What Counts Toward Your GPA
Pass (P) and No Pass (NP) grades are excluded from GPA: units earned on a pass/no-pass basis count toward course requirements but not toward a student's grade point average.
Incomplete (I), In Progress (IP), and Report Delayed (RD) symbols are likewise never used in calculating grade points. An unresolved Incomplete reverts to a pre-agreed default letter grade (for example, an I-B defaults to a B) if not made up within the allowed time.
Satisfactory Progress (SP), used only for noncredit courses, also carries no grade-point value.
Source: Peralta CCD AP 4230, Grading and Academic Record Symbols, Pass/No Pass Option and non-evaluative symbols sections — verified Sep 2026
How Withdrawal and Failing Symbols Affect Standing
The FW symbol ("Failing," assigned when a student stops participating in a course sometime after the withdrawal deadline) is treated the same as an F grade for GPA calculation, course repetition, and probation/dismissal standing.
A Withdrawal (W) symbol is used only for progress probation, never for academic probation. A Military Withdrawal (MW) — for students called to active or reserve duty — is excluded from both progress-probation determinations and the grade-point calculations used for dismissal.
Source: Peralta CCD AP 4230, Grading and Academic Record Symbols, FW/W/MW definitions — verified Sep 2026
Frequently asked questions
What grading scheme does Merritt College use?
Where does this Merritt College grade scale come from?
What are Merritt College's GPA rules?
Source: Peralta CCD AP 4230, Grading and Academic Record Symbols, Pass/No Pass Option and non-evaluative symbols sections — verified Sep 2026
What are Merritt College's academic standing rules?
Source: Peralta CCD AP 4230, Grading and Academic Record Symbols, FW/W/MW definitions — verified Sep 2026
