Unless a letter grade is specifically requested by the student, Silberman SSW follows a Credit (CR) / No Credit (NC) grading system (including Honors (H) and Incompletes (INC). Please refer to the information below around grading criteria and various coding:

Graduate Grade Scale

Grade	Definition	GPA Value	CR/NC Grading System*
A+	97.5 – 100%	4.0	H = Honors: 97.5 – 100% (extraordinary performance designated by professor)   CR = Credit: 82.5% – 100%
A	92.5 – 97.4%	4.0
A-	90.0 – 92.4%	3.7
B+	87.5 – 89.9%	3.3
B	82.5 – 87.4%	3.0
B-	80.0 – 82.4%	2.7	NC = No Credit: 0 – 82.4%       Note: Students may opt in to letter grades by making a request with each professor
C+	77.5 – 79.9%	2.3
C	70.0 – 77.4%	2.0
D	60.0 – 69.9%	1.0
F	– 59.9%	0

CR: CREDIT

Student completes assignments and competencies laid out in syllabus. Professor assigns a CR grade based on a percentage of 82.5% and above.

NC: NO CREDIT

A grade of no credit (NC) is assigned by a professor to students who fail to meet competencies as laid out in the syllabus and/or meet attendance requirements and or fail to submit (acceptable) required course work in a timely manner.

Note: The NC grade is assigned for percentages lower than 82.5%. Letter grades lower than a B grade are not accepted towards degree requirements and the student will be required to retake the class.

H: HONORS

Honors grades (H) are given at the discretion of the professor for work above and beyond the scope of the course.

INC: INCOMPLETE

Student for valid reason does not complete the work assigned (including   final exams, papers etc.) and in view of professor, has a reasonable chance to pass the course.

Note: Students should be prepared to work with instructors to create a plan to resolve the INC grade – including submission timeframe.

W: OFFICIAL WITHDRAWAL

If a student OFFICIALLY withdraws within the designated time frame, a grade of “W” will appear in the grade column.

WA: ADMINISTRATIVE WITHDRAWAL

Student did not comply with immunization requirements. THE STUDENT MUST COMPLY WITH IMMUNIZATION REQUIREMENTS or the “WA” GRADE WILL BE PERMANENT – NO GRADE CHANGES WILL BE ALLOWED.

WU: UNOFFICIAL WITHDRAWAL

If a student stopped attending the course and a pre-marked “W” does not appear in the grade column, a “WU” grade will be assigned. Equivalent to NC

WN: NEVER ATTENDED

This grade will be assigned if the student NEVER attended the course.

Procedure for Requesting a Letter Grade

• Students may request a letter grade for a specific class (or all classes).
• Letter grade requests must be made to instructors by no later than the end of the 2nd week of each semester.
• Students should make letter grade requests for each class they wish a letter grade in each semester.
• Once a letter grade is requested, the request may not be rescinded.

Reasons for Requesting a Letter Grade

There are some general reasons that MSW students may consider requesting letter grades:

• Students are engaged in outside scholarship funding that requires a GPA
• Students are considering moving on to a doctoral program after the MSW, and feel letter grades would better support the application process (see Ph.D. info below)
• Students are used to the letter grade system, and feel letter grades help to keep them on track

Note: There is no right or wrong decision when considering a letter grade request. If you would like to discuss pros and cons further, please reach out to an academic advisor or a member of the Student Services team.

Additional Resources