This section will help you understand the grading system and grade options and show you how to access and maintain the information on your student record in PeopleSoft.
PeopleSoft
PeopleSoft is the University student information system. You can access your student record through the Student Services tab at my.pitt.edu. You must know your unique PeopleSoft ID number to conduct University business such as registering for classes. If you forget your PeopleSoft ID, you can locate it by logging into the portal using your Pitt user name and password. Click on the Student Services tab and select View My Personal Information. Your seven-digit PeopleSoft ID number will appear directly under your name in the field labeled ID. The Student Services and PeopleSoft tabs in the portal have a handful of tutorials and PDFs to show you how to navigate PeopleSoft to find information such as your grades.
Grades and GPA–Letter Grade Option
The following University of Pittsburgh letter grade system is used without exception:
| Superior: | A+ 4.00 | A4.00 | A-3.75 |
| Meritorious: | B+3.25 | B 3.00 | B-2.75 |
| Adequate: | C+2.25 | C 2.00 | C-1.75 |
| Minimal: | D+1.25 | D 1.00 | D-0.75 |
| Failure: | F 0.00 |
GPA
Every student has a GPA (Grade Point Average) that ranges from 0.00 to 4.00. This average is the result of a calculation relating credits to grade points. Each course you take is worth a number of credits and has the potential to earn a letter grade. Every letter grade is worth a number of grade points (see chart above). These points are 0.00 to 4.00, or letter grade F to A respectively. Credits for each course are multiplied by the number of points the grade is worth. The resulting grade point credits are added together for all courses, and that number is divided by the total number of credits attempted. You must maintain at least a 2.00 cumulative GPA to maintain the status of "good academic standing." Students with a GPA below 2.00 will be placed on probation and may be required to enroll in an academic intervention plan.
S/NC Grade Option
There are two grading options available to students registering for courses offered by the College of General Studies: the letter grade option and the satisfactory/no-credit (S/NC) option (formerly the S/N option).
Core requirement courses in the student’s major must be taken for the letter grade. Students can apply “S” grades only to internship, study abroad, experiential learning, and elective courses in the major. Students can take a maximum of six credits with the S/NC grade and have those credits applied to CGS major requirements.
Under the S/NC option, a student who does satisfactory work (a grade of C or better) in a course receives the grade of “S.” If the student’s work is not satisfactory (a grade of C-or lower), the grade of “NC” (for no credit) is given. Courses for which “S” grades are earned are counted toward graduation but are not computed in the GPA. Courses for which “NC” grades are earned are not counted toward graduation because the “NC” designates that no credit was earned. These courses cannot be applied toward university requirements.
For most courses, students who wish to take a course with the S/NC Grade Option will need to complete the S/NC Grade Option/Audit Request form (Registrar's Office) and the CGS Grade Option Waiver form by the end of the fourth full week of classes during a term (second full week of classes during summer sessions 1 and 2). This decision may not be changed. If the student does not fill out a Grade Option/Audit Request form for a course in which more than one grade option is available, the default option (generally a letter grade) will automatically be selected. There are some formal limitations to a student’s choice of grading systems (see below); Students should consult with their academic advisor before deciding to take a course S/NC.
Limitations to the choice of the satisfactory/no-credit (S/NC) grade option in the College of General Studies:
Students can take a maximum of 6 credits with the S/NC grade and have those credits applied to CGS major requirements. There is one exception to this: students who study abroad who take courses that will be applied as ‘S’ grades through transfer credit can apply up to 9 credits to their major requirements. Students can only apply “S” grades to internship, experiential learning, and elective courses in the major. Core requirement courses must be taken for the letter grade.
Under certain circumstances, departments may declare a course available only for a letter grade or as satisfactory/no-credit. In such courses, students will not have a choice for the other grade option.
Audit (“N” grade)
Students may choose to take a course on an audit basis and receive an “N” grade on their transcript rather than a letter grade. Students who wish to audit a course must register for the course as usual then process a Grade Option/Audit Request form by the deadline. See the Grades Calendar.
“G” Grades
At the discretion of an instructor, a G grade may be awarded when students who have been attending a course and making regular progress are prevented from completing the course due to extenuating personal circumstances. Students who are assigned a G grade are required to complete course requirements no later than one year after the term or session in which the course was taken, including the summer term, or by an earlier deadline established by the instructor. After that year, the grade will automatically change to NG; an NG grade cannot be changed, and the credits will no longer appear as "in progress." The student will be required to re-register for the course if it is needed to fulfill requirements for graduation. The College of General Studies encourages students with G grades to work with their instructors to complete the requirements for the course as soon as possible. G and NG cannot be applied to graduation requirements.
At the time of requesting a G grade, the student should arrange with the instructor a plan and schedule for completing the course work. The instructor and student must also fill out the CGS G-grade Contract form.
“R” Grades
Students who resign from all the courses for which they are registered in a term will receive a grade of “R” for each course. Learn more about resignation and tuition adjustments here.
“W” Grades
A student, who withdraws from a class after the add/drop period has ended for a term, will receive a grade of “W” for that course. See our Monitored Withdrawal page for more information.
Course Repeats
Students may elect to repeat a course, subject to the following stipulations:
- A sequence course may not be repeated for credit if the student passes a higher sequence course with a C or better grade.
- A student may not enroll in the same course at another institution and have that grade replace the original grade earned at the University.
- The original course and grade remain on the transcript; however, the grade and credits originally earned are not counted in the calculation of the GPA.
- The grade earned by repeating a course is used instead of the grade originally earned when computing the GPA, even if the grade earned in the later attempt is lower than the first. This means that if an ‘F’ grade is earned on a second attempt, but the student passed the class in the first attempt, those academic credits will no longer be counted toward the degree.
- Any grade earned in the repeated course will be recorded on the academic transcript, even if it is lower than the original grade.
- W, R, or N grades reported for the repeated course will not be identified as a course repeat, and therefore the original grade earned will continue to be counted in the GPA.
- Incomplete grades (G) are not identified as repeated courses until the course work is completed.
- Students are only permitted to repeat a course twice.
Students who wish to repeat a course for a third time or more must secure permission from the Dean's Office. Complete the CGS Course Repeat Appeal form (PDF) and submit it to your academic advisor in the College of General Studies Office. This form must be submitted at least 5 business days prior to the Add/Drop deadline.
Grade Access
You can view your grades by logging into my.pitt.edu and linking to your Student Center. Grades are available approximately 24 hours after the date the grades are due. If one of your instructors submits grades after the established deadline, your record will not reflect a grade for that course until the grade is submitted. If you have questions about the grade you have earned in a class, please direct them to the individual instructor or to the department chairperson. If there is a grade dispute, please follow the Grade Dispute protocol found on the Academic Standards, Policies, and Integrity page. If an incorrect grade has been posted, update requests must be submitted by the instructor. Changes will appear as they are received and processed in the Registrar's office, and may not be posted immediately.