How Brown University Handles GPA
Brown University is famously known for its Open Curriculum, which encourages students to explore subjects without the pressure of traditional requirements. Alongside this, Brown has a unique approach to grading—it does not calculate or release a formal GPA for students. That’s right: at Brown, the GPA isn’t part of your official academic record.
What You Need to Know:
- Professors do assign letter grades (A, B, C, etc.) in most courses unless you opt for a different grading option.
- Students can choose to take courses Satisfactory/No Credit (S/NC), which means the course won’t affect any GPA calculation at all.
- Since Brown doesn’t publish a GPA, students who need one for external applications (e.g., grad school, scholarships) may self-calculate or request unofficial summaries from advisors.
Brown’s Grading Scale
Though Brown doesn’t officially calculate GPA, it does use letter grades in many courses. If you want to calculate your own GPA (say, for a grad school application), here’s the scale you can use, based on standard U.S. GPA conversions:
| Letter Grade | GPA Value (Unofficial) |
|---|---|
| A | 4.0 |
| A– | 3.7 |
| B+ | 3.3 |
| B | 3.0 |
| B– | 2.7 |
| C+ | 2.3 |
| C | 2.0 |
| C– | 1.7 |
| D+ | 1.3 |
| D | 1.0 |
| D– | 0.7 |
| F | 0.0 |
Note: Courses taken as S/NC do not factor into this at all.
Optional Grading Policies
Brown gives students a lot of say in how their academic performance is reflected. You can often choose from:
- Letter Grade
- Satisfactory/No Credit (S/NC) – If you pass, you earn credit, and if not, there’s no grade or credit given.
- Some courses are even offered Mandatory S/NC by departments.
This means a student’s transcript might include many S/NC grades, especially in their first year or when exploring new fields.
Departmental Variations
Because of the Open Curriculum, departmental grading policies may vary slightly in practice. However, there are no major GPA-calculation differences across departments since the school doesn’t generate GPAs at all.
Still, some departments may:
- Recommend or require letter grades in concentration courses (especially for honors consideration).
- Encourage letter grades for grad school preparation.