Grades
General Information
Grades are recorded on the student record which is maintained by the University Registrar. Grade changes require the written approval from the appropriate Dean's Office. Beginning with Summer 2003, instructors can submit grades online via myWM and Banner Self Service. Students can view their grades and complete academic transcript online via myWM and Banner Self Service.
Records System
| Prior to 1896 | Grades stored in University Archives |
|---|---|
| 1896 - 1985 | Grades stored on Permanent Record Cards (microfilmed) |
| 1986 - present | Grades stored in and printed from automated records system |
Plus/Minus Values
Plus/Minus (+/-) values were added to the grading scale according to the following schedule:
| Law School | September 1971 |
|---|---|
| June 2003 (A+ added) | |
| Graduate School of Business | September 1984 (B+ and B– added) |
| September 1987 (A– and C+ added) | |
| September 2002 (C- added) | |
| Undergraduate Division | September 1988 |
| Graduate Arts and Sciences | September 1990 |
| Graduate School of Education | September 1993 |
| School of Marine Science | January 1994 (*D, D- and D+ all carry zero quality points) |
Grading System, Symbols and Abbreviations**
Prior to Fall 1976, each of the divisions of the College awarded quality points on the basis of a 3-point system (for each semester credit of work graded A=3 quality points, B=2 quality points, C=1 quality point). The Schools of Education and Graduate Business continued to award quality points using the 3-point system through December 1977. Prior to Fall 1996, KIN and/or PE 100 were not calculated into the grade point average except in the case of failure. December 1977 through Spring 2003, the Graduate Business School awarded quality points for letter grades that were taken out to two decimal points, (e.g. A- = 3.67). With the Summer 2003 semester, Graduate Business adopted the quality point scale listed below, however it does not assign the grades of “D+,” “D,” “D-.”
Effective Fall 1989 through Spring 2003, the Law School adopted a 12-point scale for its quality point system. Total quality points divided by total hours divided by 3 equaled the Law grade point average. Effective Summer 2003, the Law School adopted the 4.0 scale followed by the College.
The table below illustrates the current quality point system:
| Grade | Quality Points | Description |
|---|---|---|
| A+ | 4.3 | Law School Only |
| A | 4.0 | Superior |
| A– | 3.7 | |
| B+ | 3.3 | |
| B | 3.0 | Good |
| B– | 2.7 | |
| C+ | 2.3 | |
| C | 2.0 | Average/Satisfactory |
| C– | 1.7 | |
| D+ | 1.3 | |
| D | 1.0 | Passing/Minimal Pass |
| D– | 0.7 | |
| F | 0.0 | Failure |
| G | Grade Deferred | |
| HP | High Pass - Law School Only | |
| I | Incomplete | |
| NG | Grade not reported | |
| O | Audit | |
| P | Pass | |
| R | Course must be repeated | |
| S | Satisfactory | |
| U | Unsatisfactory | |
| W | Withdrew | |
| WM | Withdrew, Medical reasons | |
| Z | Year-long course; grade and credit awarded second semester | |
| *A-*D | Denotes converted grades from 3.0 to 4.0 scale | |
| X (prefix) | Grades preceded by an X denote co-enrollment with student’s home institution |
** For description of symbols no longer used, contact the Office of the University Registrar.
Statistics
The tables printed below display cumulative statistical information about grades and undergraduate students at the College of William and Mary.
TABLE 1 – Overall undergraduate grade distribution percentages for each of the last five years (i.e., the percentage of A/A–'s awarded, the percentage of B+/B/B– 's awarded, etc.)
| A | B | C | D | F | P | * | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 38.5% | 36.9% | 11.7% | 2.0% | 1.2% | 6.5% | 3.2% |
| 2004 | 39.6% | 36.4% | 11.7% | 2.0% | 1.1% | 6.6% | 2.6% |
| 2005 | 41.3% | 36.7% | 11.5% | 2.0% | 1.2% | 5.4% | 2.8% |
| 2006 | 41.9% | 35.6% | 11.2% | 2.0% | 1.4% | 5.2% | 2.7% |
| 2007 | 42.2% | 35.1% | 11.1% | 2.1% | 1.4% | 5.7% | 2.4% |
*Other: includes audits, incompletes, withdrawals, etc.
Source: Office of Institutional Research
TABLE 2 – Undergraduate cumulative grade point averages (GPA).
| Fall 2003 | Fall 2004 | Fall 2005 | Fall 2006 | Fall 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.16 | 3.18 | 3.19 | 3.19 | 3.20 |
