Grades

What is an "I" or Incomplete grade?
The grade I may be assigned by the instructor when a student's work is of passing quality but is incomplete for good cause. Discuss this option with your Instructor BEFORE the term's end. If the Instructor agrees to give you an Incomplete, then you will have only until the end of the next quarter to complete the work for the course. Your instructor must file a Report of Academic Revision to remove the Incomplete and give you a letter grade for the work you complete. Do NOT re-enroll in the course if you receive an I. And don't try to take an I if you are doing badly in the course. You are better off pursuing a late drop of the course instead, then you can take the whole course later on if you like.

What if the course isn't being offered in the next quarter?
It doesn't matter. The idea is not that you take the course over, but that you simply finish the work that you have left. If an instructor agrees to give you an I, you will need to work out with him or her a way for you to finish in the next quarter.

What does an "IP" grade mean on my transcript?
For certain courses that extend over more than one term, evaluation of your performance is deferred until the end of the final term of the course. Provisional grades of In Progress (IP) are therefore assigned at the end of the first term. The IP will always show in the grade column for the first course, but a letter grade will be given for all the units in the series at the end of the final term. The appearance of an IP grade is not viewed negatively by graduate and/or medical schools, when your transcript is reviewed. MCDB has two multi-quarter research courses (MCDB 198A-B and MCDB 199A-B).

How do I change my grading basis (Pass/No Pass or Letter Grade) and when is the deadline?
Go to the enrollment menu on www.ursa.ucla.edu where you will see an option to change your grading basis. The deadline is Friday of 6th week at 5 P.M. If you want to change grading basis after the deadline, you must obtain a "change of grading detail" petition from any ASK counselors or counseling units. After you complete the petition, turn it in to your counseling unit (College Academic Counseling, Honors, AAP, or Athletics). Please note that these petition are very rarely approved.

Is it possible to take MCDB courses Pass/No Pass?
Yes, but you cannot then apply them on your major. MCDB majors must take all prep and major courses for a letter grade. Units earned this way count toward overall degree unit requirements, but do not affect your GPA. MCDB and Plant Biotechnology majors who meet P/NP eligibility requirements may choose the P/NP grading option for one course per term, but not for courses in their major. There are a few courses on your degree outside the major that you should not take Pass/No Pass that are outside your major; check with your counseling unit (College Academic Counseling, AAP, Honors, or Athletics) to make sure.

Do I have to repeat a course if I received a grade of C-?
In the lower division major (the "prep" courses) for life science majors, you must earn at least a C- in each individual course (Life Sciences 1-4, Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics), but a grade of C- will meet that minimum requirement. If you get a grade below C-, you will need to repeat the course for it to count at all on your major. For the upper division major, the minimum requirement is not based on individual course grades. Rather, the grades you earn in all courses applied to your major credit must average at least a C (2.0) overall. If you receive an F in a course required for the upper division major, you must repeat that course if you want credit for it, but if you get a C-, D+ or D, the course does not have to be repeated, as long as you still have at least a 2.0 overall average within the upper division major. You may, however, choose to repeat such courses. You cannot repeat a course in which you earned a grade of C or above and replace the grade in your GPA; only courses in which you have earned grades of C- or lower, or NP, can be repeated. Whether or not you choose to repeat a particular course, if you should receive a grade in a science course that is lower than C, you are advised to meet with the MCDB counselor.

How many courses can I repeat and will the first grade be removed from my transcript?
For students who repeat a total of 16 units or less, only the most recently earned letter grades and grade points will be computed in your GPA. After repeating 16 units, however, your GPA will be based on all letter grades assigned and total units attempted; that is, repeating courses won't replace the previous grades in your GPA. The grade assigned each time you take a course will be permanently recorded on your transcript; both the new and the old grades will appear on your transcript.