Grading and Required Standards
Columbia University School of Nursing uses letter grading for all courses. Grades in non-clinical courses at Columbia Nursing are A+ to C- and F. Grades for clinical courses are as follows:
- Clinical grades in practica are: Pass (P), Low Pass (LP), or Fail (F)
All students must maintain a cumulative grade point average of B or better (> 3.0). A student is not in good academic standing if they have a:
- Cumulative GPA below 3.0
- Grade of LP in a clinical course
- Grade of F in a didactic or clinical course
Students not in good academic standing are not meeting SAP, and are reviewed by the Committee on Admission (see Academic Review and Probation section.)
|
GRADE |
CRITERIA DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
|
Pass |
Student meets the overall basic requirements for the anticipated level of training. The student is able to function in a safe and competent manner. |
|
Low Pass |
Performance deficient but meets minimal clinical performance standards and the student is placed on an academic warning. |
|
Fail |
Student's overall performance is below anticipated level of training. Students are not able to progress in a program with a grade of F in a clinical course. |
Conversion Table for Letter to Numeric Grade
|
Letter Grade |
Range |
Points in Range |
Numeric Equivalent |
| A+ | 100 | 1 | 4.33 |
| A | 93-99 | 7 | 4.0 |
| A- | 90-92 | 3 | 3.67 |
| B+ | 88-89 | 2 | 3.33 |
| B | 82-87 | 6 | 3.0 |
| B- | 80-81 | 2 | 2.67 |
| C+ | 78-79 | 2 | 2.33 |
| C | 72-77 | 6 | 2.0 |
| C- | 70-71 | 2 | 1.67 |
| F | 69 or below | 0.00 |
How to Calculate Your GPA
- Convert each grade into its numeric equivalent. Example: B grade = 3.0
- Multiply each class grade by the number of credits earned. Example: 3.0 (B grade) x 3.0 (# of credits) = 9 4.0 (A grade) x 4.0 (# of credits) = 16
- Divide your total number by the total credits attempted. This is your GPA. Example: 25(total number) / 7(total attempted credits) = 3.57 GPA
DNP Residency/ Intensive Grading Policy
All DNP students are provided a timeline to complete competency requirements. When the student completes the requirements, the student will obtain a P/F grade. If the student does not complete requirements by the end of the semester, the student will receive a CP grade. Once a student completes the practicum hours and submits their completed portfolio, the CP will be changed to a grade of PASS.
In the case in which the student does not submit cases during the semester and/or is not communicating with the portfolio advisor and the program director via the Columbia University student email, the student will receive a U/W (unofficial withdrawal from the course) at the end of the semester and will need to re-register for the course. This grading policy remains in place until the student completes all of the requirements of the Intensive. In any of the following semesters, if the student does not submit cases, the student will receive the grade of F for the course. An F in a clinical course will be reviewed by COA and, per CUSON policy, the student will be dismissed.
Policy on Anonymous Grading by TA’s
To ensure unbiased grading, the School of Nursing has adopted a policy of using anonymous grading in all subjective assignments and examinations. This can be accomplished through de-identification mechanisms on subjective exams in ExamSoft and moderated and/or anonymous grading in Canvas. All final grades are determined by the course instructor.