How grading works at UC Berkeley
Berkeley grades on a letter scale worth 0.0 to 4.0 grade points per unit. The registrar's Grade Definitions table applies to all students on the Berkeley campus.
Only the grades A, B, C, and D may be modified by a plus (+) or minus (-) suffix — F cannot take one.
A+ is awarded at Berkeley, but it is capped at 4.0. The registrar puts it plainly: the grade of A+, when awarded, represents extraordinary achievement, but does not receive grade point credit beyond that received for the grade of A. An A+ and an A are both worth 4.0 grade points per unit, so no Berkeley grade is worth more than 4.0.
The Berkeley Academic Senate and each school or college govern grading policy. Grades are posted to your official transcript the day after your instructor approves them, and appear in CalCentral within about a day — deficient mid-term grades too, where your instructor reports them.
Source: Grades & Grading, Office of the Registrar — page lead, the "UC Berkeley Grade Definitions" table, and the "Plus and minus grading" note beneath it — verified Aug 2026
Which grades count toward your Berkeley GPA
Only A, B, C, D, and F carry grade points and enter your grade-point average.
The grades P, S, NP, U, I, and IP carry no grade points, and the units in courses with these designations are excluded from the determination of the grade-point average. The temporary administrative grades NR (Not Reported) and M (Missing) are likewise not included in grade-point computation, and RD (Review Deferred) is a placeholder for a pending review.
F counts. Units in a course you failed are included in computing your GPA — they simply won't be used toward satisfying the unit requirements for your degree.
An I (Incomplete) has no effect on your GPA until it is converted into a letter grade. If you never resolve it, it lapses to an F — or to an NP if you took the course pass/no pass — and that F then becomes part of both your term and your cumulative GPA.
Source: Grades & Grading, Office of the Registrar — page lead, the Grade Definitions table (F/P/NP/S/U/I/IP/NR/M/RD rows), and the incomplete lapse-date section — verified Aug 2026
Academic probation at Berkeley
Probation rules are determined by each college. At the end of a term, an undergraduate may be placed on probation for any of the following reasons:
- Term GPA below a 2.0
- Term GPA below a 1.5
- Term GPA is equal to 0
- Overall GPA below a 2.0
If you are on probation you may not elect to take a course with the Pass/No Pass option. All classes must be taken for a letter grade, unless a class is offered only on a Pass/No Pass or Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis.
Source: Grades & Grading, Office of the Registrar — "Academic standing/probation" section — verified Aug 2026
Frequently asked questions
Can I save my semesters and track my CGPA at UC Berkeley?
How do I convert SGPA to CGPA at UC Berkeley?
Can I add past semester GPAs without entering every course?
Is my CGPA tracker data sent to your servers?
Is this University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley) GPA calculator free?
Is an A+ worth more than 4.0 at Berkeley?
No. Berkeley awards A+ for extraordinary achievement, but it does not receive grade point credit beyond that received for the grade of A — both are worth 4.0 grade points per unit.
Berkeley's other suffixed grades do change value: A- is 3.7, B+ is 3.3, B- is 2.7, C+ is 2.3, and so on down the table. A+ is the one exception, which is why 4.0 is a genuine ceiling on a Berkeley GPA rather than a figure you can exceed.
Source: Grades & Grading, Office of the Registrar — "Plus and minus grading" note and the Grade Definitions table — verified Aug 2026
What is the lowest passing grade at UC Berkeley?
D-, worth 0.7 grade points per unit. Berkeley's Grade Definitions table interprets the whole D range — D+ (1.3), D (1.0) and D- (0.7) — as “barely passed.”
F is worth 0.0 and is a failure: those units count in your GPA but not toward your degree. A D+, D, D- or F also leaves you eligible to repeat the course.
Source: Grades & Grading, Office of the Registrar — Grade Definitions table (D+/D/D- "Barely passed", F "Failed") and "Repeating Courses" — verified Aug 2026
Do Pass/No Pass courses affect your Berkeley GPA?
No. P and NP carry no grade points, and those units are excluded from your grade-point average entirely.
The pass grades are assigned by level: P/NP to undergraduates, S/U to graduate students. A P means C- or better and an NP below C-; an S means B- or better and a U below B-. None of the four carries grade points.
One thing to watch: if you are on academic probation you cannot elect the Pass/No Pass option at all.
Source: Grades & Grading, Office of the Registrar — page lead paragraph, Grade Definitions table (P, NP, S, U rows), and "Academic standing/probation" — verified Aug 2026
What happens to your GPA when you repeat a course at Berkeley?
Only the most recent grade is calculated into your GPA, though both attempts stay on your transcript. When you repeat a course for the first time it is generally the second attempt that counts, and this applies only to your first 12 graded units of repeated coursework.
You may repeat a course only if you received a grade of D+, D, D-, F, or no pass (NP or U). If you earned a D+, D, D- or F and have taken the course once, you must repeat it for a letter grade, because courses previously taken for a letter grade may only be repeated for a letter grade. If you earned an NP, you may repeat for either a letter grade or on a pass/no pass basis.
Repeating a course more than once requires the approval of the Dean of your College, School or Division in every instance. Without that approval, the twice-repeated course will not be included in your grade-point average — though a passing grade will still be accepted toward the unit requirements for your degree.
Source: Grades & Grading, Office of the Registrar — "Repeating Courses" section, including Berkeley Division Regulation A201.D.2 — verified Aug 2026
What happens if you don't finish an Incomplete at Berkeley?
It lapses. If the I grade is not replaced on or before the lapse date, it converts to an F — or to an NP if you took the course pass/no pass — and that grade becomes part of your term and cumulative GPA. I grades convert within about four weeks after the lapse date.
Your completion deadline is 30 days before the lapse date shown in CalCentral, or your instructor's own deadline, whichever is earlier. An I received in the fall must be replaced by the first day of instruction of the following fall; an I from spring or summer, by the first day of instruction of the following spring. Graduating seniors must finish any incomplete required for graduation by the last day of finals in the term they graduate.
If you can't finish in time, you may petition the Dean of your College or School to extend the incomplete before the completion deadline, or petition your college to permanently retain it on your transcript by “freezing” it. Once an I grade is frozen you cannot repeat the course, and you may not remove the grade by taking an equivalent course.
Source: Grades & Grading, Office of the Registrar — the "Resolving", "Understanding Completion Deadline and Lapse Date", "Extending" and "Freezing" Incomplete Grades sections — verified Aug 2026
How do you dispute a grade at UC Berkeley?
It depends on what went wrong.
If you believe your instructor submitted an incorrect grade because of a clerical (for example, computational) or procedural error, speak directly with your instructor.
If you believe your instructor used nonacademic criteria — for example race, religion, gender, or politics — in assigning your grade, you can appeal it. Begin by speaking with your instructor and/or the Students Ombuds Office. Your next step is to try to resolve the issue with the department chair. If you cannot resolve the dispute informally, you can follow the formal procedure set out in the Berkeley Academic Guide under “Grade Appeal Process.”
Source: Grades & Grading, Office of the Registrar — "Appealing Grades" section — verified Aug 2026
