Grade Reports and Transcripts

A grade report is very different from a transcript. A grade report reflects the internal record and is used mainly as an advising tool. It lists the student's terms of registration, Course, subject numbers, subject units, transfer credits, and grades with plus and minus modifiers. It also shows the term rating and credit accumulated for each term of registration. At the bottom of the grade report is the student's cumulative rating (GPA) and a degree audit of progress through the Institute Requirements. In addition, any academic warnings, required withdrawals, disciplinary actions, and degrees earned are indicated on this internal document. Students can access their grade reports on-line through WebSIS.

The transcript contains, in a more detailed manner than the grade report, a term-by-term listing of the following: student's year, major (Course), subject numbers, subject titles, units, grades (without plus and minus modifiers), and level toward which the subject will count (undergraduate record = U; or graduate record = H, G, or N) as well as birthdate, high school/previous college attended, degrees awarded, minors, and disciplinary actions specifically placed on the transcript. It does not indicate academic warnings. Leaves of absence and withdrawals, whether voluntary or required, that are for full terms are shown by gaps in registration. If withdrawals occur during the term, the withdrawal dates are indicated. The transcript contains the student's cumulative undergraduate and graduate academic ratings (GPA) but not a student's rank in class or class standing.

A student may order copies of his or her transcript at the Student Services Center (SSC). A fee is charged for official transcripts. A student may also obtain an unofficial transcript, free of charge. An unofficial transcript is printed on blank paper and does not have a seal or signature.

Grade Definitions

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Grades are reported to the Registrar's Office at the end of each term (semester) for every subject, including thesis, UROP, and special topics, that is given during the term. Grade sheets will be issued for each subject by the Registrar's Office. Every grade sheet must be endorsed by the instructor in charge of the subject.

Grades at MIT are not rigidly related to any numerical scores or distribution functions; that is, grades are not awarded solely according to predetermined percentages. As can be seen from the following grade descriptions, a student's grade in a subject is related more directly to the student's mastery of the material than to the relative performance of his or her peers. In determining a student's grade consideration will be given for elegance of presentation, creativity, imagination, and originality, where these may appropriately be called for.

Questions about grades or grading policy may be directed to the Office of Undergraduate Advising and Academic Programming (UAAP) or the Registrar's Office.

Passing Grades

Students who satisfactorily complete the work of a subject by the end of the term receive one of the following grades:

A - Exceptionally good performance, demonstrating a superior understanding of the subject matter, a foundation of extensive knowledge, and a skillful use of concepts and/or materials. 

B - Good performance, demonstrating capacity to use the appropriate concepts, a good understanding of the subject matter, and an ability to handle problems and materials encountered in the subject.

C - Adequate performance, demonstrating an adequate understanding of the subject matter, an ability to handle relatively simple problems, and adequate preparation for moving on to more advanced work in the field.

NOTE: The MIT internal grading system includes plus (+) and minus (-) modifiers for use with the letter grades of A, B, and C in all academic subjects (except advanced standing exams). These modifiers are included on internal grade reports. However, they are not officially part of students' grades, they do not appear on MIT transcripts, and they do not affect reported grade-point averages.

D - Minimally acceptable performance, demonstrating at least partial familiarity with the subject matter and some capacity to deal with relatively simple problems, but also demonstrating deficiencies serious enough to make it inadvisable to proceed further in the field without additional work.

NOTE: Some departments require students with a D-level performance in certain prerequisite subjects within the departmental program to do additional work or to retake the prerequisite before proceeding with the follow-on subject.

P - Whenever the use of the passing grade P is authorized, it reflects performance at the levels A, B, or C, with the student graded on either a Pass/No Record or P/D/F basis.

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Non-Passing Grades

The grades and notations authorized to be used for students who do not pass or satisfactorily complete the work of a subject by the end of the term are:

F - Failed. This grade signifies that the student must repeat the subject to receive credit.

FN - Signifies F-level performance in freshman Pass/No Record and ABC/No Record grading. It carries no credit and is not computed in the grade-point average. The transcript shows no record of the subject's having been taken that term.

DN - Signifies D-level performance in freshman Pass/No Record and ABC/No Record grading. It carries no credit and is not computed in the grade-point average. The transcript shows no record of the subject's having been taken that term.

O - Absent. This grade indicates that the student was progressing satisfactorily during the term but was absent from the final examination, did not turn in the final paper or project, and/or was absent from the last two weeks of the term. An O grade carries no credit for the subject. Unsatisfactory performance because of absence throughout the term should be recorded as an F. The grade of O is equivalent to the grade of F in its contribution to the grade point average. Unlike an F, however, an O can be converted into the grade of OX, and then possibly into a passing grade.

OX - Absence satisfactorily explained to, and excused by, a dean in Student Support Services (S^3). The faculty member in charge of the subject will be notified when an O is changed to an OX. An OX carries no credit for the subject. The faculty member in charge of the subject must provide the student with the opportunity to earn a credit-carrying grade in place of the OX. For this purpose, the instructor may require a make-up final examination or other additional evaluation procedures, or must base a new grade on other evidence. It is the student's responsibility to contact the instructor to make arrangements for earning the new grade.

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Upon completion of a subject for which an OX was assigned, the final grade will appear on the transcript replacing the OX. Should a student fail to complete a subject for which an OX was assigned, the OX grade will remain on the record. It will not convert automatically to any other grade. A grade of OX is not included in the term rating.

If a student receives an OX in a subject he or she has designated as Exploratory, the student may change the subject from credit to Listener status through his or her next Registration Day (fall or spring) after the final grade is posted.

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ON - Signifies absence, O, in freshman Pass/No Record grading. It carries no credit and is not computed in the grade point average. The transcript shows no record of the subject's having been taken that term.

OXN - Signifies an excused absence, OX, in freshman Pass/No Record grading. It carries no credit and is not computed in the grade point average. The transcript shows no record of the subject's having been taken that term. When the subject is completed and passed, the subject and the final grade will appear on the transcript. If the subject is not completed or passed, the transcript continues to show no record of the subject's having been taken that term.

I - Incomplete. This grade indicates that a minor part of the subject requirements has not been fulfilled and that a passing grade is to be expected when the work is completed. The work should normally be completed before Add Date of the succeeding fall or spring term; however, the faculty member in charge, in negotiation with the student, has the right to set an earlier or later date for pedagogical reasons or extenuating circumstances.

For undergraduate students, the instructor is required to submit a report form for a grade of I.  On the form the instructor provides the date by which the outstanding work is to be completed and a default final grade. The default final grade represents the grade the student would have earned, using appropriately low scores for the missing work.  If the subject is not completed by Add Date of the succeeding regular term, the default final grade will be posted to the student’s record unless a later completion date has been specifically agreed between the instructor and the student.

If a student receives an I in a subject he or she has designated as Exploratory, the student may change the subject from credit to Listener status through his or her next Registration Day (fall or spring) after the final grade is posted.

The grade of I cannot be assigned to any undergraduate in the semester in which he or she graduates. All I grades reported since Fall 1996 must be resolved prior to graduation.

When the final grade is posted, the student's internal record and transcript will be changed so that the final grade appears next to the I (i.e., I/A). For I grades awarded before Fall 1996 see R under “Other Notations Used on the Academic Record.”

J - The grade of J is to be used only for work, such as Thesis, UROP, or “At Plant” registration (internship or industrial practice) that has progressed satisfactorily but has not been completed. Certain undergraduate special topics or research subjects may also use the grade of J upon specific approval from the Committee on Curricula (COC). The grade indicates that additional work is to be done in the same subject in a later term and that the letter grade assigned in a subsequent term is also to apply to the work for all terms assigned the grade of J. The student does not receive credit until a letter grade other than J is assigned. If for some reason the student does not register for the subject in any subsequent term, the grade of J will remain on the student's record and will not automatically be converted to another grade. The grade of J is not used in computing the student's cumulative rating until a final grade is received; the final grade appears next to each J (e.g., J/A) on both the internal record and the transcript.

Sophomores may designate J-graded subjects as Exploratory on a semester-by-semester basis. Each semester's designation counts as the student's designation for that semester.

U - The notation of U is given for Thesis work that has not been completed and in which progress has been unsatisfactory. The grade given upon completion of the work in a later term also covers the term in which the U was assigned. The U notation indicates that, unless a student's progress improves significantly, the student may expect a failing grade. The final grade appears next to the U (e.g., U/C) on both the internal record and the transcript.

T - T is a temporary notation, appearing only on the internal record, to be used for subjects that cover the equivalent of one term's work but which are scheduled over parts of two normal grading periods. The department must have obtained prior approval from the Committee on Curricula to use this grade in a specific subject. Following receipt of a T notation, a student should register under the same subject number during the subsequent term for the total number of units to be credited to his or her record. On the student's internal record, the subject is listed for both semesters; the T grade is used for the first term and the final grade is recorded for the second term. On the transcript the subject and the final grade are listed only for the term in which the subject was completed.

If a subject is T-graded, a sophomore must designate the subject as Exploratory in the first semester of enrollment. The designation counts as the student's Exploratory subject for the first semester only.

Other Notations Used on the Academic Record

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S - Notation for credit awarded for work done elsewhere (transfer credit).

DR - Notation used on the student's internal record for a subject dropped after the fifth week of the term. The DR notation is used if the Add/Drop/Change form is submitted after the fifth week of the term, even if an earlier effective date of cancellation is reported. This notation does not appear on the student's transcript.

LIS - Notation used on the student's internal record for a subject audited as Listener. This notation does not appear on the student's transcript.

# - Grade is in a ROTC subject. It is not calculated in ratings (grade-point averages).

@ - Subject was taken on the Junior-Senior P/D/F option.

& - Grade is for an Advanced Standing Exam.

** - No grade was submitted by instructor.

URN - Grade in UROP subject taken for pay or as a volunteer rather than for academic credit (shows as one unit of non-degree credit, but is not calculated in ratings).

R - This notation was used prior to the fall term 1996 and may appear on some students' internal records. It signifies an I grade that was not completed under time limits then in effect.

Term and Cumulative Ratings (Grade-Point Averages)

MIT grades are weighted as follows (+ and - modifiers carry no weight):

  • A equals 5 grade points per unit of credit.
  • B equals 4 grade points per unit of credit.
  • C equals 3 grade points per unit of credit.
  • D equals 2 grade points per unit of credit.
  • F equals 0 grade points per unit of credit.
  • O equals 0 grade points per unit of credit.

The grades P, OX, I, J, U, T, and the notations S and SA are not included in ratings.

None of the grades that students can receive in the first semester of their freshman year (P, DN, FN, ON, or OXN) is calculated in the term or cumulative ratings. For freshmen in their second semester and transfer students granted an initial term of ABC/No Record grade reporting, A, B, and C grades are counted in the term and cumulative ratings but DN and FN are not.

For upperclass students being graded P/D/F, P is not calculated in the ratings, but D and F are calculated in the ratings.

The Term Rating (grade-point average for the term) is calculated as follows. The number of units carried by each subject taken in a term is multiplied by the number of grade points per unit earned in that subject. Subjects with grades that are not computed in ratings, or for which grades were not reported, are excluded. The products are then added, and their sum is divided by the total number of units of the subjects that were included in calculating the sum.

The Cumulative Rating (cumulative grade-point average) is calculated in a similar manner. It applies to all of the subjects on a student's record. Separate cumulative ratings are calculated for a student's undergraduate and graduate records. Cumulative ratings are included on MIT transcripts.

Repeating a Subject

If a student takes the same subject more than once, all grades will appear on the student's record. The student will receive unit credit for the subject only once, but all grades will be used in computing the term and cumulative ratings, each with the appropriate normal unit credit for that subject. In special cases in which subjects are specifically designated as repeatable for credit, both grades carry full credit and are computed fully in the cumulative rating.

Use of the P (Passing) Grade

The P grade is authorized by the faculty for use under the following circumstances:

  • For C or better performance by a first-year undergraduate student in any subject taken in the first semester and during the January Independent Activities Period.
  • For a subject specifically designated to be graded on a P/D/F basis by the Committee on Curricula (COC). A request for this manner of grading should be submitted by the instructor to the Committee on Curricula prior to the beginning of the term for which P/D/F grading is being requested. All students registered in a subject approved for P/D/F must be graded on a P/D/F basis.
  • For C or better performance by an upperclass student in a special program. Currently the Undergraduate Seminar Program uses the P grade in all seminars. In addition, subjects in the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) that are designated UR are graded P/D/F.
  • For C or better performance in a total of no more than two subjects elected during an undergraduate's junior and senior years to be graded P/D/F. These subjects cannot be used to fulfill an Institute, departmental, or minor requirement. The student must designate the Junior-Senior P/D/F option to the Student Services Center (SSC) or the Registrar's Office by the end of the fifth week (Add Date) of the term. Any changes after that time must be requested by petition to the Committee on Academic Performance (CAP) and exceptions are made only under extenuating circumstances.

NOTE: Internal plus and minus modifiers are not intended to affect the use of the P grade. Thus, a student who performs at the C- level under P/D/F or P/DN/FN grading should receive the grade P.

Changing a Student's Grade

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Once submitted, grades cannot be changed except to correct errors or to fulfill specific provisions for O, OX and I grades. If a student believes a grade should be changed, the student should contact the instructor. If the instructor agrees to change the grade, he or she must submit a Special Report Sheet indicating the corrected grade. This form must be approved by the department head.

A student's record is sealed when the student is awarded a degree. Grade changes are allowed only to correct grading and administrative errors. A grade cannot be changed to reflect additional work that the student did after the grade deadline for his or her last term.

Undergraduates have three months after graduation to request late adds or drops to correct registration errors in their final terms.