american university grade scale

Grades earned for each course in which a student is officially enrolled. The assignment of final course grades is a basic responsibility of each faculty member. Instructors must identify the components and the weight of each that make up the final grade. Common components include, but are not restricted to:

• Performance on quizzes and examinations
• Performance on projects, reports, and/or papers
• Performance on presentations and other class exercises
• Class participation
• Attendance, including minimum requirements to complete the class

Any changes in criteria listed on the course syllabus that occur during the term must have written notice and be announced in class in a timely manner.

In addition to defining the criteria, instructors are responsible for applying the criteria consistently and carefully, using professional judgment for their assessments, and in all cases, being fair to reflect student performance in the context of the university expectations for student achievement and the established grading scale.

The university uses a 4-point grading scale. GPA is determined by letter grades A through F using the designated points assigned to each.

The definitions of letter grades are as follows:

1. The grade of ‘W’ indicates withdrawal from the course as explained in the withdrawal policy.
2. The grade of ‘P’ is not computed towards the GPA, but credits earned count toward graduation.
3. The grade of ‘F’ is computed into the cumulative GPA.
4. Students enrolling for an Audit (grade of “AU”) must designate the intent to enroll on an audit basis at the time of registration. Students registering for a course on an Audit basis receive no credit for the course. The course is recorded on the transcript and the grade of “AU” is assigned.
5. Grades for courses taken at another college or university do not enter into the computation of the cumulative GPA.