How grading works at Yale College
Yale College grades undergraduates on a 4.00 scale with twelve letter grades: A (4.00), A- (3.67), B+ (3.33), B (3.00), B- (2.67), C+ (2.33), C (2.00), C- (1.67), D+ (1.33), D (1.00), D- (0.67), and F (0.00).
There is no A+ at Yale College — Yale's own grading regulations state plainly, "there is no grade of A+, and the mark of F does not have a plus or a minus."
Source: YCPS, Honors (GPA table); The Grading System (no A+ statement) — verified Aug 2026
How your GPA is calculated at Yale
Your Yale GPA is based only on courses taken at Yale — grades earned outside Yale, including from study abroad programs other than Yale in London, are not included.
CR grades (from the Credit/D/Fail option) and W (Withdrawn) marks are both excluded from your GPA entirely — "Marks of CR in courses taken on a Credit/D/Fail basis are not included in the calculation of grade point averages," and W marks "carry no course credit, and do not figure in a grade point average."
Source: YCPS, Honors (General Honors eligibility, Phi Beta Kappa) — verified Aug 2026
Grades and academic good standing at Yale
Academic good standing at Yale is based primarily on accumulated course credits at set checkpoints each term, not directly on GPA.
However, a student is not in academic good standing if their record shows three grades of F in a single term, or across two or three successive terms of enrollment.
Source: YCPS, Promotion and Good Standing (Requirements for Academic Good Standing) — verified Aug 2026
Latin Honors and Phi Beta Kappa at Yale
Yale awards General Honors (cum laude, magna cum laude, summa cum laude) to no more than 30 percent of each graduating class, based on GPA in Yale coursework only: summa cum laude to the top 5 percent, magna cum laude to the next 10 percent, and cum laude to the next 15 percent.
Election to Phi Beta Kappa is based instead on the percentage of A grades earned at Yale, with CR grades counted as non-A grades and W marks, Pass/Fail marks, and grades earned outside Yale excluded from the calculation.
Source: YCPS, Honors (General Honors; Phi Beta Kappa) — verified Aug 2026
Frequently asked questions
What grading scheme does Yale University use?
Where does this Yale University grade scale come from?
Does Yale award an A+?
No. Yale College's grading regulations state directly that "there is no grade of A+," and the top of the scale is A at 4.00. (Yale's graduate School of Music, a separate program with its own grading system, does award an A+ at 4.0 — this does not apply to Yale College undergraduates.)
Source: The Grading System; YCPS, Grades — verified Aug 2026
Does Yale award a D-?
Yes. D- is a standard Yale College letter grade, worth 0.67 in the GPA calculation. It remains visible on the transcript even under the Credit/D/Fail option — grades of D+, D, D-, and F are always "entered on the transcript as reported" rather than converted to CR.
Source: YCPS, Honors (GPA table); YCPS, Grades (Credit/D/Fail Option) — verified Aug 2026
Does the Credit/D/Fail option affect my GPA at Yale?
No, if you pass with C- or better. Choosing Credit/D/Fail for an eligible course converts grades of A through C- into a CR mark, which "is not included in the calculation of grade point averages." Grades of D+, D, D-, or F under Credit/D/Fail are entered as reported and do count toward your GPA at their normal value.
Source: YCPS, Grades (Credit/D/Fail Option, Reporting of grades); YCPS, Honors — verified Aug 2026
Does a Withdrawn (W) grade affect my GPA at Yale?
No. A W mark "carr[ies] no course credit, and do[es] not figure in a grade point average." It appears on the transcript when a student withdraws from a course after midterm but before the first day of the reading period.
Source: YCPS, Honors; YCPS, Grades (General Regulations Concerning Grades and Transcripts) — verified Aug 2026
What about Incomplete, ABX, or No Mark grades at Yale?
A Temporary Incomplete (TI) or an authorized absence from a final exam (ABX) gives a student extra time to finish coursework. If the work isn't completed in time, the registrar automatically converts the mark to NM (No Mark). None of TI, ABX, or NM carry a printed grade-point value.
Source: YCPS, Grades (Incomplete work and postponed final examinations) — verified Aug 2026
