How grading works at Ohio State
Ohio State grades on a letter scale from A (4.0) down to E (0.0), with plus/minus grades A- through D+ in between. There is no A+ and no D- anywhere in the university's official list of marks.
Two marks record a failing outcome: E, for work the instructor judged did not satisfy the course objectives, and EN, used when a student stopped attending without officially withdrawing. Both carry 0.0 credit points and both count toward your point-hour ratio (Ohio State's name for GPA) in exactly the same way.
In a semester where the university declares "Exceptional Circumstances," undergraduate grades of D+ or D (graduate grades of C+ through D) are instead recorded as PE (Emergency Pass), which earns credit but is not computed into the point-hour ratio; an E becomes NP and an EN becomes NEN under the same declaration.
Source: Faculty Rules 3335-8-21 (Marks) and 3335-8-25 (Credit points) — verified Sep 2026
How Ohio State calculates your point-hour ratio
Your point-hour ratio is the total credit points you've earned divided by the total applicable credit hours — counting only courses graded A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, E, or EN.
Excluded from the point-hour ratio entirely (counted as hours only, or not counted at all):
- EM — credit by examination
- I / IX — Incomplete / Extension of Incomplete
- K — transfer credit
- P — Progress, in a multi-term course sequence, until a final mark posts
- PA / NP — Pass / Non-pass
- PE — Emergency Pass
- R — registered to audit (earns no credit hours at all)
- S / U — Satisfactory / Unsatisfactory
- W — Withdrew
Because none of these carry credit points, they neither raise nor lower your point-hour ratio.
Source: Faculty Rules 3335-8-21 (Marks) and 3335-8-26 (Point-hour ratio) — verified Sep 2026
Dean's List at Ohio State
To make the full-time Dean's List, an undergraduate must earn a minimum 3.5 GPA while completing 12 or more hours of graded coursework in a single term, without earning any of the marks E, EN, NP, NEN, U, UEN, I, IX, or NG that term (up to 3 of the 12 hours may come from an S/U-graded course if an S is earned).
Students enrolled less than full time across three consecutive terms (Summer through the following Spring) can instead qualify for the Part-Time Dean's List on the same 3.5 GPA and 12-hour thresholds, applied collectively across those terms.
Source: Faculty Rule 3335-8-30 (Academic standards for Dean's List) — verified Sep 2026
Transfer and exam credit at Ohio State
Credit for work completed at another institution is recorded with a K mark, and credit earned by examination (taken before or after admission) is recorded as EM. Both count toward the hours needed for your degree, but neither is assigned credit points and neither is considered in your point-hour ratio.
Source: Faculty Rule 3335-8-21, paragraphs (F) and (H) — verified Sep 2026
Frequently asked questions
What grading scheme does Ohio State University use?
Where does this Ohio State University grade scale come from?
Does Ohio State award an A+ or a D-?
No. Neither grade exists in Ohio State's official list of marks. The scale runs A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, E — there is no plus above A and no minus below D.
Source: Faculty Rules 3335-8-21 (Marks) and 3335-8-25 (Credit points) — verified Sep 2026
What's the difference between an E and an EN at Ohio State?
Nothing, for GPA purposes. E is a standard failing grade; EN means the student stopped attending during the term (no distinction is made for when). Both carry 0.0 credit points and both count the same way in your point-hour ratio.
Source: Faculty Rule 3335-8-21, paragraphs (E) and (I); rule 3335-8-26 — verified Sep 2026
What happens if you repeat a course at Ohio State?
Undergraduates can petition to have up to three repeated courses' original grade excluded from their cumulative point-hour ratio under Ohio State's grade forgiveness rule — the original grade stays on the permanent record, but only the second attempt counts toward the GPA.
Source: Faculty Rule 3335-8-27.1 (Grade forgiveness rule) — verified Sep 2026
Do Pass/Non-Pass, audit, or Incomplete grades affect your GPA at Ohio State?
No. PA (Pass) and NP (Non-pass) marks, R (registered to audit), and I / IX (Incomplete / Extension of Incomplete) all carry no credit points and are not considered in your point-hour ratio. Pass/Non-pass is capped at 20 credit hours and requires an accumulated point-hour ratio of 2.0 or higher to elect.
Source: Faculty Rule 3335-8-21, paragraphs (G), (K), (M) — verified Sep 2026
