Contact Us
Harold Frank Hall, Rm. 1006
Office hours: Monday-Friday 9:00-12:00 & 1:00-4:00
Email: coe-info@engineering.ucsb.edu
Phone: (805) 893-2809
Grading
The following grades are used to report on the work of UCSB students:
Undergraduate Grading Scale
| A | Excellent |
| B | Good |
| C | Adequate |
| D | Barely passing |
| F | Not passing |
| P | Passed |
| NP | Not passed |
| I | Incomplete |
| IP | In progress |
| W | Withdrawal |
The grades A, B, C, and D may be modified by plus (+) or minus (-) suffixes. Grade points for each unit are assigned by the registrar as follows:
| A+ = 4.0 | 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 | D- = 0.7 |
| F, I, IP, P, NP & W = 0 |
Unit credit, but not grade-point credit, is assigned for P grades.
Grade Point Average
Your Grade Point Average (GPA) is a way of measuring a student's overall performance in letter-graded classes. Watch this short video to review how to calcuate GPA. Every letter grade is assigned a specific number of grade points per unit of coursework:
| Letter Grade | Grade Points/Unit |
|---|---|
| A+ | 4.0 |
| 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 |
| D- | 0.7 |
| F | 0.0 |
The number of grade points assigned for any given class is determined by multiplying the number of GPA units by the number of grade points per unit based upon the grade received in the class.
GPA Units x Grade Points/Unit = Grade points
For example, if a student receives a B- in a 4.0 unit class the grade points earned would be:
4.0 x 2.7 = 10.8
The student's GPA is then determined by adding up all of the grade points earned and dividing by the total number of GPA units.
Total Grade Points/Total GPA Units = GPA
For example:
| Course | Grade | Units Attempted | Units Completed | GPA Units | Grade Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHEM 1A | A | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 12.00 |
| CHEM 1AL | B+ | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 3.30 |
| HIST 49 | P | 4.0 | 4.0 | 0.0 | 0.00 |
| MATH 3A | F | 4.0 | 0.0 | 4.0 | 0.00 |
| MATH 3H | A | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 4.00 |
| TOTAL | 13.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 19.3 |
The Grade Point Average for the quarter above would be:
19.3/9 = 2.13
Please note that GPA units and the units completed are not always the same. Students do not receive units towards graduation in courses in which an "F" is received. Since these courses are included as part of the GPA, the units attempted in these courses are counted as part of the GPA Units. Take a look at MATH 3A in the example quarter above to see how an "F" affects the units completed and GPA units.
A GPA can be determined for any selection of classes. Four of the most common GPA's are:
- Quarter GPA - includes all letter graded course work attempted during a given quarter.
- Cumulative GPA - includes all letter graded course work attempted. A 2.0 or higher cumulative GPA is required for graduation.
- Major GPA - includes all letter graded course work required or acceptable for the student's major. A 2.0 or higher major GPA is required for graduation.
- Upper-Division Major GPA - includes all letter graded course work required or acceptable for use toward the student's upper division major requirements. A 2.0 or higher upper-division major GPA is required for graduation.
Grade Point Balance
A grade point balance refers to the number of grade points above or below a target GPA. If the balance is negative, it is often referred to as a Grade Point Deficit.
The easiest way to determine your grade point balance is to use the instructions in the Grade Point Averages section to determine your Total GPA Units and Total Grade Points. Then use the following equation:
Total Grade Points - (Total GPA Units x Target GPA) = Grade Point Balance
Grade point deficits are often used to explain to students what grades they must receive to raise their GPA to meet minimum requirements to graduate or return to regular status from academic probation.
Repeating Courses
See the Repeating Courses page.
Important Notes
- To satisfy major requirements, courses taken inside or outside the College of Engineering must be taken for a letter grade.
- At the time of graduation, at least 120 units, or two-thirds of the units earned in residence at UCSB must be taken for a letter grade. Since the engineering majors require more than 120 units of major requirements, this usually isn't a problem for students that enter as freshmen.
- P grades are assigned for coursework equivalent to a C or better on the letter grade basis. NP grades are assigned for coursework equivalent to a C- or below. No credit is given for courses in which a student receives a NP.
- For courses taken on a letter graded basis, a grade of D- or better is considered passing and the student will receive credit for the course. Please note that some courses require that a certain grade be achieved in the prerequisite courses in order to enroll. Most notably, all ECE courses require a C- or better in prerequisite courses and the Math 3A-B-C and 5A-B-C sequences require a C or better in order to move on to the next course in the sequence.