How grading works at UC Santa Cruz
UCSC uses a standard 0.0–4.0 letter-grade scale. Grades of A, B, C, and D may each be modified by a plus (+) or a minus (-); F takes no modifier. Notably, A+ is worth the same 4.0 grade points as a plain A — UCSC does not award extra credit above 4.0 for a plus on an A. See the Grade Scale Reference above for the exact value attached to each grade.
If you complete a course, you receive a final letter grade unless you elected the Pass/No Pass option. A Pass (P) requires C-level work or better; work below a C receives No Pass (NP). Neither P nor NP carries grade points, so neither affects your GPA — though NP, like F, blocks graduation credit for that course.
Interim grades of Incomplete (I) or In Progress (IP) earn no grade points or credit until replaced by a final letter grade.
Source: Evaluating Academic Performance — "Grade Points" and "Grades" sections — verified Aug 2026
How UCSC calculates your GPA
Your grade point average is the number of grade points earned divided by the number of credits attempted for a letter grade. UCSC tracks three GPAs: your Current UCSC GPA (the term just completed), your Cumulative UCSC GPA (everything attempted at UCSC), and your Summary UC GPA (your cumulative UCSC GPA combined with all University of California coursework transferred in from other UC campuses).
C-, D+, D, and D- grades still count toward your GPA at their printed value — the catch is that they cannot be used to satisfy a major requirement, a general education requirement, or a course prerequisite, even though they earn degree credit and GPA points.
Repeating a course. If you repeat a course in which you earned a C-, D+, D, D-, or F, only the later grade counts toward your GPA for the first 15 credits of repeated work; after that 15-credit maximum, every attempt counts. Repeating a course more than once needs your college's approval.
Grade changes are allowed only to correct a clerical or calculation error, and only within one year of the end of the quarter in question.
Source: Evaluating Academic Performance — "Grade Point Average (GPA)" and "Repeating Courses" sections — verified Aug 2026
Academic standing and probation at UCSC
You need a 2.0 UCSC GPA, in both your current term and your cumulative record, to remain in good academic standing.
If either your term or cumulative GPA falls below 2.0 at the end of a quarter, you're placed on academic notice for the following term, and your college will help you work out a path back to good standing.
If your term GPA falls below 1.5, or you're already on academic notice and your cumulative GPA is still below 2.0, you become subject to disqualification — your college may bar your enrollment for a set period, disqualify you indefinitely, or waive the bar for one more term with conditions. If barred or disqualified, financial aid is cancelled and you may not live in university housing until you return.
Source: Evaluating Academic Performance — "Academic Standing" section — verified Aug 2026
Degree progress and time-to-degree limits
Beyond staying in good academic standing, UCSC monitors minimum academic progress: you must accumulate at least 35 credits in your first full-time year, 72 credits across your first two years, and 36 more for each additional year (part-time students are held to a proportional four-fifths standard). Falling short can place you on academic notice even if your GPA is otherwise fine.
Undergraduates are expected to complete their degree within four years, with hard ceilings of 225 credits and five academic years. Upper-division transfer students have a shorter ceiling: 135 UCSC credits and three academic years. Colleges can grant exceptions, conditional on maintaining good academic standing and progress.
Source: Evaluating Academic Performance — "Academic Progress" and "Maximum Credits and Years" sections — verified Aug 2026
Dean's Honors and University Honors at UCSC
Dean's Honors are awarded each quarter to full-time students who complete at least 12 credits (at least 10 graded) with a term GPA at or above that year's University Honors cutoff for their group; part-time students qualify with 10 or fewer graded credits at the same GPA bar.
University Honors at graduation — Summa Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude, and Cum Laude — go to students who have completed at least 70 UC credits and whose cumulative UC GPA places them in the top 2%, next 3%, or next 10% respectively of their graduating group, capped overall at roughly 15% of the class. The registrar recalculates the exact qualifying GPAs every year from the prior year's graduates. Baskin Engineering (School of Engineering) majors are measured against their own, separately calculated thresholds rather than the thresholds used for every other division.
Recent qualifying cumulative GPAs (Fall 2024–Summer 2025):
| Group | Summa Cum Laude | Magna Cum Laude | Cum Laude |
|---|---|---|---|
| School of Engineering | 3.960 | 3.920 | 3.820 |
| All other divisions | 3.980 | 3.950 | 3.850 |
Source: Evaluating Academic Performance — "Undergraduate Honors" section — verified Aug 2026
Frequently asked questions
Can I save my semesters and track my CGPA at UCSC?
How do I convert SGPA to CGPA at UCSC?
Can I add past semester GPAs without entering every course?
Is my CGPA tracker data sent to your servers?
Is this University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) GPA calculator free?
Does UC Santa Cruz cap A+ at 4.0?
Yes. UCSC's General Catalog prints A+ and A at the same 4.0 grade points — there's no extra credit for the plus. The scale runs down from there in 0.3-point steps: A- is 3.7, B+ is 3.3, and so on to F at 0.0.
Source: Evaluating Academic Performance — "Grade Points" section — verified Aug 2026
What GPA do I need to stay in good academic standing at UCSC?
2.0, in both your current-term and cumulative UCSC GPA. Falling below 2.0 places you on academic notice; a term GPA below 1.5, or a cumulative GPA still below 2.0 while already on notice, makes you subject to disqualification.
Source: Evaluating Academic Performance — "Academic Standing" section — verified Aug 2026
Do C-, D+, D, or D- grades count toward my UCSC GPA?
Yes — all four keep their printed grade points (1.7, 1.3, 1.0, and 0.7 respectively) in your GPA. What they lose is degree-credit flexibility: courses graded C-, D+, D, or D- can't be used to satisfy a major requirement, a general education requirement, or a prerequisite for another course, even though they still count for graduation credit and GPA points.
Source: Evaluating Academic Performance — "Grades" section — verified Aug 2026
What happens if I repeat a course at UCSC?
If you repeat a course in which you earned a C-, D+, D, D-, or F, only your most recent grade counts toward your GPA — for the first 15 credits of repeated coursework. Once you pass that 15-credit ceiling, every attempt counts toward your GPA, though you still only earn credit once for the same course. Repeating a course more than once requires your college's approval.
Source: Evaluating Academic Performance — "Repeating Courses" section — verified Aug 2026
What's the difference between UCSC's Current, Cumulative, and Summary UC GPA?
Your Current UCSC GPA covers just the term you're in. Your Cumulative UCSC GPA covers every course you've attempted at UCSC. Your Summary UC GPA folds in UC coursework transferred to UCSC from other University of California campuses on top of your cumulative UCSC record. All three appear on your official transcript.
Source: Evaluating Academic Performance — "Grade Point Average (GPA)" section — verified Aug 2026
How much of my UCSC coursework can be Pass/No Pass?
No more than 25 percent of the credits you apply toward graduation may be graded Pass/No Pass, including credits from the Education Abroad Program or an intercampus exchange (transfer work from community colleges or other institutions doesn't count against this limit). Some courses are offered Pass/No Pass only, and several majors require most major coursework to be taken for a letter grade, so check your major's requirements before opting in.
Source: Evaluating Academic Performance — "Pass/No Pass Option" section — verified Aug 2026
What GPA do I need for University Honors at graduation from UCSC?
It varies by year and by division, since the registrar recalculates the cutoffs annually from the prior year's graduating class — roughly the top 2% of a group for Summa Cum Laude, the next 3% for Magna Cum Laude, and the next 10% for Cum Laude, on your cumulative UC GPA. You need at least 70 UC credits to be considered. Baskin Engineering majors are measured against their own separate thresholds, not the thresholds used for other divisions.
Source: Evaluating Academic Performance — "Undergraduate Honors" section — verified Aug 2026
Does UCSC's undergraduate grading scale apply to graduate students?
No. Graduate students at UCSC default to Satisfactory (S) / Unsatisfactory (U) / Incomplete (I) grading, with the option of an A, B, C, D, or I letter grade in most courses — without the plus/minus modifiers undergraduates use, and without any grade-point value published in the General Catalog. Grades of C or D don't satisfy any graduate degree requirement at UCSC. This calculator, like the Grade Scale Reference above, reflects UCSC's undergraduate scale.
Source: Graduate Information — Graduate Academic Program, "Evaluation of Performance" section — verified Aug 2026
