Grading System

The following grading system is used to report on the official transcript the performance of students in all courses and clerkships taken while an MD degree candidate:

  • Pass (+) indicates that a student has demonstrated to the satisfaction of the responsible department or teaching group that he/she has mastered the material taught in the course. A marginal passing grade in pre-clerkship courses is internally reported by the faculty to the student and the School of Medicine Registrar’s Office, but does not appear in the official transcript.
  • Incomplete (I) indicates that extenuating medical or personal circumstances beyond the student’s control have prevented completion of course requirements. Following approval by an Advising Dean (in his or her discretion in light of the circumstances presented) of the taking of the incomplete, the course director is notified prior to the final examination. An incomplete can be corrected in a manner specified by the department or teaching group and must be corrected within one year (unless the Committee on Performance, Professionalism and Promotion specifies an earlier date). When a student takes a final or makeup examination following an incomplete, it becomes a pass, marginal pass or fail. If the student does not attempt to correct the incomplete within the agreed-upon time, it becomes a fail.
  • Continuing (N) indicates that the course has not concluded and that the student is continuing the course or that a minor component of a course (as defined by the course director) is pending.
  • Exempt (EX) indicates that a course has been exempted by the course director.. No units are granted. The student should register for “0” units so that the course appears on the transcript.
  • Grade Not Reported (GNR) indicates that a grade has not been reported by the instructor.

A student may not receive credit for repeating a course unless the content has changed significantly, as determined by the course director. In addition to these transcript-related grades, additional designations are used internal to the School of Medicine to report on academic progress:

  • Marginal Pass (MP) indicates that a student has fallen short of meeting minimal performance standards for a pass but has done better than a fail at the end of the academic quarter, and that additional work or remediation is necessary to achieve a pass.
  • Fail (-) indicates that a student has not met the minimum performance standards for the course. A course in which a student has received a fail grade does not show up on the official transcript. A course in which a student has received a fail grade must be repeated, and the student must achieve a passing grade within one year of the failure or prior to beginning clerkships, whichever is sooner.

updated August 2017