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William & Mary, chartered in 1693, is a public university supported by the Commonwealth of Virginia. The College of Arts & Sciences, Raymond A. Mason School of Business, William & Mary Law School, William & Mary School of Education and William & Mary’s Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences sustain the institutional commitment to a well-rounded liberal education.
- Accreditation
- Academic Calendar
- Course Numbers
- Academic Continuance
- Degree Information
- Records System
- Plus/Minus Values
- Current and Previous Grading Systems
- Non-Credit Programs
Accreditation
The College of William and Mary in Virginia is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award baccalaureate, master's, educational specialist, and doctoral degrees. William & Mary also may offer credentials such as certificates and diplomas at approved degree levels. Questions about the accreditation of William & Mary may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org).
Individual schools are accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, and the American Bar Association. Programs within the School of Education are accredited by the National Association of School Psychologists and the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs.
Academic Calendar
William & Mary operates on a semester basis. The academic calendar consists of two semesters lasting approximately 15 weeks and a condensed summer semester. Semesters may include several shorter sessions.
Course Numbers
Course numbers below 300 are generally considered “lower-level” undergraduate courses; courses numbered between 300 and 499 are generally considered “upper-level” undergraduate courses. Courses with a suffix of W following the course number denote a writing intensive course. Courses numbered 500 and above carry graduate credit, as do courses in the 300 and 400 series which bear the suffix “G” (e.g., MATH 412G). Certain graduate education courses carry alpha-numeric course numbers (e.g., EDUC F65). All courses with subject code CRIN and EPPL are post-baccalaureate education courses. Non-credit course numbers begin with 9.
Academic Continuance
An undergraduate student whose cumulative GPA falls below 2.00 in any semester and who fails to earn at least 9 credits is automatically placed on academic probation for the following semester. A student who does not meet minimum requirements for continuance may be required to withdraw for academic deficiency by the Committee on Academic Status. A student who has been withdrawn for academic deficiency may petition the Committee for reinstatement. Faculty committees in each graduate school establish and administer continuance requirements. A student is assumed to be in good academic standing unless otherwise indicated. Refer to the catalog for further details on continuance policies.
Degree Information
Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study (C.A.G.S.) and Educational Specialist Degree (Ed.S.) - Effective Summer 1986, the Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study awarded by the School of Education was converted without curricular change to the Educational Specialist Degree. The two are equivalent.
Records System
Prior to 1896: Stored in University Archives
1896 - 1986: Stored via microfilm Permanent Record Cards
1986 - present: 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:
| College or School | Plus/Minus Values |
|---|---|
| Law School | Fall 1971 Summer 2003 (A+ added) |
|
School of Business |
Fall 1984 (B+ and B- added) Fall 1986 (C- added) Fall 1987 (A- and C+ added) |
|
Undergraduate Division |
Fall 1988 |
|
College of Arts & Sciences: Graduate Studies |
Fall 1990 |
|
School of Education |
Fall 1993 |
|
Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences |
Fall 1995 |
Current and Previous Grading Systems
W&M uses a four point grading system. A student’s GPA is calculated by dividing the sum of earned quality points by the sum of attempted hours for all courses receiving a grade used in calculating the GPA. Only coursework taken at W&M is used in the GPA calculation. Non-credit courses are graded, but no quality points are earned. W&M used a three point grading system prior to Fall 1976. The graduate schools of business and education used the three point system through Summer 1977. The law school adopted a 12-point scale from Fall 1989 to Spring 2003 in which GPAs were calculated by dividing total quality points by total hours, divided by three. The current law grading system was adopted Summer 2003.
Current grading point system:
| Grade | Quality Points | Credit Earned | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| A+ | 4.3 | Yes | Law School only |
| A | 4.0 | Yes | Excellent |
| A- | 3.7 | Yes | |
| B+ | 3.3 | Yes | |
| B | 3.0 | Yes | Good |
| B- | 2.7 | Yes | |
| C+ | 2.3 | Yes | |
| C | 2.0 | Yes | Average/Satisfactory |
| C- | 1.7 | Yes | |
| D+ | 1.3 | Yes | |
| D | 1.0 | Yes | |
| D- | 0.7 | Yes | Minimal Pass |
| F | 0.0 | Yes | Failure |
| P | Yes | Pass | |
| LP | Yes | Low Pass - Law School only | |
| W | No | Withdraw | |
| WM | No | Medical Withdraw | |
| G | No | Deferred Grade | |
| I | No | Incomplete | |
| S | No | Satisfactory | |
| O | No | Satisfactory Audit | |
| U | No | Unsatisfactory Audit | |
| H | Honors - Law School only |
Previous grading point system:
| Grade | Description |
|---|---|
| *A - *D | Denotes converted grades from 3.0 to 4.0 scale |
| NG | Grade Not Reported |
| R | Indicates WRIT 101 course must be repeated |
| X | Prefix denotes co-enrollment with student's home institution |
| Z | Year-long course; grade and credit awarded second semester |
Non-Credit Programs
Refer to the following webpages for more information about non-credit programs.
- Professional learning opportunities for W&M Teachers
- Professional development programs offered through the Mason School of Business
- Global Business English Program
- English Language Program
- Law International Summer School
- Whole of Government Center of Excellence
Revised May 2019