In March 2013, Faculty Senate passed a motion to change the grading policy “That Drake University extends to all instructors the ability to assign plus/minus grade modifiers in undergraduate, graduate and professional programs beginning with the Fall 2016 semester.” In order to prepare for the approaching implementation of the plus/minus grading policy, common questions about the new policy will be featured each week for the next several weeks. You can also access a full set of resources on the Student Records website.
Q: How will this affect my grade point average?
A: Grades will be assigned a corresponding quality point value according to the table below.
| Grade |
Quality Points |
| A+ |
4.00 |
| A |
4.00 |
| A- |
3.70 |
| B+ |
3.30 |
| B |
3.00 |
| B- |
2.70 |
| C+ |
2.30 |
| C |
2.00 |
| C- |
1.70 |
| D+ |
1.30 |
| D |
1.00 |
| D- |
1.00 |
| F |
0.00 |
Q: I am a current student. Will the grades that I have earned up to this point be affected by this policy?
A: No. The policy applies only to courses offered in Fall 2016 and later. For example, if you earned a “B” in a Spring 2015 course, it will not change to a “B-“ or a “B+”.
Q: If I earned an ‘incomplete’ for a course taken before Fall 2016, but I complete my coursework during the Fall 2016 semester, can I earn a + or – grade for that course?
A: No, because the course was originally offered/taken in a semester prior to the Fall 2016 semester.
Stay tuned next week for more Q&A.
—Submitted by Melissa Sturm-Smith, Associate Provost for Academic Excellence and Student Success
