There are different grading systems for credit and noncredit courses. A credit course is one in which you earn college credits from the University of Washington that appear on your transcript. In a noncredit course, you earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs).

Following are explanations of grading for credit and noncredit systems. If you are unsure as to which system your course follows, please contact the Online Learning Support Staff.

Credit Courses

The University of Washington uses a numerical grading system for credit courses. Instructors may report grades from 4.0 to 0.7 in 0.1 increments and also may report the grade 0.0.

Numerical grades may be considered equivalent to these letter and percent grades:

UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON GRADING SYSTEM
Numerical	Letter	Percent
4.0	A	100-99
3.9	A	98-97
3.8	A-	96-95
3.7	A-	94-93
3.6	A-	92-91
3.5	A-	90
3.4	B+	89
3.3	B+	88
3.2	B+	87
3.1	B	86
3.0	B	85
2.9	B	84
2.8	B-	83
2.7	B-	82
2.6	B-	81
2.5	B-	80
2.4	C+	79
2.3	C+	78
2.2	C+	77
2.1	C	76
2.0	C	75
1.9	C	74
1.8	C-	73
1.7	C-	72
1.6	C-	71
1.5	C-	70
1.4	D+	69
1.3	D+	68
1.2	D+	67
1.1	D	66
1.0	D	65
0.9	D	64
0.8	D-	63
0.7*	D-	62
0.7	D-	61
0.7	D-	60
0.0**	E	59 and below

* Lowest passing grade for undergraduates
** Academic Failure. No credit earned.

For more information, see the University of Washington Grading System

Credit/No Credit (CR/NC):

With appropriate departmental review and approval, a credit course may be offered on a Credit/No credit basis by the department. This grading method is determined by the department offering the course and is not a student option. The standard for granting credit in a Credit/No Credit course is the demonstration of competence in the course to the instructor's satisfaction. Only grades of "CR" or "NC" are assigned to these courses.

Satisfactory/Not Satisfactory: (S/NS)

All UW Online Learning students have the option of taking credit courses on a satisfactory/not satisfactory (S/NS) basis. University of Washington policy states that a course that is taken S/NS may not be used to satisfy any department, college or University requirement, except that the credits may apply to the minimum of 180 credits required for graduation. Thus, only general electives may be taken S/NS

For undergraduate students who have chosen the S/NS option, grades of 2.0 or higher are converted to S while grades lower than 2.0 are converted to NS. For graduate students who have chosen the S/NS option, grades of 2.7 or higher are converted to S; grades lower than 2.7 are converted to NS.

Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are earned by students who successfully complete noncredit courses offering CEUs. As a nationally recognized means to document participation in organized noncredit continuing education, the CEU provides a vehicle for employers, professional groups and licensing agencies to account for the successful completion of noncredit courses. The number of CEUs earned by successfully completing a course, if any, is indicated at the end of the course description. The number of CEUs earned by the student who successfully completes a noncredit course providing CEUs is recorded on the UW Educational Outreach Official Record. Students may request an Official Record by sending a written request to the Online Learning Support Staff. Students who fail to attend noncredit courses providing CEUs must officially withdraw to avoid receiving a notation of unsuccessful completion on their Official Record.

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To change your course grading option to Satisfactory/Not satisfactory (Credit/No credit is not a grade option), submit the Grade Option Request Form before you submit your second assignment (the form is a PDF file; downloading it requires Adobe Reader).

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No. If you've taken the final, or submitted the final assignment before the expiration date, then you don't have to be concerned about having your final grade recorded before your course expiration date. The Online Learning Support Staff contacts your instructor if a final grade has not been received within two to three weeks after mailing your final exam to the instructor for grading.

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For credit, group-start courses and credit individual-start courses with the DL prefix, your final grade will be available via MyUW a week after the end of the your course (final grades are not mailed for these courses). For all other courses, the Online Learning Support Staff will notify you by letter of your final course grade after you have completed and submitted all the assignments (including exams) for your course. This letter is not an official record. You should allow at least three weeks between the completion of the final assignment or exam and the recording of the grade on an official University of Washington transcript. Although we will make every effort to minimize this time period, we cannot guarantee the recording of a grade by a specific date.

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If you need to finish a class by a certain date, we recommend that you inform your instructor when you submit your first assignment. Your instructor will make every effort to work with you to meet your deadline. Please note the following:

• There is a minimum two month completion time for online learning courses.
• Instructors have 10-14 days to return assignments submitted by mail, and 5-7 days for assignments submitted by fax or e-mail.
• There may be delays around holidays, during summer break, and the last two weeks of the quarter.
• For credit courses, you should allow at least three weeks between the completion of the final assignment or exam and the recording of your grade on an official UW transcript.

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