What Is a Passing Grade in the US?

 

The United States grading system is really complicated. When I first tried to understand how the grades I got in each class affected my Grade Point Average it was very confusing. I found out that even though you pass a class with a grade it can still hurt your chances of doing well in school. I made this guide to make the system easier to understand so you can figure it out easily than I did when I was a student.

 

As finals week is coming up a lot of students are wondering what they need to pass. If you are new to the education system or you just want to do better in school you need to understand how grades work.

 

The requirements to move on to the level are different at each school and they depend on what you are studying and what your major is. A grade that is good enough in school might not be good enough in college.

 

The American Grading Scale is used by schools in the United States. It is based on letters and each letter is connected to a percentage and it all adds up to a 4.0 score. Here is how it works:

 

  • A or A- means you got 90 percent to 100 percent, which's 3.7 to 4.0 points. This is a good grade.

 

  • B+, B or B- means you got 80 percent to 89 percent, which is 2.7 to 3.3 points. This is better than average.

 

  • C+, C or C- means you got 70 percent to 79 percent, which's 1.7 to 2.3 points. This is a passing grade.

 

  • D+ D or D- means you got 60 percent to 69 percent, which's 0.7 to 1.3 points. This is not a good grade.

 

  • F means you got than 60 percent, which is 0.0 points. This is a failing grade.

 

High School Standards

 

In high schools a D grade, which is 60 percent or higher is good enough to pass a class and get credit for it.. You should think about how it will affect your overall grade point average. Your grades are important if you want to graduate play sports or join clubs. Most schools require you to have at a 2.0 grade point average to graduate. If you have a lot of D grades on your transcript it might look bad to colleges.

 

College Requirements:

 

College Requirements are more complicated.

 

While a D grade might be good enough to get credit for some classes it is not always enough:

 

General Education Classes:

 

If you are taking a class that's not part of your major a D grade is usually okay.

 

Core Major Classes:

 

If you are taking a class that is required for your major you usually need to get at least a C to pass.

 

Most colleges require you to have at a 2.0 grade point average to graduate. If your grades are not good enough you might get in trouble. Lose your financial aid.

 

Plan to Do Well in School:

 

You should not just try to get by with the grade.

 

You should make a plan to do well, in school. You can use a tool to keep track of your grades. You can calculate what you need to get on your final exams.

 

You can go to CalcGrade.com to see how you are doing. Of waiting until the end of the term you can use their calculator to make a study plan now. If you keep track of your grades you can do more than just pass you can really do well in school.