Last Revision: January 24, 2025
APUS Grading System (Chart)
A student's cumulative GPA at APUS is determined solely by the courses they have taken at APUS towards their current degree. If a student changes their major, their previous APUS courses will roll over into their GPA for their new major. However, if a student graduates from a program, they will start over with a fresh GPA when they start their next program. For example, a student's grades towards their conferred Associate degree at APUS do not impact their subsequent GPA in a Bachelor's program.
Effective September 1st, 2015 (for all students who started NURS300 after September 1, 2015, and beyond), to pass the course and progress in the nursing program, students must achieve a final course grade of 73% (C) or better. In the capstone course, NURS498: Senior Seminar in Nursing Studies, students must achieve a final course grade of 84% (B) or better to pass the course and graduate from the nursing program.
Master's Courses: Any grade below “C” has been considered failing starting with any courses that began on or after April 1, 2007.
Master's End of Program Requirements: For all capstone courses that begin after January 1, 2017, master's students must earn a B- (80%) or better on their capstone thesis/project/paper and a B- (80%) or better in their capstone course to pass the course. If the course is using a binary grade the student must earn a PASS to demonstrate mastery of the material and course. This policy aligns with the comprehensive exam, which also requires a B- (80%) or better to pass. Master's students must have at least a 3.0 GPA to graduate. Please see the End of Program Assessment Manual for more information.
WP/WF grade designators are no longer used as of October 5, 2007.
| Grade | Quality Points/ Grading Percent | Description |
|---|---|---|
| A | 4.0/ 100 - 94 | All: Very high quality, clearly above average work |
| A- | 3.67/ 93 - 90 | |
| B+ | 3.33/ 89 - 87 | |
| B | 3.0/ 86 - 84 | Undergrad: Above average | Master's: Expected performance level Minimum passing grade for NURS498 |
| B- | 2.67/ 83 - 80 | Master's: minimum passing grade for End of Program requirements |
| C+ | 2.33/ 79 - 77 | |
| C | 2.0/ 76 - 73 | |
| C- | 1.67/ 72 - 70 | Undergrad: Below Average | Master's: Failing |
| D+ | 1.33/ 69 - 67 | Undergrad: Unsatisfactory | Master's: Failing |
| D | 1.0/ 66 - 64 | Undergrad: Unsatisfactory | Master's: Failing |
| D- | .67/ 63 - 60 | Undergrad: Unsatisfactory | Master's: Failing |
| F | 0.0/ 59 - 0 | Undergrad: Failing | Master's: Failing |
| P | NONE | Undergrad: Pass | Master's: Pass |
| PD | NONE | Master's Comprehensive Exam Only: Pass with Distinction* |
| PASS | 3.0 | Master's Capstone |
| FAIL | NONE | Master's Comprehensive Exam or Capstone |
| I | NONE | All: Incomplete |
| DP | NONE | Dropped |
| W | NONE | All: Withdrawn |
| WP | NONE | All: Withdrawn Passing |
| WF | NONE | All: Withdrawn Failing |
| X | NONE | Audit grade: No Academic Credit awarded |
| TC | NONE | Transfer Credit |
| PLA | NONE | Credit from review of Prior Learning Experience |
| R | NONE | Course No Longer Counted in APUS GPA as it was Retaken. However, the previous grade would still be counted by a third parties, such as the federal government for Financial Aid eligibility and by the military for calculating a GPA for TA eligibility. |
*Excluding the Master of Public Health comprehensive exam.