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Grading Policies
The APUS grading system is provided in the following chart. Additional information regarding the posting of grades and the petitioning of grades is available in the Student Handbook.
Master's Grading Policies
| Grade | Quality Points | Description |
|---|---|---|
| A | 4.0 | Very high quality, clearly above average work |
| A- | 3.67 | |
| B+ | 3.33 | |
| B | 3.0 | Above average |
| B- | 2.67 | Minimum passing grade for End of Program requirements* |
| C+ | 2.33 | |
| C | 2.0 | |
| C- | 1.67 | Failing |
| D+ | 1.33 | Failing |
| D | 1.0 | Failing |
| D- | .67 | Failing |
| F | 0.0 | Failing |
| P | NONE | Pass |
| PD | NONE | Master's Comprehensive Exam Only: Pass with Distinction |
| PASS | NONE | Master’s Capstone |
| FAIL | NONE | Master's Comprehensive Exam or Capstone |
| I | NONE | Incomplete |
| DP | NONE | Dropped |
| W | NONE | Withdrawn |
| WP | NONE | Withdrawn Passing |
| WF | NONE | Withdrawn Failing |
| X | NONE | Audit grade: No Academic Credit awarded |
| TC | NONE | Transfer Credit |
| PLA | NONE | Credit from review of Prior Learning Experience |
| R | NONE | Course No Longer Counted in APUS GPA as it was Retaken. However, the previous grade would still be counted by a third parties, such as the federal government for Financial Aid eligibility and by the military for calculating a GPA for TA eligibility. |
| S | NONE | Satisfactory: No Academic Credit awarded |
| U | NONE | Unsatisfactory: No Academic Credit awarded |
Master's End of Program Requirements: For all capstone courses that begin after January 1, 2017, master's students must earn a B- (80%) or better on their capstone thesis/project/paper and a B- (80%) or better in their capstone course to pass the course. If the course is using a binary grade the student must earn a PASS to demonstrate mastery of the material and course. This policy aligns with the comprehensive exam, which also requires a B- (80%) or better to pass. Master's students must have at least a 3.0 GPA in order to graduate. Please see the End of Program Assessment Manual for more information.
Doctoral Grading Policies
| Grade | Quality Points/Grading Percent | Description |
|---|---|---|
| A | 4.0/100.00 - 94.00 | Very high quality, clearly above average work |
| A- | 3.67/93.99 - 90.00 | Accepted performance level |
| B+ | 3.33/89.99-87.00 | Accepted performance level |
| B | 3.0/86.99-84.00 | Accepted performance level |
| B- | 2.67/83.99-80.00 | Below Average |
| F | 0.0/79.99-0 | Failing |
| P | NONE | Pass |
| I | NONE | All: Incomplete |
| S | NONE | Satisfactory progress during dissertation course |
| U | NONE | Unsatisfactory progress during dissertation course |
| DP | NONE | Dropped |
| W | NONE | Withdrawn |