Courses are normally graded A through F, with these grades having the following significance:
A (excellent); B (good); C (fair); D (poor); and F (failing). Instructors may modify their letter grades with plus and minus signs.
In successfully completing a course under this grading system, a student earns a number of quality points according to the following scale.
| Letter grade | A+ | A | A- | B+ | B | B- | C+ | C | C- | D+ | D | D- | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade point | 4.33 | 4 | 3.67 | 3.33 | 3 | 2.67 | 2.33 | 2 | 1.67 | 1.33 | 1 | 0.67 | 0 |
A student’s accumulative average is computed by summing his or her quality points and dividing by the number of course units taken. The average is rounded to the second decimal place.
The College reserves the right to make changes and adjustments in the grading system even after a student enrolls.
The College offers a satisfactory/unsatisfactory grading option. This option is intended to encourage students to be adventurous intellectually in courses with subject matter or approaches substantially different from their prior academic experience or attainment. An S signifies satisfactory work, and is given if a student performs at the C- level or higher; a U signifies unsatisfactory work, and is given for work below the C- level. Courses graded S/U do not affect a student’s quality point average, but a course completed with an S grade will count toward the total number of courses needed for graduation. A student may elect to take a total of six courses on an S/U basis during his or her four years at Gettysburg College; however, no more than two S/U courses may be taken in any one year. This grading option may not be selected for requirements for graduation, or for courses taken in a student’s major field. Exceptions may be made with regard to the major in cases where a department specifies that a particular course is available under the S/U grading system only, and in cases where the student declares the major after taking the course. A student must choose the S/U grading option during the first ten class days of the semester.
Students who enroll in Education 476: Student Teaching may take an additional course under the S/U option during the senior year, provided that their total number of S/U courses does not exceed six.
When a student registers for and completes a course which he or she has already taken at Gettysburg College, both the credit and the grade previously earned are canceled, but they are not removed from the permanent record. The credit and grade earned in repeating the course are counted toward the student’s requirements.
A grade of Inc (Incomplete) is issued by instructors when emergency situations, such as illness, prevent a student from completing the course requirements on time. The Center for Student Success and Student Support Services supports instructors in their decision to give a student an INC or NG when extenuating circumstances (e.g., sickness, a recent death in the immediate family, serious personal problems, or other circumstance of equal gravity) prevents completion of course requirements by the end of the semester. The Center for Student Success and Student Support Services does not document or maintain INC/NG agreements made between students and instructors.
The missing work must be completed by the end of the add/drop deadline of the semester following the one in which the incomplete was incurred.
A student who withdraws officially from a course after the ten-day add/drop period, but within the first eleven weeks of the term, receives a W (withdrew) grade. If a student withdraws from a course during the last five weeks of the semester, he or she will receive an F (failure) in the course. A student who withdraws officially for medical reasons receives a W regardless of the time of withdrawal. The W grade is not used in computing averages.
The symbol N/F is used in cases where a student registers for a course but does not attend or participate in the course and then fails to withdraw properly. It is assigned 0 quality points and is used in the GPA.