How grading works at Lindenwood
Lindenwood operates on a 4.0 grading system: A (4.0), B (3.0), C (2.0), D (1.0), and F (0.0) quality points per credit hour. There is no plus/minus grading at Lindenwood — no A+, A-, B+, or similar modified letter grades exist.
A grade of AF (Attendance Failure), given when a student stops attending a class without formally withdrawing, is treated the same as an F (0.0) in the GPA calculation.
Only grades earned at Lindenwood itself count toward the Lindenwood GPA — transfer coursework is not included.
Source: Lindenwood 2026-2027 Undergraduate Catalog, Academic Policies and Procedures (Grading System; Attendance Failure) — verified Aug 2026
How your GPA is calculated at Lindenwood
GPA is quality points earned divided by semester hours attempted. Several grades do not carry points and are excluded from the GPA calculation entirely: Incomplete (I), No Grade (N), Audit (AU), Pass/Fail (P/F), Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U), and Withdrawal (W). A grade of W has "no effect to the student's GPA."
Repeating a course: undergraduates may repeat any course in which they earned a grade of C or lower. Only the highest grade earned counts toward the GPA — the original grade stays on the transcript but is no longer averaged in.
Source: Lindenwood 2026-2027 Undergraduate Catalog, Academic Policies and Procedures (Grading System; Incomplete; No Grade; Pass/Fail; Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory; Withdrawal; Repeating a Course) — verified Aug 2026
Academic standing and probation at Lindenwood
Undergraduates enrolled in three or more credit hours must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 to remain in good academic standing. Falling below 2.0 places a student on academic probation; a student stays on probation as long as each term GPA is 2.0 or higher, and is removed from probation once the cumulative GPA reaches 2.0 again.
A student on probation whose term GPA also falls below 2.0 is placed on academic suspension, which must be appealed in writing before the student may continue in a later term.
Source: Lindenwood 2026-2027 Undergraduate Catalog, Academic Policies and Procedures (Maintaining Good Academic Standing; Academic Probation; Academic Suspension) — verified Aug 2026
Dean's List and Latin honors at Lindenwood
The Dean's List is announced each fall and spring term for undergraduates who complete 12 or more credit hours in the term with a term GPA of 3.50 or higher.
For General Honors at graduation, a student needs at least 50 credit hours completed in residence at Lindenwood (transfer and experiential-learning credit don't count) and a cumulative GPA in one of these ranges: cum laude 3.70-3.85, magna cum laude 3.86-3.93, summa cum laude 3.94 or above.
Source: Lindenwood 2026-2027 Undergraduate Catalog, Academic Policies and Procedures (Academic Honors: Dean's List; General Honors) — verified Aug 2026
Frequently asked questions
What grading scheme does Lindenwood University (LU) use?
Where does this LU grade scale come from?
Does Lindenwood use plus/minus grading (A+, A-, B+, etc.)?
No. Lindenwood's Grading System section describes only whole-letter grades — A (4.0), B (3.0), C (2.0), D (1.0), and F (0.0) — with no plus or minus modifiers anywhere in the chapter.
Source: Lindenwood 2026-2027 Undergraduate Catalog, Academic Policies and Procedures (Grading System) — verified Aug 2026
Does an AF (Attendance Failure) grade affect my GPA at Lindenwood?
Yes, the same as an F. AF is assigned when a student stops attending a class without formally withdrawing, and "the grade of AF is treated as a grade of F in the calculation of the student's grade point average" — 0.0 quality points.
Source: Lindenwood 2026-2027 Undergraduate Catalog, Academic Policies and Procedures (Attendance Failure) — verified Aug 2026
Do W, I, N, P/F, or S/U grades affect my GPA at Lindenwood?
No. Withdrawal (W) has "no effect to the student's GPA." Incomplete (I), No Grade (N), Pass/Fail (P/F), and Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) all carry no grade points and are excluded from the GPA calculation — the catalog states directly that S and U grades "will not be included in computation of the grade point average."
Source: Lindenwood 2026-2027 Undergraduate Catalog, Academic Policies and Procedures (Incomplete; No Grade; Pass/Fail; Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory; Withdrawal) — verified Aug 2026
