System of Grades

The following system of grades is used to indicate the character of a student's scholastic accomplishment:

A - Excellent
B - Good
C - Satisfactory
D - Poor
E - Conditioned
F - Failed
I - Incomplete
P - Passed

Finer graduations may be indicated by a + or - following the letter grade except that the grade of D- is not given. This applies to both graduate and undergraduate students.

E Grades

The grade E indicates deficiencies that may be made up without repeating the course. If the instructor does not specify a date on the grade report sheet for completion of the work, students receiving an E will have until Add Day of the following term to complete their work for that course. Instructors may, however, require the work for the course to be completed by an earlier date. In addition, students should be aware that E grades can impact ability to meet eligibility requirements. If an E grade impacts a student's academic standing, the grade may be due by the first day of classes. See section Scholastic Requirements for additional information.

If a student receives an E and does not complete the work by the date specified by the instructor or by Add Day (or a different date specified by the instructor), the grade will be changed to an F. Adequate time must be afforded to instructors to grade the work and to submit the final grade to the registrar.

It is the responsibility of a student receiving an E to confirm that the registrar has recorded the terms for satisfying the completion of the work in the course.

With the written permission of the instructor, a student may extend the E grade past Add Day of the following term, but doing so will cause an additional E grade to be registered. Each additional extension of the E will be until the date specified by the instructor or until Add Day of the following term, but in each case will require the written permission of the instructor and the registering of an additional E grade.

E Count Limitations. After an undergraduate student has been awarded the grade of E six times, they are not eligible to receive E grades in any subsequent term. A petition for an E in a subsequent term may be approved by the Undergraduate Academic Standards and Honors (UASH) Committee in an exceptional case. Such a petition requires the support of the instructor and the dean or associate dean of undergraduate students.

I Grades

The grade I is given only in case of unexpected sickness or other emergency, occuring near the end of the term, that impedes the completion of the work in the class. An I grade is not intended to allow students to make up missed work from the majority of the term. If a student has not completed the majority of the work, they are not eligible for an incomplete and they will be advised to late drop the class or take a leave. It is given at the discretion of the instructor, after approval by the dean or associate dean of students or the dean of graduate studies. If a student is seeking an I grade due to a severe exacerbation or onset of a disability that occurred near the end of the term, they should contact Caltech Accessibility Services for Students (CASS) at cass@caltech.edu.

The time period within which the grade of I is to be made up should be indicated on the grade sheet, or students receiving an I will have until Add Day of the following term to complete their work for the course. In addition, students should be aware that I grades can impact ability to meet eligibility requirements. If an I grade impacts a student's academic standing, the grade may be due by the first day of classes. See section Scholastic Requirements for additional information.

Students receiving grades of E or I should consult with their instructors, and one of the deans, at the time of issue regarding the work required and the time allowed. This time should, in most cases, coincide with the date fixed in the calendar for removal of conditions and incompletes (Add Day), and in fact if no other time is specified, this date will be assumed. However, except under extraordinary circumstances, the time for the completion of the work will not be extended beyond one year after the date in which the grade of E or I was given. In the absence of an earlier deadline, an E will turn into an F one year after the date on which the E was given, and an I grade will turn into a W (standing for "withdrawn") one year after the date on which the I grade was given. For undergraduates, waiving of this one year rule is done in only the most exceptional of circumstances and requires the agreement, before that one year anniversary, of the Dean of Undergraduate Students, chair of UASH, and executive officer of the department in which the course was taken. For graduate students, a change may be made only with the approval of the Dean of Graduate Studies, in consultation with the Graduate Studies Committee.

Grades of E and I shall not be considered in calculating a student's grade-point average.

F (Failed) means that credit may be secured only be repeating the course.

P (Passed) is used for all freshmen in place of A, B, C or D for their first 2 terms. P is also used in most research and seminar courses which do not lend themselves to more specific grading. The proper use of P/F grading is discussed in more detail in the catalog. If no grade is indicated by the instructor an F will be recorded.