Home / Records / Transcripts / Guide to Transcript of Academic Record for Undergraduate Students
History
The University of California, Santa Cruz operates on a quarter calendar with three quarters per academic year and optional summer sessions. One quarter credit represents three hours of work per week by the student, including both class attendance and preparation. 180 quarter credits are required for a baccalaureate degree. UCSC is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
Transcript Contents
The transcript of academic record issued on behalf of an undergraduate student who have registered at UCSC may consist of up to three distinct documents:
(1) a record of courses and degrees (if awarded) and
(2) instructor evaluations in chronological order,
(3) an evaluation of the student’s comprehensive examination or senior thesis written by the department or college sponsoring his or her major program
Undergraduate students may request that only part 1 be forwarded.
Academic Standing
Academic standing notation posted following action by the faculty of the undergraduate student’s college are Enrollment Barred or Academic Disqualification.
Class Ranking
Academic Senate policy does not permit the computation of class ranking.
Course Credit
The number of "Quarter Courses Completed" multiplied by 5 equals the total quarter units earned.
From September 1965 to June 1972, course credit earned by examination appears in the memoranda column and must be added to the number of courses completed.
September 1965 to August 1982: Each course is equivalent to five quarter units of credit except noncredit courses designated "0" in the credit column.
Effective September 1982: Certain courses in the music and the natural sciences carry partial course credit. The following designations will appear in the credit column.
1.0 | 5 quarter units |
0.8 | 4 quarter units |
0.6 | 3 quarter units |
0.4 | 2 quarter units |
0.2 | 1 quarter units |
noncredit course |
Effective September 1984: Preparatory courses Mathematics 1A and 1B carry five units and Writing 10 two units of workload credit only.
Course Numbering System
Lower-division courses | 1-99 |
Upper division courses | 100-199 |
Graduate courses | 200-311 |
Courses taken during summer sessions may be distinguished by the letter "S" prefixed to the regular course number.
Disciplinary Notation
Beginning Fall 1994, violations of the student conduct code which result in disciplinary suspensions or dismissal will be recorded on the transcript for the duration of the suspension of dismissal.
Grade Notations
September 1965 to August 1971: | |
Undergraduate students had the option of requesting a letter grade in some courses. The number and type of courses eligible for the letter grade option has changed over the years. Academic Senate policy did not permit the computation of a grade point average. | |
P | Pass (equivalent to a C or above) |
Fail | Performance that does not merit a Pass |
September 1971 to August 1997: | |
Undergraduate students had the option of requesting a letter grade in some courses. The number and type of courses eligible for the letter grade option has changed over the years. When the letter-grade option was exercised, “D” and “F” work was not considered passing and does not appear on the transcript. Academic Senate policy did not permit the computation of a grade point average. | |
P | Pass (equivalent to a C or above) |
NR | No Record – not passing (does not appear on the transcript) |
A | Excellent (no grade points assigned) |
B | Good (no grade points assigned) |
C | Fair (no grade points assigned) |
D | Not passing |
Fail | Performance that does not merit a Pass |
I | Incomplete work. NR or F assigned if not replaced by P, A, B, C, or D by the appropriate deadline. |
IP | Multiple term course with work still in progress. Final grade assigned upon the completion of the entire course sequence. |
September 1997 to August 2001: | ||
Undergraduate students had the option of requesting a letter grade in most courses. Only a few lower division courses were not eligible for the letter grade option. A cumulative GPA computed from courses taken for a letter grade will be displayed only if the student has elected a letter grade in 2/3 or more of their cumulative attempted credits. | ||
Grade | Grade Points (per unit) | |
A | Excellent | 4.0 |
B | Good | 3.0 |
C | Fair | 2.0 |
D | Poor | 1.0 |
F | Fail | 0.0 |
P | Pass | 0.0 |
NP | Not Passing | 0.0 |
P | Equivalent to a C or above | |
NP | Does not appear on the transcript | |
W | Withdraw—available only for letter graded courses | |
I | Incomplete work—replaced by NP or F if not replaced by P, A, B, C, or D by the appropriate deadline. | |
IP | Multiple term course with work still in progress. Final grade assigned upon completion of the entire course sequence | |
AC | Pass. Awaiting assignment of a letter grade | |
GC, NC, Z, or Blank | Grade unknown—student has not yet received a grade for this course | |
September 2001 to August 2015: | ||
A cumulative and term GPA is calculated on the transcript for all students entering September 2001 and after. | ||
Grade | Grade Points | |
A+, A, A- | Excellent | 4.0, 4.0, 3.7 |
B+, B, B- | Good | 3.3, 3.0, 2.7 |
C+, C | Fair | 2.3, 2.0 |
D | Poor | 1.0 |
F | Fail | 0.0 |
W | Withdraw | 0.0 |
I | Incomplete | 0.0 |
IP | In progress | 0.0 |
P | Passing | 0.0 |
NP | Not passing | 0.0 |
P | Equivalent to a C or above | |
NP | Appears on the transcript | |
W | Withdraw—available for letter graded and P/NP courses | |
I | Incomplete work - replaced by NP or F if not replaced by P, A, B, C, or D by the appropriate deadline. | |
IP | Multiple term course with work still in progress. Final grade assigned upon completion of the entire course sequence | |
AC | Pass. Awaiting assignment of a letter grade | |
GC, NC, or Blank | Grade unknown—student has not yet received a grade for this course | |
September 2015 to Present: | ||
Grades contributing to the cumulative and term GPA expanded to include C-, D+, and D-. | ||
Grade | Grade Points | |
A+, A, A- | Excellent | 4.0, 4.0, 3.7 |
B+, B, B- | Good | 3.3, 3.0, 2.7 |
C+, C | Fair | 2.3, 2.0 |
C-, D+, D, D- | Poor | 1.7, 1.3, 1.0, 0.7 |
F | Fail | 0.0 |
W | Withdraw | 0.0 |
I | Incomplete | 0.0 |
IP | In progress | 0.0 |
P | Passing | 0.0 |
NP | Not passing | 0.0 |
P | Equivalent to a C or above | |
NP | Appears on the transcript | |
W | Withdraw—available for letter graded and P/NP courses | |
I | Incomplete work - replaced by NP or F if not replaced by P, A, B, C, or D by the appropriate deadline. | |
IP | Multiple term course with work still in progress. Final grade assigned upon completion of the entire course sequence | |
AC | Pass. Awaiting assignment of a letter grade | |
GC, NC, or Blank | Grade unknown—student has not yet received a grade for this course | |
Honors
University Honors
To be considered for University Honors at graduation, students must have completed 70 or more units at the University of California and have attained in their group* a UC GPA that places them in the rankings as follows: Summa Cum Laude, top 2 percent; Magna Cum Laude, next 3 percent; Cum Laude, next 10 percent. Each year and for each group, the Office of the Registrar will calculate the GPA thresholds required for these levels of University Honors, based on the GPAs of recent graduates. The notation “University Honors” will appear on the diploma and transcript.
* Note: GPA thresholds for Baskin School of Engineering majors are calculated separately from those of majors in all other divisions.
College Honors
The faculty of the student's college may confer College Honors if it determines that the student's academic performance is of outstanding quality throughout his or her undergraduate career.
Honors in the Major
The board or committee of studies or college sponsoring the student's major program may confer Honors or Highest Honors in the major field.
Honors in a Comprehensive Examination/Senior Thesis
A student may earn Honors for the comprehensive examination or senior thesis. Papers of students awarded Honors are read by at least two readers.
Performance Evaluations
September 1965 to August 2010 | The course instructor prepares a written evaluation for each student who passes the course, including students who have requested letter grades. Physical education courses do not receive narrative evaluations. Prior to 1979, the instructor of a large class could be exempted from writing evaluations by the provost of his or her college. Since September 1979, exemptions from writing evaluations are no longer available. |
The department or college sponsoring the student’s major program is responsible for preparing a written evaluation of the student’s comprehensive examination and/or senior thesis. | |
Effective September 2010 | Narrative evaluations written at the option of the instructor. |
Note: In accordance with the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, the transcript, including narrative evaluations, may not be released to a third party without obtaining the written consent of the student.
The documents of the transcript should not be separated or discarded. The official validation, University seal, and the number of pages included in the official transcript appear on the record of courses portion of the transcript.
Office of the Registrar
1156 High Street
Santa Cruz, CA 95064
(831) 459-4412
Email: registrar@ucsc.edu
URL: http://registrar.ucsc.edu
Revised: 04/11/16
