How grading works at Lehigh University
Lehigh uses a letter-grade system weighted on a 0.00–4.00 scale. The catalog sets the weights in a single line: A, 4.0; A-, 3.7; B+, 3.3; B, 3.0; B-, 2.7; C+, 2.3; C, 2.0; C-, 1.7; D+, 1.3; D, 1.0; D-, 0.7; F, 0. Quality points for each course are assigned according to the number of credit hours in the course.
Lehigh's list of course grades does not include an A+. The catalog states that course grades are A, A–, B+, B, B–, C+, C, C–, D+, D, D–, P, F, N, SP, X and Z — so A at 4.0 is the highest grade you can earn, and there is no grade worth more than 4.0.
The catalog also attaches a meaning to each band: A and A– are excellent; B+, B and B– are good; C+ and C are competent; C– is "continuation competency", meaning you have reached the level of proficiency needed for the course to satisfy prerequisite requirements. D+, D and D– are passing, but performance is not adequate to take any subsequent course that has this course as a prerequisite. F is failing.
Courses may also be taken pass-fail, where P means a grade equivalent to D– or higher. Lehigh publishes no percentage bands for its letter grades — the weights above are the whole published scale.
Source: Definitions of Grades, 2026-27 Catalog — grade enumeration, grade meanings, and the grade-weighting sentence — verified Aug 2026
Which Lehigh grades count toward your GPA
Your grade points come from the twelve letter grades above, weighted by each course's credit hours. Several other symbols can appear on your record, and the catalog is specific about how each one affects your average:
- N, X and Z — these do not count as hours attempted and are not used in computations of cumulative averages. N or SP means incomplete, X means you were absent from the final examination, and Z means you were both absent from the final and had incomplete coursework.
- SP — SP grades count towards credits completed but do not affect GPA until converted.
- W (withdrawn) — grades of W do not count as hours attempted.
- NR — assigned when no final grade was received from the instructor of record by the grade submission deadline. If it is not resolved, the NR grade is converted to a grade of F on the tenth day of instruction of the next academic year semester.
Other symbols used on student records are CR (a grade of C- or higher, credit allowed), DCR (does not meet prerequisites, credit allowed) and NCR (no credit).
Source: Definitions of Grades, 2026-27 Catalog — 'Other symbols used for courses on student records', the N/X/Z cumulative-average sentence, the SP paragraph, and the NR paragraph — verified Aug 2026
Which grades count toward a Lehigh degree
Grades in the range of A through D–, plus P and CR, may be credited toward baccalaureate degrees, within the limits of your program requirements.
Grades of F, N, SP, X, Z, W and NR cannot be credited toward the degree.
Degree credit is a separate question from prerequisites. Courses in which grades of D+, D, D-, F, NCR, W, NR, N, SP, X or Z are recorded do not meet prerequisite requirements — so a D can count toward your degree while still failing to unlock the next course in a sequence. You may request to waive a prerequisite: on presentation of evidence of substantially equivalent preparation, and with the approval of the course instructor, the teaching department chairperson and the chairperson of your major department or program, the prerequisite may be waived.
Source: Definitions of Grades, 2026-27 Catalog — degree-credit paragraph and prerequisite-requirements paragraph — verified Aug 2026
Frequently asked questions
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Does Lehigh give A+ grades?
No. Lehigh's catalog lists its course grades as A, A–, B+, B, B–, C+, C, C–, D+, D, D–, P, F, N, SP, X and Z — there is no A+ on that list. The highest weighted grade is A at 4.0, so your Lehigh GPA cannot exceed 4.0 through course grades.
Source: Definitions of Grades, 2026-27 Catalog — grade enumeration and weighting sentence — verified Aug 2026
What is the lowest passing grade at Lehigh?
D–, weighted at 0.7. The catalog describes D+, D and D– as "passing, but performance is not adequate to take any subsequent course which has this course as a prerequisite" — so a D– passes and can be credited toward a baccalaureate degree, but it will not satisfy that course's prerequisite for anything that follows. F, weighted 0, is failing and cannot be credited toward the degree.
Source: Definitions of Grades, 2026-27 Catalog — grade meanings, weighting sentence, degree-credit and prerequisite paragraphs — verified Aug 2026
What does a C- mean at Lehigh?
C– is Lehigh's "continuation competency" grade, weighted at 1.7. The catalog defines it as meaning the student has achieved the level of proficiency needed for the course to satisfy prerequisite requirements — so C– is the lowest grade that still unlocks a course for which this one is a prerequisite. Anything below it (D+, D, D– and F) does not meet prerequisite requirements. A grade of CR on your record likewise means a grade of C- or higher with credit allowed.
Source: Definitions of Grades, 2026-27 Catalog — grade meanings, weighting sentence, prerequisite paragraph, and the 'other symbols' definition of CR — verified Aug 2026
What happens to an incomplete (N) grade at Lehigh?
An N grade indicates that one or more course requirements have not been completed, and it is used only when you explain to the instructor's satisfaction that extenuating circumstances — illness or an emergency, for example — justify it. The instructor assigns the N supplemented by a parenthetical letter grade (for example, NF), calculated by assigning an F or zero score for any incomplete work, unless the instructor told the class in writing at the start of the course that a different default would be used.
You must complete the work by the fifth day of instruction in the next regular semester. The N grade is then converted into the parenthetical grade after the tenth day of instruction in that semester, unless an extension petition has been approved or the instructor has already changed the grade through the removal-of-incomplete procedure. Once the course grade is assigned, the parenthetical grade is dropped from the transcript.
While it stands, an N does not count as hours attempted and is not used in computing your cumulative average.
Source: Definitions of Grades, 2026-27 Catalog — the N-grade paragraphs and the N/X/Z cumulative-average sentence — verified Aug 2026
What are the X and Z grades at Lehigh?
X means you were absent from the final examination when all other course requirements have been met. Z means you were absent from the final and had incomplete course requirements. In both cases the instructor calculates a parenthetical grade using an F or zero score for the missing work.
An X may be removed by a make-up examination if the absence was for good cause, such as illness or another emergency. To be eligible you must submit a petition to the Dean of Students. If you do not petition, the petition is not granted, or you fail to appear for the scheduled make-up, the X is converted into the parenthetical grade after the first scheduled make-up examination.
For a Z, you must complete the work by the fifth day of instruction in the next regular semester, and the Z converts to the parenthetical grade after the tenth day of instruction. In no case may the deadline fall later than the last day of classes in the first full semester in residence, summer excepted.
Like N, neither X nor Z counts as hours attempted, and neither is used in computing cumulative averages.
Source: Definitions of Grades, 2026-27 Catalog — the X-grade and Z-grade paragraphs and the N/X/Z cumulative-average sentence — verified Aug 2026
