Grading
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Evaluation of a student’s performance in a RISD course is done by letter grade. A letter grade is awarded to indicate the level of performance. It becomes a part of the student’s permanent academic record. In studio classes, these letter grades may be supplemented by written narrative comments or evaluations from the instructor describing and analyzing each student’s performance in the class. Written comments/evaluations are not a part of the student’s permanent academic record. The Registrar’s Office does not provide these to students or alumni.
The following grading scale is used for letter grades:
Grades included in the GPA | |||
|---|---|---|---|
A | 4.000 | C- | 1.700 |
A- | 3.700 | D+ | 1.300 |
B+ | 3.300 | D | 1.000 |
B | 3.000 | F | 0.000 (Failure) |
B- | 2.700 | I | 0.000 (Incomplete) |
C+ | 2.300 | IF | 0.000 (Incomplete)* |
C | 2.000 | UW | 0.00 (Unofficial Withdrawal)** |
*The grade of IF is used when a student fails to complete their incomplete by the given deadline.
**The grade of UW is used when an instructor indicates a student stopped attending or never attended the class or the instructor has not submitted a grade.
Grades not included in the GPA | |
|---|---|
AU | Audit Grade |
P | Pass |
NC | No Credit* |
S/U | Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory** |
W | Course Withdrawal |
*The grade of NC is used only for courses taken but not passed (i.e., courses taken at Brown)
**The grade of S/U is used only as midterm grades.
For Spring 2020 and Wintersession 2022, RISD enacted P/NC grading due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
All RISD courses are letter graded with the exception of internships, one-credit workshops, and courses taken at Brown University. RISD Internships taken for credit and one-credit workshops are the only RISD courses graded using a pass/fail system (P/F). The grading system for one-credit courses may be designated as a letter grade or pass/fail at the discretion of the department when the course is first established.
A permanent grade of “W” is assigned when the student withdraws from a course during the Course Withdrawal Period (see the Academic Calendar for the Withdrawal deadline).
RISD does not compute and does not report a student’s rank in class.
Once an instructor submits their grades in Workday the grades are recorded on the student's permanent record and may be changed only via a request to change a grade initiated by the instructor in Workday. A student who is not satisfied with his or her grade may appeal it by following the grade appeal procedure.