Student performance in most courses is evaluated by letter grades according to the following scale:

  • Grades of A, A- which is outstanding work of consistently high order
  • B+ for work which is distinctly above average
  • B which is average work
  • B-, C+ for below-average work
  • C, C-, D+, D, or D- for less than marginal work
  • F is failing

The computation of grade point average is based upon the following point values:

A 4.00
A- 3.67
B+ 3.33
B 3.00
B- 2.67
C+ 2.33
C 2.00
C- 1.67
D+ 1.33
D 1.00
D- 0.67
F 0.00

The mark of I (Incomplete) is awarded at the discretion of the instructor and at the request of a student, only when the student has completed at least three-quarters of the required work for a course, and where a personal emergency prevents the student from finishing the work on schedule. A student who receives an incomplete grade must complete the course work by the midterm (or by the date indicated on the campus calendar) of the next semester or the I will be converted to an F.

A student who does not register for one calendar year after the semester or summer session in which the incomplete was awarded will have the incomplete converted to a “permanent incomplete” (I*) if the course is not completed, or an extension not granted, and the instructor does not change the grade within a calendar year of granting the incomplete. The “permanent incomplete” can never be changed, but a student may graduate with the mark on his/her record.

A student who enrolls in a course and neither attends nor withdraws will earn a grade of F*. This grade is included in the student's GPA as an F.

The mark of H (Hold) is used only in those few courses for which it has been approved, such as where the work begun for a Thesis in a given semester is continued into the following semester. The grade given at the end of the second semester automatically replaces the H given for the first semester. The mark of H is also frequently assigned, instead of an I, when the coursework in “Thesis” is incomplete.

Students may not graduate with an H or an I on their record. There is one exception to this rule. A student with an incomplete in a course which was taken in his/her last semester at New Paltz and which is not needed to fulfill any college, curriculum, major, or minor requirement may request a permanent incomplete (I*). This request must be made in writing to the Registrar, HAB 13, and, if the permanent incomplete is granted, the mark can never be changed. This exception does not apply to the mark of H.

Calculation of Grade Point Average

All SUNY New Paltz graduate courses on the student's graduate transcript regardless of matriculation status are used to calculate the GPA.

S/F Option

Graduate students may not elect the S/F Option (formerly listed as the S/U Option) for graduate classes.

Graduate students who take an undergraduate class outside of their disciplinary area may petition the Associate Provost and Dean of Graduate, Professional & Interdisciplinary Studies for the S/F option (formerly listed as the S/U Option) for this class. This option will be granted once for any graduate student.