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CSUF grades on a 4.0 scale: A+ and A are both 4.0, A− is 3.7, B+ 3.3, B 3.0 and so on down to D− 0.7 and F 0.0. A WU (you stopped going without withdrawing) and an IC (an incomplete you didn’t finish) count as an F. Retake a course you got a C− or lower in, and for your first 16 repeated units only the new grade counts in your GPA; for the next 12, both grades count.
Applying to a Cal State campus as a freshman? The “a-g” GPA the CSU checks for admission is on the CSU GPA calculator.
CSUF’s points: A+ 4.00, A 4.00, A− 3.70, B+ 3.30 and so on.
The plus/minus cutoffs Wikipedia lists for US colleges: A+ from 97%, A 93, A- 90, B+ 87, B 83, B- 80 and so on down to D- at 60. It is not universal, so use your syllabus's cutoffs when they differ.Source: Wikipedia, “Academic grading in the United States”.
Your class cutoffs
Letter
Lowest %
Remove
Each letter starts at its lowest percentage and runs up to the next letter.
Rounding and decimal places
Follow your syllabus. A displayed percentage can round up while the unrounded score stays below a cutoff.
Only changes how results are shown. Extra places appear when rounding would push a score over a letter cutoff.
A letter typed as a score counts as the lowest percentage for that letter on this scale. Use the original percentage when you have it.
Only scales that publish GPA points can convert a percentage. Check that your school uses these same points.
Example courses. Change them to yours, or
CourseGradeUnits
Include your earlier GPA
Quality points are the more exact input when the displayed GPA has already been rounded. Do not include these same units again in the course rows.
Raise my GPA: what would it take to reach a target?
These are future units beyond the courses and earlier record entered above.
Pass/fail or a retake: what would change?
Whether a pass/fail course leaves the GPA and whether a retake replaces the old grade are your school’s rules; the table below shows CSUF’s.
One grade higher: which course moves your GPA most?
Each line raises one course by one grade on the grade points above and leaves the others as entered, so a course that carries more credit moves the GPA more. A course you haven’t finished can be marked “Planned” in its ⋯ menu: the GPA so far then leaves it out, and the projection counts it at the grade you chose. A grade already on your transcript changes only under your school’s retake or grade-change rules.
Compare with a GPA line (dean's list, scholarship, good standing)Course groups and equal weights
Set a course's group or term, or mark it planned, in its ⋯ menu. Groups are just your labels: they don’t apply AMCAS or other application-service GPA rules.
Import courses from a transcript or spreadsheet
Copy the courses from your unofficial transcript, degree audit or a spreadsheet and paste them here, one course per line with its grade and credits. Term headings such as “Fall 2025” keep the courses in their terms. Your grades stay in this browser.
Line
Course
Read as
This replaces the courses above. You can put them back afterwards.
Save my courses or compare versions
Nothing is sent to us. Untick the box to forget them.
To compare plans, save the courses as they are now as a version, change them, and save again. Versions stay in this browser until you delete them.
Open a file you saved with “Save the versions to a file”, in this browser or another. It is read in your browser and sent nowhere.
CSUF’s rules checked in its 2026–2027 University Catalog. Sources are at the bottom of the page.
Grade points at CSUF
CSUF multiplies each course’s grade points by its units, adds them up and divides by the units that count. Enter your courses above with these points already set.
California State University, Fullerton letter grades and grade points
What W, pass/fail, incomplete, retakes and transfer credit do at CSUF
A course left out of the GPA adds no points and no units. In the calculator, choose its code or “Not counted”; a code that counts as zero lowers the GPA like a failing grade.
How CSUF counts each code
Code
What it means
In the CSUF GPA
A+
The top letter grade, Outstanding
Counts 4.0, the same as an A. Plus and minus grades are your instructor’s choice, and the syllabus must say whether they’re used. Plus/minus grading doesn’t apply to terms before Spring 2005. Rule
WU
Withdrawal Unauthorized: you were enrolled, didn’t withdraw, and didn’t complete the course requirements
Counts as an F (0.0) in your GPA. Stopping attendance doesn’t drop you, and a class you were moved into from the waitlist and didn’t drop can leave you with a WU. In a class you took credit/no credit, a WU is recorded as NC* and doesn’t affect your GPA. You can petition for a retroactive withdrawal with documented serious and compelling reasons; the catalog says within 30 days after the first class day of the next semester. If it’s granted, you get a W and the WU leaves your GPA. Grade forgiveness also works on a WU. Rule
IC
Incomplete Charged: an incomplete (I) you didn’t finish in time
Counts as a failing grade (0) in your GPA. It replaces the I, unless your instructor named a specific letter grade when giving the incomplete; then that grade replaces the I. An IC can be petitioned for retroactive withdrawal. Rule
I
Incomplete Authorized: part of the work isn’t done for unforeseen but fully justified reasons, and you can still earn credit
Stays out of your GPA while it’s an I. Your instructor sets a time limit of up to one year, and finishing can’t mean retaking the course. You must accept the Incomplete Grade Agreement in Student Homepage within 30 days, and the deadline is one calendar year from the last day of the term or the date in the agreement, whichever is earlier. If you don’t finish, the I becomes an IC (or an NC). You can’t re-enroll in the class while you have an I in it. Rule
W
Withdrawal: you were allowed to withdraw after the drop deadline
Doesn’t count in your GPA. You can drop with no record during the first 11 days of instruction (the Grading Policies page says the first two weeks). After that, you need serious and compelling reasons and approval from your instructor and department chair. Near the end of the term, withdrawal is only for documented emergencies such as an accident or serious illness: the Grading Policies page says the final three weeks; the Registration Information page says the final 20% of instruction. Undergraduates can withdraw from no more than 18 units in their whole CSUF career, and once you reach the limit you must stay enrolled. Medical and emergency late withdrawals don’t count toward the 18 units; non-medical withdrawals do. Rule
CR or NC
Credit or No Credit
Neither counts in your GPA. In undergraduate courses, C (2.0) or better becomes CR and C− or lower becomes NC. You can’t use CR/NC for your major, minor or general education, and ordinarily you take only one non-major course a term this way, apart from courses offered only CR/NC. At most 36 CR/NC units, transferred ones included, count toward your degree. For fall 2026 the deadline to change grading basis is Tuesday, September 8, 2026. Later, you can petition to switch a GE or major course from CR/NC to a letter grade, but never from a letter grade to CR/NC. If you’re headed to graduate or professional school, take prerequisite courses for a letter grade. Rule
AU
Audit: you enrolled for a purpose that doesn’t need credit
No GPA units and no units earned. You need the instructor’s permission, you pay the same fees as for credit and are expected to attend, and you take no exams and get no grade. Rule
RP, RD or SP
Report in Progress (a course that runs beyond one term), Report Delayed (a grade delayed for reasons beyond your control), or Satisfactory Progress
None carries GPA units, so none counts in your GPA. RP work is to be finished within one year, except graduate theses or projects. SP has not been assigned since fall 2002. Rule
U or WF
Older marks: Unauthorized Incomplete (not given since fall 2002) and Withdrawal Failing (not given since fall 1991)
The catalog’s grade chart gives both GPA units and 0 points, though its GPA formula names only IC and WU among the non-letter marks. Grade forgiveness can remove either from your GPA. Rule
Repeated course
You took the same course again
You can repeat a course you got a C− (1.7) or lower in, including a WU, U or WF, using letter grades. You can’t repeat a course you passed with a C or better, unless it’s marked “may be repeated for credit.” For your first 16 repeated units (grade forgiveness), only your most recent grade and grade points count in your GPA. Up to 12 more units are grades averaged, and both grades count. That makes 28 units in all; going past 28, taking a class a third time or more, or retaking a C or better needs a Repeat Count Request. Both grades always stay on your record, repeats are applied in the order they happened, and repeating a course you passed earns no extra units. You can repeat one course for grade forgiveness no more than two times. A C− or lower given for academic dishonesty can’t be forgiven. Law, medical and other professional schools may count all your grades. CSUF’s pages differ on two points. The catalog says you request grade forgiveness on a form right after the term; the Registrar’s University Policies page and Registration Guide say repeats are applied automatically at the end of the term. The catalog lets you repeat a C− or lower earned at CSUF or at another school, as long as you repeat it at CSUF; the Registrar says the class must be taken at CSUF the first time too, so a community college or university class repeated at CSUF isn’t eligible for grade forgiveness. For a course repeated at another college, the catalog says that college’s policy generally applies. Rule
Transfer credit
Grades from another college
CSUF tracks two GPAs, and its pages name them differently. The Good Standing rules call the GPA on your CSUF coursework your Cumulative GPA, and the one that adds all your transferable college work your Overall GPA. The academic notice and readmission rules use “cumulative” for all your college work and “the CSUF GPA” for CSUF work alone, so work at another school after you leave on notice affects your cumulative GPA but not your CSUF GPA. Either way, you need at least 2.0 in both, and to graduate you need a 2.0 in all units attempted (other schools included), in CSUF units, and in your major. Up to 70 community college units count, none of them upper-division, and up to 90 from a four-year school or a mix for 120-unit degrees. At least 30 units must be earned at CSUF. Transferred CR/NC units count toward the 36-unit CR/NC limit. AP scores of 3 or better earn up to six semester units, and credit for prior learning, exams included, tops out at 30 units. Quarter units convert to semester units at two-thirds, and remedial courses don’t transfer. For transfer admission, CSUF recalculates your GPA on its own plus/minus scale, so a B+ is 3.3. Grade forgiveness needs both attempts at CSUF, by the Registrar’s account (see the repeat rule). Rule
CSUF GPA lines
These are CSUF’s published undergraduate lines, each with the other conditions its catalog sets. Your college or program may set its own, higher lines.
Published GPA lines at CSUF
GPA line
What it means
Also required
2.0 cumulative and 2.0 at CSUF
Good academic standing; below either one, academic notice
You’re placed on academic notice if either GPA falls below 2.0 (a C) in any semester. You come off notice when both are back to 2.0 and you’re making satisfactory progress. You need good academic standing to take a leave of absence. Full rule
Below 1.5 in all units attempted (fewer than 30 units)
Academic disqualification – warning, then academic disqualification (freshmen)
Applies while you’re on academic notice. If you’re on disqualification – warning and still below the line, you’re subject to academic disqualification. Full rule
Below 1.7 in all college units attempted (30 through 59.9 units)
Academic disqualification – warning, then academic disqualification (sophomores)
The same two steps as for freshmen, at a higher line. Full rule
Below 1.85 in all college units attempted (60 to 89.9 units)
Academic disqualification – warning, then academic disqualification (juniors)
Below 1.95 in all college units attempted (90 or more units)
Academic disqualification – warning, then academic disqualification (seniors)
If you’re disqualified, you can appeal to the University Petitions Committee within a few days of the notice. While disqualified, you can take up to 6 units in spring, summer or fall and 3 in winter through Open University. Readmission is by special action only. Full rule
2.0 overall, 2.0 at CSUF and 2.0 in your major
Minimum GPAs to graduate
All three must be 2.0 or higher: all units attempted (other schools included), units at CSUF, and units in your major. Full rule
3.5 term GPA
Dean’s Honors List
Fall and spring only, on at least 12 units of graded coursework. Your college dean’s office notifies you, and it’s noted on your record for that semester. Full rule
3.50–3.74 / 3.75–3.89 / 3.90–4.00
Cum laude / magna cum laude / summa cum laude
Based on overall performance, and shown on your diploma and permanent record. The Commencement page prints the ranges as 3.5–3.74, 3.75–3.89 and 3.90–4.0. Full rule
15 units at 3.0, 30 at 2.5, or 45 at 2.0 since the work
Academic renewal
CSUF may disregard up to two semesters of earlier undergraduate work, only when the 2.0 GPA is the one degree requirement left and five years have passed. The units must be at CSUF. It’s not meant for raising your GPA for honors or graduate school. Full rule
2.0 GPA with 12 units at CSUF
Taking a CSU Fully Online course at another CSU campus
You also need one completed semester at CSUF and good academic standing. Full rule
3.6 (freshmen) or 3.5 (transfers)
Admission With Distinction
For transfer students with 60 or more transferable units, the 3.5 is on all transferable college work completed. Full rule
To see how far you are from one of them, enter it under “Compare with a GPA line” in the calculator, or as your target in the target GPA planner.
A worked example
Grade forgiveness drops the old grade. Say you earn a D in a 3-unit course, a B and an A− in two others: (1.0 × 3 + 3.0 × 3 + 3.7 × 3) ÷ 9 = 23.1 ÷ 9 ≈ 2.57. You repeat the course at CSUF and earn a B+. Within your first 16 repeated units, only the B+ counts, though the D stays on your record: (3.0 × 3 + 3.7 × 3 + 3.3 × 3) ÷ 9 = 30 ÷ 9 ≈ 3.33. If the repeat fell in the 12 grades-averaged units instead, both grades would count: (3 + 9 + 11.1 + 9.9) ÷ 12 = 33 ÷ 12 = 2.75.
The calculator gives an estimate from the grades you enter. Your official GPA is the one on your CSUF academic record.
For any other college, the college GPA calculator starts on the common plus/minus 4.0 points and takes your school’s own. Cumulative GPA combines terms you already have, and the GPA guide answers what a GPA means.
