Grades and Grade Point Average
Grades used by Pacific University
The following grades are used by the university, although not all programs use all grades. See the Policies sections of individual programs in the Academic Catalog for specific grades used.
| Grade | Point Value | Equivalency |
| A | 4.0 | Excellent |
| A- | 3.7 | Excellent |
| B+ | 3.3 | Good |
| B | 3.0 | Good |
| B- | 2.7 | Good |
| C+ | 2.3 | Satisfactory |
| C | 2.0 | Satisfactory |
| C- | 1.7 | Substandard |
| D+ | 1.3 | Substandard |
| D | 1.0 | Substandard |
| F | 0 | Failure |
| P | Pass | |
| H | Pass - A equivalent (College of Optometry only) | |
| HP | Pass - B equivalent (College of Optometry only) | |
| N | No Pass | |
| I | Incomplete | |
| W | Withdrawal by Student | |
| AW | Administrative Withdrawal | |
| X | Continuing courses | |
| WP | Work In Progress | |
| L | Actual grade will be turned in late | |
| NGR | No Grade Recorded | |
| AU | Audit |
Pass/No Pass grades
The threshold for a P grade differs by program. In Pharmacy, P = 90% achievement rate or higher; Audiology, P = 85% or higher; Physician Assistant Studies, P = 80% or higher.
For Arts & Sciences, Business undergraduates, Education and Optometry, P = a grade of C or higher; Occupational Therapy, P = C+ or higher; all other programs, B or higher. Optometry students may receive an H grade for A work that is demonstrated by exemplary achievements in patient care or an HP for B work in patient care that is consistently above proficiency standards in patient care courses.
Incomplete and Work-In-Progress grades
An instructor may issue a grade of Incomplete (I) only when the major portion of a course has been completed satisfactorily but health or other emergency reasons prevent the student from finishing all requirements of the course. A Work-in-Progress grade (WP) is assigned when unexpected issues outside of the student’s control keep him/her from completing a course, such as inclement weather, equipment breakage, or instructor illness. WP grades can be assigned to an entire class, or to individual students.
Prior to submitting either grade, the instructor and the student complete an Incomplete or Work-In-Progress Grade Contract detailing the completion and submission of all remaining work. If agreed-upon work is not completed and no grade change submitted in the allotted period (and an extension has not been granted), when the grade expires it becomes an F or N.
The process for converting an Incomplete or WP into a grade varies by academic program, as does the time frame allowed for completing.
X grades
X is a placeholder used when there is no basis for evaluation until the completion of the final semester of a course. This grade typically is used with dissertation or thesis work. X grades convert to P or N grades.
Repeated Courses and GPA
No course may be counted more than once toward graduation requirements.
If a course taken at Pacific University is repeated at Pacific University:
- In the College of Optometry, both grades are counted in the grade point average
- In all other colleges, the higher grade is used in computing the grade point average
Transfer Credits and GPA
Only grades earned at Pacific are calculated into the Pacific GPA. Courses taken elsewhere can be used to meet degree requirements, but grades from transferred work are not included in the calculation of the GPA. Work completed with a grade lower than C- will not be awarded transfer credit at Pacific University; graduate/professional programs may have higher thresholds for transfer credit.