Grades

Grades

If you are looking for your final course grades, you need to log in to your My Buckeye Link account. You can also check your grades on the OSU Mobile App.

Grades and Marks

The instructor course will let you know the point percentage or total point thresholds will earn which grades in their course. This information is usually included in the syallabus.

The faculty rule on grades and marks (Faculty Rule - 3335-8-21 Marks) authorizes a variety of grades beyond the standard letter grades of A - E (notice that Ohio State does not offer the grades of A+, D-, or F). For example, an EN grade is a failing grade which indicates that you stopped attending the class at some point during the term. You earn no credit or GPA points for either an E or an EN, but the credit hours attempted are calculated into your grade-point average. If you need to stop attending a course, please contact your advisor for information on appropriate action.

Below are some comments about certain marks:

You can earn course credit by achieving qualifying scores on tests approved for EM credit. You can also earn credit through exams offered through the Testing Center (585 Student Academic Services Building) or the academic department offering a particular course. Students may also arrange with departments and faculty members to test for credit in courses that are not listed in the EM brochure, if the department thinks it appropriate. The department that offers the credit determines the score you will need to to earn credit for a course. Make sure you understand, going into the exam, the minimum score you will need.

See the Examination Credit website for detailed information about credit by exam and how to register.

If illness or an emergency prevents you from finishing a course, you may request an "Incomplete" from the instructor. If the instructor agrees, you should arrange to complete the course requirements no later than the sixth week of the following term - sooner, if the instructor will need it sooner. If the work is not made up by the due date, the "I" mark will be changed to an alternate grade that the instructor reported at the time the "I" was assigned.

If you plan to take the next course in a sequence and you have arranged an incomplete in the previous course, you will not be allowed to enroll until the "I" is changed to a grade that meets the minimum requirement for the next sequenced class.

You can take up to 20 credit hours of electives using the pass/non-pass (PA/NP) grading option. In courses graded PA/NP, you will earn credit hours for a mark of PA, no credit for a mark of NP. Neither mark is included in your GPA. See your advisor early in the semester to discuss whether this is an appropriate option for you.

  • In the Spring and Autumn of 2020, the university expanded the use of Pass/Non-Pass as a response to the global health crisis. There are no avenues for requesting PA/NP for exceptional circumstances (or other emergency grading schemes), as the university has discontinued emergency grading at this time. This includes requests to retroactively apply or remove the PA/NP grade scheme.

This emergency grade scheme was createded in Spring 2021, to recognize when exceptional circumstances may negatively affect students' academic performance (such as a global health crisis or natural disaster). When the PE grade scheme is activated, D+ or D grades will automatically change to PE for undergraduate students, and E will be automatically changed to NP. PE and NP marks do not impact your GPA, but you will still earn credit hours for PE marks (no credit hours are earned for NP). Students who choose to have the PE grade reverted to the standard A-E grade scheme must request it before the end of the 2nd subsequent semester (or summer), but prior to graduation and the reversion is permanent.

  • There are no avenues for requesting emergency grading, it is implemented by university action and applies to all students. This includes requests to retroactively remove the PE grade scheme.

You can audit a course to refresh your understanding of the material (in a course you have already taken) or to learn more about a subject without earning a letter grade. Fees are assessed for auditing a course, but no credit hours are earned. Auditing a course requires the permission of the instructor and the permission of your college, through your academic advisor. You may not audit a course and then repeat it for credit.

  • Since you will not earn credit for an audit, the hours do not count toward eligibility for financial aid.

This is a grading basis chosen by the department teaching the course, not a grading option. (Pass/Non-Pass is a grading option that the student selects and is available on courses normally graded A - E.) In courses with an S/U grading basis, you will earn credit hours for a mark of S, no credit for a mark of U. Neither mark will be counted in your GPA.

Courses dropped after the deadline for "Dropping without a W" (typically the 4th Friday of a full semester) will receive a mark of W. If you are planning on dropping a course, be aware the date for dropping without a W.

  • A W is not calculated into your GPA; it simply indicates that you remained in the course beyond the deadline before you decided to drop it
  • Too many Ws on your record will affect your satisfactory academic progress (SAP) for financial aid
  • Graduate programs might consider a pattern of repeated Ws in their admissions decision

If you have questions about this information and how it relates to your specific situation, please contact your advisor.