collageWhat is the American University Grading System? AU Grades is a comprehensive grading system that replaces paper and pen. It replaces the traditional methods of posting grades using red pens or paper by using digital grade books on smart phones, tablets, and computers. AU Grades makes the process of grading easier and more efficient than ever before while improving transparency and collaboration between faculty and students.
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American University grading percentage
A GPA is one of the most important things in college. GPA stands for Grade Point Average, and it is the average of your grades. The GPA is what will show up on your transcripts. The point system is calculated in a very intricate way, but before we get into how it is calculated, we must first make sure you understand the basic concepts and numbers of the grading system.
US universities use a grading scale to calculate a student’s GPA. Students earn their grades through their overall performance during the entire academic year. Read on to see how the grading scale is used to calculate a GPA.
The grade breakdowns and grading rubrics for AU classes – both undergraduate and graduate – can be found in this book. The American University grading system is designed to be fair and equitable and takes into account differences attributable to:
- Substantial constraints placed on the grades awarded for individual papers by limited class time, limited knowledge of the material, etc., and
- Limited class time, limitation on the number of students that can be examined for a paper, variations among students as to writing ability or competence.
When studying in the USA, acronyms become a very important part of your life. An acronym is a word typically formed from the first letters in a set phrase or group of words. For example, OPEC is an acronym for Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries; it is much easier to say (and spell) “OPEC” than what the o, p, e, and c represent. Many of the acronyms you will hear or read will be specific to your university (like COB for College of Business), but one acronym is understood wherever you study: GPA.
GPA is an acronym for Grade Point Average. This is a number calculated from the grades you earn when studying at a US university. When you study at a US university, GPA is on a scale from 0.0 to 4.0, with 4.0 being the highest your GPA can be. GPA is very important in US universities. Students must keep a certain level of GPA to continue studying in the university; some scholarships require a certain level of GPA to be maintained; and some majors require a minimum GPA before a student continues studying in that program.
This chart shows you how much each letter grade is worth in number of points to GPA:
| A = 90-100% | 4 |
| B = 80-89% | 3 |
| C = 70-79% | 2 |
| D = 60-69% | 1 |
| F = < 60% | 0 |
To calculate a GPA, let’s say that a student is enrolled in five classes during one semester. Four of those classes are 3-hour classes and one class is a 4-hour class. (The term hour is sometimes used for credit; the number of hours or credits determines how much a class is worth.) This means the student is taking 16 hours for the semester (four 3-hr classes + one 4-hr class). At the end of the semester, this imaginary student earns the following grades:
| Class 1: 3 hrs | A |
| Class 2: 3 hrs | B |
| Class 3: 3 hrs | B |
| Class 4: 3 hrs | C |
| Class 5: 4 hrs | A |
In order to determine the student’s GPA, the number of hours/credits each class counts for (3 hrs or 4 hrs), in this case are multiplied by the points earned from the class (A=4, etc.).
| Class 1: 3 hrs | A (4) | 12 |
| Class 2: 3 hrs | B (3) | 9 |
| Class 3: 3 hrs | B (3) | 9 |
| Class 4: 3 hrs | C (2) | 6 |
| Class 5: 4 hrs | B (3) | 12 |
Once the number of points per class is calculated (3×4, etc.), they are added together. The student earned a total of 48 points (12+9+9+6+12) for the semester. Remember, the student took 16 hours, so this results in the student’s GPA being 3.0 for the semester (48/16=3.0).
American University Degree grading system
There are two basic grading systems in the U.S and those are the numerical and the letter grade. These are the grades that you receive in your day to day assignments and tests. These are the first step of the grading system that will make up part of your GPA.
The numerical grading system in the U.S. is different to other places because that grading scale is from 0 to 100. Numerical grades are also broken down into a letter grade as well. Anything below a C (70) is considered a failing grade. Therefore, the next chart represents the letters with its corresponded grading scale:
- A: 90-100
- B: 80-89
- C: 70-79
- D: 60-69
- F: 0-59
The letter grading system can also be broken down into a plus (+) or a minus (-). Take not that the this plus/minus system may vary down to the tenth decimal system. The plus/minus system exists because when it comes to calculating your GPA for the semester, the letter value matters in the decimals. The following chart represents the grading system broken down into plus and minus:
- A: 93-100
- A-: 90-92
- B+: 87-89
- B: 83-86
- B-: 80-82
- C+: 77-79
- C: 73-76
- C-: 70-72
- D+: 67-69
- D: 63-66
- D-: 60-62
- F: Below 60
How do Professors Break Down the Grades?
Each professor has their own grading method, worry not though because each professor outlines their grading policies and guidelines in the syllabus that they hand out at the beginning of the semester. For example, a professor may say that tests taken throughout the course are worth 40% of your grade, assignments worth 50% and participation worth 10% of your overall grade for the class. Therefore, all your assignments will be averaged, then weighted at 50% of your total grade for the class.
The 4.0 Scale
Here is where the grading system gets a little complicated in college. The GPA in college is calculated on a scale of 1 to 4. What happens is that the numerical grades are converted to their letter grade, and the letter grade is then converted to this scale. Still following me? Good.
So below is how the grading scale works, going from the numerical grade to the letter grade to the 4.0 scale.
| Percent Grade | Letter Grade | 4.0 Scale |
| 93-100 | A | 4.0 |
| 90-92 | A- | 3.7 |
| 87-89 | B+ | 3.3 |
| 83-86 | B | 3.0 |
| 80-82 | B- | 2.7 |
| 77-79 | C+ | 2.3 |
| 73-76 | C | 2.0 |
| 70-72 | C- | 1.7 |
| 67-69 | D+ | 1.3 |
| 63-66 | D | 1.0 |
| 60-62 | D- | 0.7 |
| Below 60 | F | 0.0 |
Once you have your final grades for your class lets assume that your grades are as follows:
- Math (3 credits): B+
- English (3 credits): A
- Economics (2 credits): C
- History (3 Credits): A-
Each one of those grades is assigned a certain grade point equivalent. If you look at the table above, you can match the letter to the corresponding 4.0 scale number. Once that has been done you multiply that times the number of credits the class is worth (this depends on the class but is normally indicated in the name of the course). Below is a chart of how you would calculate the GPA for the grades received above.
| Class | Grade | Grade Point Equivalent | Credits | Grade Points(Grade Weights x Credits) |
| Math | B+ | 3.30 | 3.00 | 9.90 |
| English | A | 4.0 | 3.00 | 12.00 |
| Economics | C | 2.0 | 2.00 | 4.00 |
| History | A- | 3.7 | 3.00 | 11.10 |
| Total | 11 | 37 | ||
The GPA of the chart above would be the following:
GPA=37.00/11.00= 3.36
American Public University Grading System
The American University grading system assigns a zero (0) grade at the beginning of the course to all students. This grade does not count towards the determination of the final course grade. The student must complete all work for this class in order to receive a letter grade. After completing such work, if it is satisfactorily completed, i.e., at or above passing level, then “x” number of points will be added to the zero grade under consideration and may raise that zero grade to a letter grade provided all other conditions for receiving a “x” number of points within an assignment are met.
The Different Types of GPA
Class GPA
Your class GPA is the percentage one. At the end of the semester the only grade you see is the letter grade that the professor plugs into the system after final grades.
Semester GPA
The semester GPA is the one calculated above, only with the classes that were completed during that semester.
Cumulative GPA
This GPA is your overall GPA of all your classes and all your semesters. This is the final grade that you have on your major. Depending on your GPA at the time of graduation can determine if you will graduate with certain honors.
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