00 |
| A– | 3.67 | |
| B+ | 3.33 | |
| B | Good | 3.00 |
| B– | 2.67 | |
| C+ | 2.33 | |
| C | Satisfactory | 2.00 |
| C– | 1.67 | |
| D | Poor | 1.00 |
| F | Academic Fail | 0.00 |
| FX | Administrative Fail | 0.00 |
| FZ | Fail (Pass/Fail course) | 0.00 |
| ZX | Admin Fail (Pass/Fail) | 0.00 |
Note: “FX” indicates a student never attended or stopped attending a course, making performance assessment impossible. “FZ” and “ZX” are used in pass/fail courses to denote academic and administrative failures, respectively.
Additional Grade Symbols
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| R | Course has been repeated |
| N | No grade submitted; to be resolved within one semester |
| IP | Course in progress |
| I* | Incomplete; “*” denotes the default grade if coursework isn’t completed |
Incomplete grades (“I*”) require an agreement between the student and instructor, outlining the remaining work and a deadline. If the work isn’t completed by the deadline, the default grade replaces the incomplete.
Pass/Fail Option
Undergraduates may opt to take up to four courses on a pass/fail basis, with only one such course per semester. These courses must be electives and cannot fulfill major, minor, certificate, or university-wide requirements. A “Pass” equates to a grade of “C” (2.00) or higher. Pass/fail grades do not impact the GPA.
Graduation GPA Requirements
- Undergraduates: Must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.00 to graduate.
- Graduate Students: Must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.00 to graduate.
All courses taken at AU, including those through the Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area, are included in the GPA calculation.
Washington College of Law (WCL) Grading
The WCL utilizes a similar grading scale:
| Grade | Quality Points |
|---|---|
| A | 4.00 |
| A– | 3.70 |
| B+ | 3.30 |
| B | 3.00 |
| B– | 2.70 |
| C+ | 2.30 |
| C | 2.00 |
| C– | 1.70 |
| D | 1.00 |
| F | 0.00 |
WCL students should consult the law school’s academic policies for any additional grading nuances.
Resources
- https://www.american.edu/provost/undergrad/undergrad-rules-and-regulations.cfm
- https://www.american.edu/provost/ogps/graduate-studies/current-graduate-academic-regulations.cfm
- https://www.american.edu/provost/registrar/studentservices/grading-system.cfm(American University, American University, American University)