University of Colorado Grading System – 4.0 Scale

The College utilizes the grading system adopted by all four campuses of the University of Colorado.

• A superior or excellent performance 4.0 quality points per credit hour
• B good or better than average performance 3.0
• C competent or average performance 2.0
• D minimum passing performance 1.0
• F failure, no credit allowed 0.0

A plus/minus grading system must be used. The use of '+' increases the numeric grade by 0.3 units while the use of  '-' decreases the numeric grade by 0.3 units.  Grades of  'A+,' 'F-' and 'F+' are not allowed.

If a student has met the criteria for an incomplete, faculty may assign a grade of I and students have one year to complete the course as determined and agreed upon. Expectations MUST be documented in an incomplete contract made between the student and faculty member. See here for the full policy and form: Incomplete Grades Policy

Pass/Fail Grading Option

Students may select the pass/fail grading option for any course. Students should contact their advisor to review restrictions regarding the pass/fail option. In most cases, the instructor will not have knowledge of the student's pass/fail grade option.

For pass/fail courses, the instructor submits a letter grade and the system converts the grade to a P or F. Passing grades appear on the transcript as a P, do not affect the student's grade point average, and the earned credit may count toward the overall degree as long as there are no restrictions. F grades appear on the transcript, have the same impact to the grade point average as a graded course and the student will not earn credit for that course.

Students must decide on taking a course pass/fail by the date published on the Academic caldendar for each term. Students are not allowed to change their pass/fail status after this deadline, and never after graded assignments are due. In order to elect for a P/F grade rather than a letter grade, students must submit a Schedule Adjustment Form to the Office of the Registrar. Instructor permission is not required.

No Credit Grading Option

A No Credit grading option is an official audit and carries no credit towards graduation requirements. The 'NC' grade is automatically indicated on the course grade sheet and published on the student's transcript. Students rarely select the No Credit grading option.

It is up to the student and instructor to formulate policies for course attendance, participation and graded exercises.

Students must decide on taking a course for no credit by the Census date published on the Academic caldendar for each term.  In order to elect for no credit, students must submit a Schedule Adjustment Form to the Office of the Registrar by Census and instructor permission is required.

Students who elect for no credit may be interested and eligible to participate in the CU Denver Lifelong Learners Program managed by the Lynx Center.

Repeated Courses

Students may register for any course as many times as they would like. All attempts remain on the transcript and all grades are used to calculate the student's grade point average. Regardless of the number of times a student takes a course, only one attempt will be applied toward graduation.  Students should meet with their advisors to learn about any possible exceptions to this rule.

Posting Grades

The posting of grades by name or student number (even with name obscured) violates federal law under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and is strictly prohibited. In principle, no grade may be posted in a manner that would allow a student to learn another student's grade.

Assignment Grades – assignment grades and cumulative course grades during the semester

Faculty are encouraged to use the Learning Management System(currently Canvas) to privately post grades for individual assignments for students.  It is not acceptable to post grades publicly, in any manner.

Course Grades – final letter grade after completion of the semester

Faculty should enter and post final grades in their faculty portal.  Students should be able to view their grades in their portals and on their transcripts approximately 24 business hours after faculty have submitted them.

Faculty should visit the Registrar's Office webgrading website for information, tips and contact information for troubleshooting.

Frequently Encountered Situations

1. Student asks whether the faculty member uses plus/minus grading. Plus/minus grading is not at the discretion of the faculty member. Faculty should indicate grade scale, with plus/minus system, on the course syllabus that is provded to students on the first day of classes.
2. Student asks for No Credit or P/F options after midterm.  CU Denver students are ineligible for changes in the 'no credit' status after Census and will need to petition the appropriate dean for P/F options.
3. Course has a Metropolitan State University student enrolled in their course.  The University of Colorado Denver Registrar’s Office will contact the instructor of record regarding grade rosters for any Metro students who were enrolled in any CU Denver class(es), with instructions for submitting those grades.
4. Student complains about their final grade after the semester is completed. Faculty are encouraged to regularly communicate grade information to students during the semester to minimize student complaints. Faculty should meet with student to evaluate nature of complaint. Faculty grading mistakes are easily handled by changing the student record though the faculty portal. Otherwise, student should be directed to contact department Chair for departmental review or the CLAS Advising Office about a formal grade appeal.
5. Student needs to use Canvas to complete a course.  The instructor of record should contact the OIT service desk.  The request being made is to extend the course dates for that student because they are assigning an incomplete.  Instructors of record should have their employee ID(for user verification), the course, section and ideally the student name and ID number for the service desk technicians.  The advantage of doing this over adding a student to a subsequent course is that Canvas grading and assignments will remain intact.  Students can continue to submit assignments, take assessments and the grade book will continue to calculate grades, so the experience is a bit more seamless.  Faculty may want to ask for the service desk technician to do a quick tutorial to learn how to add new due dates for that student, in case this is a new experience for them.