How grading works at Rice
Rice University grades on a 4.00-point scale. Both A+ and A are worth 4.00 grade points — Rice's Faculty Senate eliminated the traditional A+ bonus, effective for any A+ grade earned in Fall 2018 or later (see the question on A+ grades below). Each step down the scale is worth roughly a third of a point less, from A- down through D-, with F worth zero. See the Grade Scale Reference above for the exact value attached to each grade.
Your GPA is calculated separately for each level you are enrolled in — Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional, Graduate, Visiting Undergraduate, or Visiting Graduate — rather than combined into a single number across levels.
Source: GPA Calculation — "The points scale at Rice University is as follows" and per-level GPA note — verified Aug 2026
How Rice calculates your GPA
To calculate your GPA, Rice multiplies each course's grade points by its credit hours to get that course's quality points, adds the quality points for every course together, then divides by your total credit hours attempted.
A grade of P (Pass) does not affect your GPA at all — those credits simply do not enter the calculation. F still counts even though it earns no credit: a failing grade is included in both your quality points (as zero) and your attempted-credit total. This applies even to an F earned in a Pass/Fail course — Rice treats it exactly like an F earned in a normally graded course.
Source: GPA Calculation — quality-points method and Pass/Fail treatment — verified Aug 2026
Frequently asked questions
What grading scheme does Rice University use?
Where does this Rice University grade scale come from?
Is an A+ worth more than an A at Rice?
No. Since Fall 2018, A+ and A are both worth 4.00 grade points at Rice. Before that, an A+ was worth 4.33 points, but Rice's Faculty Senate voted to eliminate the bonus, effective for any A+ grade earned in Fall 2018 or later.
Source: GPA Calculation footnote; A+ Grade Point Change FAQs — verified Aug 2026
Do A+ grades earned before Fall 2018 still count as 4.33 at Rice?
Yes. Rice's grade-point change applies by when the grade was earned, not by when you started at Rice. Any A+ earned before Fall 2018 keeps its original 4.33 grade points in your GPA; only A+ grades earned in Fall 2018 or later use the current 4.00 value. Rice's registrar states this applies "regardless of a student's matriculation term or student level" — so one transcript can carry both rates side by side.
Source: A+ Grade Point Change FAQs — Office of the Registrar — verified Aug 2026
Does a Pass (P) grade affect your GPA at Rice?
No. Credit earned with a grade of P (Pass) does not affect your Rice GPA at all.
Source: GPA Calculation — Pass/Fail treatment — verified Aug 2026
What happens to your GPA if you fail a Pass/Fail course at Rice?
It counts against you like any other F. While a Pass (P) grade has no effect on your GPA, an F earned in a Pass/Fail course is treated exactly like an F earned in a normally graded course — it counts toward your GPA even though it earns no credit, and the attempted credit hours still count toward your total.
Source: GPA Calculation — Pass/Fail treatment — verified Aug 2026
Is your GPA calculated the same way for undergraduate and graduate work at Rice?
Rice uses the same 4.00-point scale for undergraduate and graduate coursework, but keeps the GPAs separate: your GPA is calculated independently for each student level you are enrolled in — Undergraduate, Undergraduate Professional, Graduate, Visiting Undergraduate, or Visiting Graduate — rather than blended into one number.
Source: GPA Calculation — "GPA is calculated at the student level" — verified Aug 2026
