Bryn Mawr College

Receiving & Intrepreting Your Grades

Students may view their grades approximately 3 weeks after the end of each semester through the Virtual Registrar's Office. Grade reports are mailed to the student's home address at the end of spring semester, but not at the end of fall semester.

 

The following chart will explain Bryn Mawr's grading system:

 

Grading Scale	Letter Grade Equivalent	Explanation
4.0	A	MERIT
3.7	A-	Merit grades range from 4.0
3.3	B+	(outstanding) to 2.0 (satisfactory).
3.0	B	Courses in which students earn
2.7	B-	merit grades can be used to satisfy
2.3	C+	the major & curricular requirements.
2.0	C
1.7	C-	PASSING
1.3	D+
1.0	D
0.0	F	FAILING

 

Please note that although there is a defined scale for translating between letter grades and the numerical grades on the 4.0 scale, there is no standard definition of how to translate between percentages and grades on the 4.0 scale. Instead, each instructor determines how to calculate grades. If you are uncertain about how you are doing in a class, talk to the instructor.

 

Because Bryn Mawr students tend to avoid talking about grades, they sometimes find it hard to know how to interpret their grades. As the chart above shows, the college defines as "meritorious" all grades between 2.0 and 4.0. Clearly, though, some grades are more meritorious than others. It may help students to know that somewhere between one third and one half of the class graduates with honors at graduation: honors that begin with a 3.4 grade point average.

 

First year students especially may be discouraged by their grades. During high school, most Bryn Mawr freshmen earned high grades in every subject and were at or near the top of her class. Obviously, once at Bryn Mawr, not everyone can be at the top of their class. Students concerned about their grades or just confused about how to make sense of them are encouraged to talk to their deans.

 

If you are surprised or confused by a grade in a particular class, you may want to discuss your performance with the professor. It is best to approach this discussion as a genuine learning opportunity. The most likely explanation for a lower-than-expected final grade is lower-than-expected performance on final papers or exams. Professors generally do not return final exams, but they do keep them and are more than willing to go over exams with students.

Occasionally, a conversation with a professor will reveal that a grade was miscalculated, in which case the professor will submit a grade change to the registrar, and the grade will be corrected.

 

If you believe that there is an error in a grade, and you are not satisfied with the results of your conversation with the professor, you may consult your dean about how to proceed. Please remember, though, that each professor has the right and the authority to set her or his own grading standards. Although there are procedures in place for review of a grade by departmental chairs or other supervisory figures, such reviews almost never result in a change of grade.