The School uses a letter grade system. Grades are: A, B, C, with + and - as applicable, F, IN (Incomplete), R (Registered), and UW (Unofficial Withdrawal). A pass/fail (P/F) grade option is available in some circumstances. Grades are defined as follows:

Excellent

A+: Reserved for highly exceptional achievement.
A: Excellent. Outstanding achievement.
A-: Excellent work, close to outstanding.

Good

B+: Very good. Solid achievement expected of most graduate students.
B: Good. Acceptable achievement.

Fair

B-: Acceptable achievement, but below what is generally expected of graduate students.

Minimally Acceptable

C+: Fair achievement (above minimally acceptable level).

C: Fair achievement, but only minimally acceptable.
C-: Very low performance. (The records of students receiving such grades are subject to review by the Academic Standards Committee).

Failure

F: Failure. Course usually may not be repeated unless it is a required course. When the course is required, the student will reregister and obtain a satisfactory grade. The previous grade remains on the transcript.

Registered:

R: The grade of R (Registered) credit is automatically assigned for Doctoral research instruction (P9980) and is an option for auditing other courses. Except for Doctoral research instruction, courses graded R do not count toward the course points needed to meet degree requirements. All R credit courses require full tuition payment.

Incomplete

IN and Unofficial Withdrawal UW: There is no automatic grade of ‘‘Incomplete’’ (IN). Students are expected to complete ALL course assignments and exams on schedule by the end of a semester.

An Incomplete (IN) may be given only when a student has met the attendance requirement but certain course assignments have not been completed for reasons satisfactory to the instructor. The instructor may grant an extension, usually for a specified period of time, and usually not more than several weeks. Students must complete a "Request for Incomplete" form in the Office of Student Affairs and have the faculty agree to and sign the form. Unless there is notification of change of grade from IN to a letter grade within one year from the end of the semester of registration, the IN will automatically be converted to Unofficial Withdrawal (UW), defined as ‘‘student did not complete attendance and/or assignments, but failed to withdraw.’’

Pass/Fail

Pass/Fail P/F Option: Some courses, at the discretion of the instructor and according to course content, are graded only on a pass/fail (P/F) basis.

The P/F option may also be elected by students in a few selected courses (not to exceed 15 points total for M.P.H. students) with permission of the instructor and the student’s advisor. This option was designed to permit students to register for credit in courses relevant to, but outside of, their area of study. The pass/fail option is NOT available for core courses or required department courses. [One or two credit tutorial courses that relate to the culminating experience within each department or track may be graded as pass/fail (P/F)].

Auditing Courses

Informal auditing (sitting in on a class without formal registration) is strongly discouraged at the Mailman School. In order to properly audit a course, a student must obtain permission from the instructor of the course and register. Once a student receives permission from the instructor, he/she must officially register and pay the full tuition rate for the class. When registering, students need to choose the grade option of R (registered) for the class. Courses graded R do not count toward the course points needed to meet degree requirements.

Grade Notification

Students may obtain their grades online by accessing Student Services On-Line. Students’ academic records are also available to the faculty advisors for counseling purposes. Grades of F (Fail), IN (Incomplete), or grades below B- are reported to the Academic Standards Committee of the School.

Students not registered for three or more terms lose their active student status. Before being allowed to register again, these students must contact the Office of Student Affairs for reinstatement. Students who have not registered for two or more years must complete an application for readmission before being allowed to continue their studies.

Grade Changes

Grade changes usually occur in the case of an error in grade reporting or changing an IN (incomplete) or UW (unofficial withdrawal) to an official grade. A grade change can only be submitted by a faculty member or authorized staff member. A change of grade form, which can be obtained in the Office of Student Affairs, must be submitted for a grade change to take effect. Grade disputes must follow the grade grievance procedure outlined in the following section.