Grading Policies
Review the University's grading policies for guidance on the assignment of grades for your students.
Grading
Grading
The primary instructor of a class, as a member of the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is the sole authority for reporting and/or changing a course grade. In those instances when a faculty member’s appointment has been terminated, or a faculty member has resigned or is deceased, the sole authority for approving and/or changing a course grade rests with the chair of the relevant unit (school, department, or curriculum).
When an established and documented second level of approval is required in a unit’s grading process (e.g., the Dean of the School of Law reviews and approves all course grades before they are recorded and posted), then that second level approver (generally a Dean) or the Dean’s designate can approve and/or change grades. A Dean’s designate must be approved in writing by the Dean of the unit and the University Registrar before being added to an electronic grade roster. Approvals for Dean’s Designates will be kept on file in the Office of the University Registrar.
In all cases, an approved grading Proxy may enter grades for a faculty member or a Dean. However, a grading Proxy cannot approve grades and/or submit grade changes; these two actions (approving grades and submitting grade changes) can only be accomplished by the primary instructor or the second level approver.
Student Classifications
Use the following classifications to help you determine the appropriate assignment of grades.
- FR First Year Undergraduate
- SO Sophomore
- JR Junior
- SR Senior
- SPU Special Undergraduate Non-degree
- II * Inter-Institutional
- FX * Foreign Exchange
Notes
- The classifications that start with “SP” (SPU, SPG, SPP) are used for non-degree students
- Classifications that start with “G” (GD, GM, GPD) are graduate classifications
- Classifications II and FX can be used for undergraduate or graduate students
- GD Grad Doctoral
- GM Grad Masters
- GPD Grad Post Doctoral
- JPM Joint Program – Masters
- JPD Joint Program – Doctoral
- SPG Special Graduate Non-Degree
- 1st First Year MBA or Professional
- 2nd Second Year MBA or Professional
- 3rd Third Year Professional
- 4th Fourth Year Professional
- II * Inter-Institutional
- FX * Foreign Exchange
- SPP Professional Non-Degree
- SDS Currently used for Off-Campus Professional Pharmacy Program
Notes
- The classifications that start with “SP” (SPU, SPG, SPP) are used for non-degree students
- Classifications that start with “G” (GD, GM, GPD) are graduate classifications
- Classifications II and FX can be used for undergraduate or graduate students
Entering Grades
The ConnectCarolina Faculty Center enables faculty members to manage class and student-related activities from one centralized location. Faculty legislation requires that grade rosters be approved by the instructor no later than 72 hours after the scheduled time of the final examination.
Assigning Student Grades
Important: There is a 60-minute time-out period during the grading period, and any unsaved data will be lost.
You may save a roster as many times as you wish. It is recommended that you save early and often.
- Select the student’s grade from the Roster Grade drop down menu.
Only valid values can be accepted in the roster grade box. The selected value will be displayed as the official grade after the roster has been posted.
Click the dropdown menu to assign a grade. - Click the Save button located at the bottom or top of the grade roster.
You can save a Grade Roster as many times as necessary.
Important: Each time you enter grades, you should save your work.
- You can return to the grade roster to add more grades and change erroneous grades. This can be done until the grades have been approved.
- If you plan on entering grades in multiple sessions, you may find it convenient to check the “Display Unassigned Roster Grades Only” box. This will display ONLY the students without grades assigned.
Grading Scale
Select an academic career to view the grading scale you may use to determine a student's grade.
- Letter grades of A, B, C, D, and F are used.
- Pluses and minuses may be assigned to grades of B and C.
- Minus may be assigned to an A, and plus may be assigned to a D.
- Temporary grades of IN and AB do not affect grade point average.
- Courses with a grade (or notation) of LP, PS, SP, BE, W or PL are ignored in establishing the quality point average.
Grade points are assigned as follows:
- 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
- F = 0.0
Grade Definitions
- A
Mastery of course content at the highest level of attainment that can reasonably be expected of students at a given stage of development. The A grade states clearly that the students have shown such outstanding promise in the aspect of the discipline under study that he/she may be strongly encouraged to continue. - B
Strong performance demonstrating a high level of attainment for a student at a given stage of development. The B grade states that the student has shown solid promise in the aspect of the discipline under study. - C
A totally acceptable performance demonstrating an adequate level of attainment for a student at a given stage of development. The C grade states that, while not yet showing unusual promise, the student may continue to study in the discipline with reasonable hope of intellectual development. - D
A marginal performance in the required exercises demonstrating a minimal passing level of attainment. A student has given no evidence of prospective growth in the discipline; an accumulation of D grades should be taken to mean that the student would be well advised not to continue in the academic field. - F
For whatever reason, an unacceptable performance. The F grade indicates that the student’s performance in the required exercises has revealed almost no understanding of the course content. A grade of F should warrant an advisor’s questioning whether the student may suitably register for further study in the discipline before remedial work is undertaken. - AB
Absent from final examination, but could have passed if exam taken. This is a temporary grade that converts to an F* after the last day of final exams for the next semester unless the student makes up the exam. - FA
Failed and absent from exam. The FA grade is given when the undergraduate student did not attend the exam, and could not pass the course regardless of performance on the exam. This would be appropriate for a student that never attended the course or has excessive absences in the course, as well as missing the exam. - IN
Work incomplete. This is a temporary grade that converts to F* after the last day of final exams into the next semester unless the student makes up the incomplete work. - PS
Students who declare a course on the Pass/Fail option will receive the grade of PS (pass) when a letter grade of A through C is recorded on the official grade roster. An F under the Pass/Fail option counts as hours attempted and is treated in the same manner as F grades earned under any other grading basis. Instructors are not informed of which students have elected the Pass/Fail option and must assign the regular letter grade which will be converted to PS/F.*Prior to Fall 2020 the PS grade was used when a student would have earned a letter grade of A through D and the LP grade was not used. - LP
Low passing grade for a course using the Pass/Fail grading basis option, when an undergraduate student would have earned a letter grade of C-, D+, or D. Effective special grading accommodation for Fall 2020, Spring 2021, and later approved as a permanent grade. - NR
This symbol is recorded as a notation for courses where grades are not recorded, such as when a faculty member has not submitted grades by the posted deadline for the term. - F*
The Office of the University Registrar automatically converts the temporary grades of AB and IN to F* when the time limit for a grade change on these temporary grades has expired. The deadline for submitting a grade change for an AB or IN to an undergraduate student record is the last day of final exams in the following term. Note: grade lapse is run for undergraduate students in Fall and Spring terms only. Temporary grades for summer terms are lapsed in the subsequent Fall term. - SP
Satisfactory Progress (Authorized only for the first portion of an Honors Program.) - W
Withdrew passing. Entered when a student drops after the eight-week drop period. - NE
No grade expected. This symbol is recorded as a notation for courses that are not graded, such as placeholders and some zero-credit courses.
All master’s and doctoral programs administered through The Graduate School operate under the same grading system. The graduate grading scale in use at UNC-Chapel Hill is unique in that it cannot be converted to the more traditional ABC grading scale. Graduate students do not carry a numerical GPA.
Definitions
- H– High Pass
- P– Pass
- L– Low Pass
- F– Fail
- IN– Work Incomplete
A temporary grade that converts to an F* unless the grade is replaced with a permanent grade by the last day of classes for the same term one year later. - F*
The Office of the University Registrar automatically converts the temporary grades of AB and IN to F* when the time limit for a grade change on these temporary grades has expired. The deadline for submitting a grade change for an AB or IN to a graduate student record is the last day of classes for the same term one year later. - AB– Absent from Final Examination
A temporary grade that converts to an F* unless the grade is replaced with a permanent grade by the last day of classes for the same term one year later. - NR
This symbol is recorded as a notation for courses where grades are not recorded, such as when a faculty member has not submitted grades by the posted deadline for the term. - NE
No grade expected. This symbol is recorded as a notation for courses that are not graded, such as placeholders and some zero-credit courses.
NOTE: Graduate students enrolled in courses numbered 099 and below (prior to Fall 2006) and 399 and below (starting with Fall 2006) should receive undergraduate grades.
Effective August 2007, letter grades of A, B, C, D, and F are used. Pluses and minuses may be assigned, but there is no grade of D-.
In rare instances, a grade of A+ is awarded in recognition of exceptionally high performance. Some designated courses are graded on a pass-fail basis. Students may not change a graded course to a pass/fail course.
- A+ = 4.3
- 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
Definitions
- IN – Work Incomplete
- AB – Absent from Final Examination
- PS – Passing grade for course using Pass-Fail grading
- F – Failed
From Fall 1993 – August 2007, grades were assigned on a numerical scale ranging from 4.0 to 0.0. A grade of .7 will be considered the lowest passing grade. In rare instances, a grade of 4.3 may be awarded in recognition of exceptionally high performance.
- 4.3
- 4.0
- 3.9
- 3.8
- 3.7
- 3.6
- 3.5
- 3.4
- 3.3
- 3.2
- 3.1
- 3.0
- 2.9
- 2.8
- 2.7
- 2.6
- 2.5
- 2.4
- 2.3
- 2.2
- 2.1
- 2.0
- 1.9
- 1.8
- 1.7
- 1.6
- 1.5
- 1.4
- 1.3
- 1.2
- 1.1
- 1.0
- 0.9
- 0.8
- 0.7
- 0.0
- A – Clear Excellence
- B – High Level of Achievement
- C– Satisfactory Level of Achievement
- H– Clear Excellence
- P– Satisfactory
- F– Failed
- IN– Work Incomplete
- AB– Absent from Final Examination
- A – Highest Level of Attainment
- B – High Level of Attainment
- C – Adequate Level of Attainment
- D – Minimal Passing Level of Attainment
- F – Failed, Unacceptable Performance
- IN – Work Incomplete
- AB – Absent from Exam
- PS – Pass
The School of Medicine records their own grades and houses the transcripts for students seeking the MD degree.
Video Tutorials
- Log in to ConnectCarolina.
- From the Admin WorkCenter home page, click the Student Administration WorkCenter tile.
- Click the Teaching Resources link on the left menu.
- Click the Grade Roster link.
Uploading Grades in ConnectCarolina
The initial process of entering grades in Faculty Center is the same for all grading roles. Faculty, Teaching Assistants and staff with proxy access have the ability to enter grades using Faculty Center.
- Log in to ConnectCarolina
- Click the Student Admin Workcenter tile.
- Click the Teaching Resources drop-down arrow to display a list of options
- Click the My Schedule link.
- Click on a class with a Grade Roster icon.
- On the Grade Roster page click on the Grade Upload Page link.
The Uploading Mass Grades process can be used to upload course grades at one time.
- Click the Upload Grade File button
- Click the Choose File button. Click the Choose File button and locate the appropriate .csv file from your Downloads folder or where you have saved it. ConnectCarolina will process the file selected. It will attempt to match the PIDs in the file to one of the PIDs in the class and assign the associated grade to that student, repeating the process for all of the entries in the file.
- Grade Upload Messages Once the grade upload process is complete a confirmation message will be displayed. If all of the PIDs in the file:
- Match all of the students in the class.
- Have a valid grade in the uploaded file.
A successful upload message will appear, with no errors.
If there are errors, there will be a corresponding error message for each PID.
Common Errors:
- A PID in the file does not correspond to a student in the class.
- A grade saved in the file is not valid for a particular student for the class.
Note: Even with errors, all entries where there is a valid PID and a valid grade will be saved.
Important: Only the students with errors will have a blank roster grade when the upload process is complete. Please go to Step 6 for instructions on handling any errors.
- Click the Return to Grade Roster link once the upload process is complete.
- Grade Roster page After uploading the grade file, there will be a grade saved for each student where there was a successful match.
- Review or change any grade on the grade roster If there were errors in the file upload process and a grade could not be saved by the process for any student(s), there will be a blank in the Roster Grade column. To correct these errors select the appropriate grade from the Roster Grade column’s drop down menu. Note: The upload process can be repeated. If this is done, every subsequent grade in the repeated upload process will replace an existing grade on the grade roster.
- Set the Approval Status to Approved or Ready for Review, depending on the instructors’ access
- Click the Save Button Once the grade roster has been set to Approve, it will be submitted to the next scheduled Grade Post process. The student’s grade will be posted and become official grades. The Grade Post process is run by the Office of the University Registrar.
The upload process requires a CSV (comma delimited) file with four columns:
- Column A: Student PID (required and in this column)
- Column B: Optional (may include student first/last name or left blank)
- Column C: Optional (may include student first/last name or left blank)
- Column D: Grade (required and in this column)
To create/save a grade file for uploading into a grade roster:
Step 1: Download data from Grade Roster
To create the Grade File from the Grade Roster, click the Download button at the bottom of the roster.
Open the downloaded file in Excel.
Step 2: Convert the file for compatibility
The Excel grade file must now be converted for compatibility with the upload process.
- Highlight and delete the header row (Row 1)
- Highlight and delete the Program and Plan and Level columns (E and F).
The file should now have data in Columns A and B (PID and student last name/first name).
Student name data is not required for the Grade Upload process. However, if it is preferable to preserve student names, the last/first name must be separated into Columns B and C. To separate, use the Convert Text to Columns function in Excel.
Step 3: Convert Text to Columns
- Highlight Column B
- From the Data menu of Excel, choose Text to Columns.
- Select the Delimited radio button in the convert text to columns wizard box and click Next.
- Check Comma as the delimiter and click Finish
- Click OK to confirm overwriting the contents of Column C (currently blank).
Resulting file should now be formatted as:
- Column A: Student PID
- Column B: Student last name
- Column C: Student first name
- Column D: Available for grade assignment
Step 4: Enter Grades into Column D
- Manually input grades into Column D.
- While any value can be entered onto the spreadsheet, only a valid grade will successfully upload. For example, if a graduate “H” grade is assigned for an undergraduate student, no grade will upload for that student.
Step 5: Save Grade File
Once satisfied with the grades, chose Save As and save the file as a CSV (comma delimited) file.
For Mac/Excel users, select CSV (Comma Delimited) from the Save as Type dropdown box. Name the File as appropriate.
The Grade File is now ready to upload into the Grade Roster.
Approve Your Grade Roster
Setting Approval Status of a Grade Roster
- When the grade roster is first generated, the approval status is set to “Not Reviewed”.
- Once all of the grades have been entered, the approval status can either be set to “Ready for Review” or “Approved”.
- If you do not approve grades, set the status to “Ready for Review”.
This will indicate that grades have been entered and are ready for final review. The drop-down boxes for choosing grades will disappear. - If you need to change a grade, you must set the approval status back to “Not Reviewed.”
- If you do approve grades, you will have the option of setting the approval status to “Approved”.
Important: Only set the approval status to “Approved” when the grades are ready to become official.
- Once you change the status to “Approved”, the drop-down boxes for changing grades will disappear.
- Once the official grades are posted, you will not be able to change the approval status or change grades through the faculty center.
Approve a Grade Roster
Follow these steps to approve a grade roster:
- In ‘Not Reviewed status, continue to add and update student grades.
- When finished entering grades for all student on the roster, select the appropriate approval status:
- For Teaching Assistants, select Ready for Review.
- For Instructors, select Approved.
- Click the Save button.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
Faculty can save their work at any time during this process provided they do not set the grade change request status to “Approved”.
In these cases, the “Request Status” column will read “Saved”, which indicates the grade change request has been saved but not submitted. Once a faculty member sets a permanent grade change request to “Approved” status and hits save, this will initiate the workflow for the grade request approval process.
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If a student was added to a class after the grade roster was generated (on a post-semester drop/add form), their PID will not appear on the posted grade roster. When a grade change is needed for such students, click the “Update Roster” button at the bottom of the page. All students who were enrolled after the grade roster was generated will appear. Select the appropriate PID and the student will be added to the grade roster. Follow the normal procedure to initiate a grade change request.
NOTE: If a student’s PID is not listed when you click “Update Roster,” the student has not been added to the course. Contact the student’s undergraduate academic advisor or graduate program for assistance.
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- Access the class roster through faculty center. If your class roster is missing as well, then you have not been assigned to the class as an instructor. Contact your departmental scheduler.
- If you can access your class roster but not the grade roster for a specific class, please have your departmental scheduler confirm that you have either ‘Grade’ or ‘Approve’ access on the class meetings page of the class. If you have ‘Grade’ or ‘Approve’ access and you still cannot see the grade roster, the grade roster may not have been generated by the Office of the Registrar. Please contact the Office of the Registrar for assistance.
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If a student’s grade basis is incorrect, contact the Office of the Registrar. You will only be able to select a valid value as determined by the grading basis defined during enrollment for that student.
Questions about grades?
Contact the Records and Enrollment team at registrar@registrar.unc.edu