In Fall 2007, the official Winthrop University undergraduate grading system changed to include plus and minus grades. As described in the Undergraduate Catalog the system is as follows:
A Excellent, achievement of distinction (4 quality points per semester hour).
A- (3.67 quality points per semester hour)
B+ (3.33 quality points per semester hour)
B Good, achievement above that required for graduation (3 quality points per semester
hour).
B- (2.67 quality points per semester hour)
C+ (2.33 quality points per semester hour)
C Fair, minimum achievement required for graduation (2 quality points per semester
hour).
C- (1.67 quality points per semester hour)
D+ (1.33 quality points per semester hour)
D Poor, achievement at a level below that required for graduation; must be balanced
by good or excellent work in other courses (1 quality point per semester hour).
D- (.67 quality points per semester hour)
F Failure, unsatisfactory achievement (no quality points).
S Satisfactory achievement (Honors courses, B level or above; all others C- level or
above) on a course taken on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis.
U Unsatisfactory achievement (Honors courses, B- level or below; all others, D+ level
or below) on a course taken on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis.
In Fall 2011, the grading system for graduates students changed to the plus/minus system. Visit the Graduate Catalog site for more information.
500-level classes may be taken by both undergraduate and graduate students; however, when a graduate student takes an undergraduate course or a 500-level course for undergraduate credit, the final grade will be on the graduate transcript, but will not count in the student's grade point average.
All course syllabi must reflect the grading system the instructor intends to use. While faculty are not required to award plus or minus grades, the syllabus must reflect the way the grades will be awarded.
The GPA for LIFE or Palmetto Fellows scholarships include all college work (except for any classes considered remedial). To see the cumulative GPA for this purpose, login to Wingspan and look under Student Tools in the left-hand column for LIFE/Honors GPA.
President's List, Dean's List and Graduation honors calculations also have not changed. To qualify for the President's List, your still need 12 graded hours and a 4.000 GPA for the semester. For the Dean's List, you must have 12 graded hours and a 3.500 GPA.
Honor Graduates. Any undergraduate student who completes degree requirements with a final grade-point average of 3.50 to 3.74 shall be granted a diploma cum laude; any undergraduate student who completes degree requirements with a final grade-point average of 3.75 to 3.89 shall be granted a diploma magna cum laude; any undergraduate student who completes degree requirements with a final grade-point average of 3.90 or higher shall be granted a diploma summa cum laude.
To see the cumulative GPA for this purpose, login to Wingspan and look under Student Tools in the left-hand column for LIFE/Honors GPA.
In order for a student who has credits transferred from another institution to receive a diploma cum laude, magna cum laude, or summa cum laude, it is necessary to have the required grade-point average on the work taken at Winthrop as well as the required grade-point average on the combination of Winthrop work, including courses lost due to utilization of academic forgiveness, and all work taken at other institutions.
Note: Coursework taken at other institutions cannot raise a graduate to a higher level of Academic Honors.
