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Grade Codes, Definitions

The following symbols are used in CUNYfirst and on the official transcript:

AUD – A course audited for no credit (see below for complete definition and policy).

CR Exemption credit (credit earned). Students with demonstrated competence in specific areas may be granted credit for courses related to these areas.

E Excellent (used prior to Fall 1975 with GPA value of 4.00)

F The Failure grade is used when an instructor evaluates a student’s work as not having met the standards for the course. Ordinarily the student is expected to retake the course. A student who has received an F twice for the same course must consult with and receive permission from the department chairperson or designee before attempting the course again.

FIN An INC grade which has been converted to a failing grade will appear as a FIN grade.

G Good (used prior to Fall 1975, with GPA value of 3.00)

INC A placeholder indicating an incomplete course, that either a grade or an FIN will replace (see below for complete definition and policy).

NC No credit. Currently used for high school students enrolled in college-level courses and for students who opt for the grade under LaGuardia’s No Credit Policy effective Fall I 2021. (Used for students who opted for the grade under the special Covid-19 Flexible Grading Policy in Spring 2020, Fall 2020 and Spring 2021. Prior to March 1977 used for all students; calculated as an F in the GPA if earned between September 1976 and March 1977; not calculated for any other period).

P Passing (used prior to Fall 1975; not calculated in GPA).

PEN Grade Pending

R The Repeat grade is awarded only in Developmental Education courses.

S Satisfactory. This grade is used only in courses that carry no credit, such as New Student Seminar; Co-op Prep; and Nursing, OTA, PTA and VTA candidacies.

TCR The Transfer Credit grade is given to students who have transferred into LaGuardia with credits earned at other accredited colleges and universities. Based on guidelines established by the academic department, transfer credits are evaluated by the Transfer Credit Office prior to or during the first semester of attendance at LaGuardia. Students may receive a maximum of 50% of the required credits for a certificate in transfer towards that certificate, and 30 transfer credits towards a degree..

U Unsatisfactory. This grade is used only in courses that carry no credit, such as New Student Seminar, Co-op Prep; and Nursing, OTA, PTA and VTA candidacies.

W Official Withdrawal. This grade is given when a student officially withdraws from a course after the change of program period, but prior to the official withdrawal deadline.

WD Withdrew Drop is assigned when a student, who has attended at least one class session, drops a class after the Financial Aid Certification date during the program adjustment period.

WA Administrative Withdrawal. This grade is used for students who have not been cleared for immunization.

WN is assigned to a student who has never attended a class or for whom there is no documented evidence of the student’s participation in a course prior to the official withdrawal date.

Note: During the Fall 2008 — Spring 2009 academic year, the WN grade had a numerical value of 0.0.

WU is assigned to a student who has attended at least one class, completely stopped attending at any time before final exam week, and did not officially withdraw.

Y Indicates completion of the first quarter of a two-quarter course (used prior to Fall 1980).

@ Waiver of requirement (without credit). A student may obtain a waiver for a course when the appropriate department chairperson or designee determines that such a waiver is warranted.

Students may register for credit courses that they have successfully completed with a grade of A, B, C, (+) CR, E, G, INC, P, S, TCR or @ pursuant to the Repeat Course policy effective Fall 2022 .

Audit (AUD) Grade Policy

Students may audit (attend without credit) courses in which they have an interest to increase their knowledge and proficiency. A student may audit a course only with official approval of the department chairperson, and based on seat availability through the Add/Drop period. A student seeking to take the course for credit will supersede an audit request, regardless of order of registration. “Unofficial” auditing is not permitted. Students must request to audit a course at the time of registration or prior to the start of the Withdrawal Period as indicated on the Academic Calendar for the session of the course, by completing an Audit Request Form, available in the Registrar’s Office. Students must register for an audit class in the same manner prescribed for regular classes, and must meet course prerequisites.

Students must also pay the required tuition & fees as if registering for credit in the course. Audited courses cannot be used to qualify for full-time or part-time status, financial aid or veteran’s benefits. Once registration is completed as an auditor, no credit for that course can be granted retroactively, and the decision cannot be reversed. The grade of “AUD”, which carries no credit, cannot be changed to any other grade. The tuition refund policy for audited courses is the same as for credit courses, except in cases of an audit student being de-enrolled to make room for a credit student; in that case, there will be 100% refund, regardless of timing. Official transcripts will record the grades of “AUD” for courses enrolled on an audit basis. Auditors are required to observe attendance regulations of the College and must participate in class to the extent deemed reasonable, desirable and necessary by the instructor.

F Grade Policy

A grade of “F” is a failure grade given to a student who completed the course and failed. A student who completed a course unsuccessfully should be granted the grade of “F” with the culminating academic experience of the course, i.e. final exam, final paper, etc. The grade can also be assigned if the student has completed a majority of the course and documentation of failing course work is available.

At LaGuardia and other CUNY schools, any student who earns an academic grade of F, or an administrative failing grade (FIN), and subsequently retakes the course and receives a grade of C or better, will no longer have that F or FIN grade computed into the Grade Point Average subject to the following provisions:

  1. This policy was effective as of Fall 1990;

  2. The failing grade must have been earned after Sept. 1, 1984;

  3. The maximum number of failing credits that can be deleted from the GPA shall be limited to a total of 16 throughout CUNY;

  4. The F or FIN grade will remain on the transcript, but will not be calculated in the GPA;

  5. For the student who earns a grade of C or better in a course taken at LaGuardia, the original failing grade must have also been earned at LaGuardia; and

  6. Partial deletions in the calculation of the cumulative GPA are prohibited.

Incomplete (INC) Grade Policy

Eligibility. The Incomplete grade IN is intended for situations which arise that are beyond the student’s control. It is reserved for a student in good academic standing (maintaining a passing GPA) and for whom there is reasonable expectation of satisfactory course completion — defined as both satisfactory attendance in the class and having not completed at most two major assignments or examinations by the end of the course.

Restrictions. An IN is not to be initiated by an instructor without the student’s consent and is not permitted to replace a failing grade in a course. The IN is agreed to by the student and instructor.

A student’s strict adherence to attendance and academic policies as outlined above is required, without exception.

Documentation. The student must provide a documented reason beyond her/his control, satisfactory to the instructor, substantiating the request for an IN. Additionally, the student must fill out an Incomplete Grade Request Form with the course’s instructor.

Completion. The request form includes a deadline by which any missed assignment(s) must be completed in order for the instructor to consider changing the grade. A student receiving an IN is required to submit all completed work before the end of the semester following the one in which the IN is given. The student is required to assume responsibility for submitting work by the agreed-upon deadline in order to be eligible for a change of grade. The student may not re-register for the same course while the IN is in effect. In addition, any course in which the student has received an IN cannot be used as a pre-requisite.

Grade Change. Provided all conditions for completion of coursework are met by the student within the deadlines outlined above and upon formal evaluation of remaining assignment(s), the course instructor must submit an official Change of Grade Form by the end of the semester following the one in which the IN was given. Failure to submit a Change of Grade Form for any reason will result in automatic conversion of the IN to a FIN, or failing grade, for the course.

Course Exemptions. Academic departments may designate courses in which an IN may not be given. For allied health clinical affiliation courses or COOP internship courses an IN may be given by an instructor when a supervisor’s evaluation has not been received in sufficient time for grading, or when a student has been given permission by the instructor to complete the clinical affiliation or internship course beyond the end of the academic term in which the student is registered. Developmental skills courses may have different IN policies. Check with the department for specific guidelines.

R Grade Policy

The Repeat (R) grade is awarded only in Basic Skills courses. In general, the student has satisfactorily completed all assignments and has demonstrated satisfactory progress toward the goal of the course but has not reached the level required to pass the course. To earn a grade of R, students who do not pass the course must:

  1. Comply with the College’s attendance policy. Students who have stopped attending at any time before the final exam week, and did not officially withdraw will receive a grade of WU;

  2. Complete all assigned work; and

  3. Make substantial progress in appropriate skills improvement.

After Spring 1990, students who register for a course in which they have previously received two or more R grades are not eligible to receive an additional R. Students who do not pass the course in their third or subsequent attempt must be given a grade of F. However, the instructor can submit an appeal on behalf of the student to the department chair.

Attendance Policy

Class attendance and participation play a crucial role in the learning process and directly impact students’ overall academic achievement. Therefore, students are expected to attend and participate in all class sessions regardless of modality. Departments or degree programs shall establish specific attendance requirements and those will appear on the course syllabus. Students must review individual course requirements in order to understand the effect their absences may have on the grade in a course. 

 March 7, 2023

Approved by the College Senate on March 29, 2023

Academic Review

The academic records of all students are reviewed each semester, and probation and suspension letters are sent to students who do not meet the scholastic requirements at LaGuardia. Not having received a letter, however, does not excuse a student from knowing the policies and adhering to them. All students are responsible for maintaining their academic standing according to the College’s retention policy.

Probation

Students who do not meet the minimum grade point average (GPA) are placed on academic probation for the following semester. They are given one semester to achieve the minimum grade point average required as per the College’s retention policy. If during this probationary period, students make satisfactory academic progress, they will be returned to good academic standing with the College and may be eligible for financial aid. If the minimum GPA is not achieved, students may be suspended from the College. However, in order to allow students to file appeals (due to constraints associated with the calendar), there is

a one semester delay applying suspensions. The College reserves the right to limit the number of equated credits a student may carry during a probationary semester. Exceptions to the limitation may be granted, only under unusual circumstances, by the Academic Standing Committee or its chairperson.

Suspension

Students who have been suspended are not eligible to register for courses at the College for one semester. They may appeal the suspension in writing to the chairperson of the Academic Standing Committee. Appeal forms are available in Student Advising Services (B102) or in C107. If the appeal is approved, students will be expected to show substantial improvement in academic performance. Normally this will require earning a semester GPA of 3.00. The decision of the committee is final.

Reinstatement

Students on academic suspension may apply in writing for reinstatement during their period of suspension. Applications must be obtained in C107, and returned before the deadline date, prior to the semester for which the student is applying for reinstatement. Students should call the Student Information Center for the reinstatement deadline. There is a $20 non-refundable reinstatement processing fee (even if the application is rejected) payable to the Bursar. If reinstated, students are expected to show substantial improvement in academic performance. Normally this will require maintaining a semester GPA of 3.00. Students who are reinstated and do not obtain a 3.00 GPA in the semester in which they are reinstated or do not improve their GPA to within retention policy standards are once more suspended. Students suspended twice are not allowed to register at the College again. Exceptions may be granted, only under unusual circumstances, by the Academic Standing Committee or its chairperson. The decision of the committee is final.

Note: Reinstatements are not considered for the six-week sessions.