What Grade Do You Need to Pass a College Class? (2024)

FAQs

What Grade Do You Need to Pass a College Class? ›

Most colleges and universities generally consider a "D" (or a 60% to 69% score) as a passing grade. It's important to note that this minimum or lowest passing grade standard can significantly vary depending on the institution or major. For instance, some universities may require a "C" or better to pass.

You'll usually need to receive a letter grade between A and D to pass a class, often the numerical equivalent of 65 percent or higher. Receiving an F—which stands for “fail”—indicates that you did not pass the class.

Definition of Grades

The following grades are used: A — excellent; B — good; C — fair in undergraduate courses and minimum passing in courses for graduate credit; D — minimum passing in undergraduate courses; F — failed. In addition, plus and minus grades may be used, with the exceptions of A plus, F plus and F minus.

Numerical and letter grades

However, there are some schools that consider a C the lowest passing grade, so the general standard is that anything below a 60% or 70% is failing, depending on the grading scale. In college and universities, a D is considered to be an unsatisfactory passing grade.

The grades of A, B, C, D and P are passing grades. Grades of F and U are failing grades. R and I are interim grades. Grades of W and X are final grades carrying no credit.

Most colleges and universities generally consider a "D" (or a 60% to 69% score) as a passing grade. It's important to note that this minimum or lowest passing grade standard can significantly vary depending on the institution or major. For instance, some universities may require a "C" or better to pass.

The normal grading range is from 55 to 100. The number grades correspond to letter grades as reflected in the chart below. The minimum passing grade is 70 (C). Any grades between 55 and 69 (D and F) are considered failing grades for which unit credit is not earned.

The U.S. letter grading system uses letters A to F to indicate performance, with A being the highest grade (90-100%) and F indicating failure (below 60%).

Many undergraduates fail a class in college and still go on to graduate. If you're at risk of failing, talk to your professor and meet with an academic advisor. Check your school's policies about retaking courses to remove an F from your transcript. Failing a class is a wake-up call that you may need to make changes.

One B won't ruin your GPA if it's weighted. Weighted GPA takes into account on the difficulty of the classes you take.

Is a GPA of 2.7 good? ›

This GPA means that you've earned an average grade of a B- across all of your classes. Since a 2.7 GPA is lower than the national average of 3.0 for high school students, it will limit your options for college. 3.95% of schools have an average GPA below a 2.7.

Many people wonder, “What is a passing grade in college?” Coming from high school, the grading system doesn't really change. In fact, a “D” is considered passing in both high school and college, as it's above 60%. While a passing grade may be as low as 60%, you will want to aim higher for many reasons.

Many colleges also set rules about whether a D counts for major requirements. At Northwestern University, a D counts for general education requirements but not for courses in the student's major. In any major or minor course, learners must receive at least a C-minus.

Technically, a D is a passing grade for a course. So as far as a professor goes, you passed the class. But colleges and universities have policies regarding the minimum grade needed to apply towards your degree and major. So it's possible you did pass the course but not well enough to have it applied to your degree.

B - is still a pretty good grade! This is an above-average score, between 80% and 89% C - this is a grade that rests right in the middle. C is anywhere between 70% and 79% D - this is still a passing grade, and it's between 59% and 69%

A score of 70 is typically considered a C- in the standard American grading system. However, the specific letter equivalent can vary based on individual school and university policies, so it would be a good idea to check with your particular institution. Generally, a 70 is considered a passing grade at most schools.

A B is 80% to 89%; A C is 70% to 79%; A D is 60% to 69%; and finally. F is 59% and below – and it's not a passing grade.