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Home > My School Work > Grades > What do my grades mean?

What do my grades mean?

Letter grades, GPAs, percentages – there are so many ways to track how you are doing in your classes.

In your courses, you will be given a numerical mark between 0 and 100 based on your assignments, tests and exams. These are your official marks for that course.

Your final percentage mark in each course will appear on your transcript along with the equivalent letter grade, unless you have declared the course Credit/No Credit.

To see how your final mark in a course translates into a letter grade and an equivalent grade point value, see the table below.

The equivalent grade point value for your final mark in a course indicates the range in which your mark falls. For example, the grade point value is 4.0 for a course if your mark falls between 85 and 100.

PercentageLetter GradeGrade Point ValueGrade Definition
90-100A+4.0Excellent
85-89A4.0
80-84A-3.7
77-79B+3.3Good
73-76B3.0
70-72B-2.7
67-69C+2.3Adequate
63-66C2.0
60-62C-1.7
57-59D+1.3Marginal
53-56D1.0
50-52D-0.7
0-49F0.0Inadequate
  • Excellent: Strong evidence of original thinking; good organization; capacity to analyze and synthesize; superior grasp of subject matter with sound critical evaluations; evidence of extensive knowledge base.
  • Good: Evidence of grasp of subject matter, some evidence of critical capacity and analytic ability; reasonable understanding of relevant issues; evidence of familiarity with literature.
  • Adequate: Student who is profiting from his/her university experience; understanding of the subject matter; ability to develop solutions to simple problems in the material.
  • Marginal: Some evidence of familiarity with subject matter and some evidence that critical and analytic skills have been developed.
  • Inadequate: Little evidence of even superficial understanding of subject matter; weakness in critical and analytic skills; with limited or irrelevant use of literature.

Types of Grade Point Average (GPA)

Your GPA is the weighted sum of all your individual grade point values, divided by the number of courses in which the grade points were earned.

There are three types of GPAs in the Faculty of Arts & Science: 

  1.  Sessional GPA (SGPA): Calculated up to three times per year based on your marks in the fall term, the winter term and the summer session. 
  2. Annual GPA (AGPA): Calculated once after the Fall/Winter session. 
  3. Cumulative GPA (CGPA): Calculated after the fall term, the winter term, and the summer session and is based on the marks in all courses that you have completed to that point. 

You can check your GPA in ACORN or use the GPA Calculator.

Your SGPA, AGPA, and CGPA are used to calculate your academic standing, depending upon whether you are enrolled in the Fall/Winter or Summer session, and your CGPA is used to assess your eligibility for the Dean’s List.

Your CGPA can also be important if you are considering grad school or if you are applying to universities in other countries.

  • Cumulative GPA 3.50 – 4.00: Graduate With High distinction
  • Cumulative GPA 3.20 – 3.49: Graduate With Distinction
  • Cumulative GPA 1.85: Minimum CGPA to graduate
  • Cumulative GPA 1.50 – 1.84: If you meet all the other requirements to graduate except the GPA requirement, and your GPA is between 1.50 and 1.84, you may be able to graduate.

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If you are considering graduate school at U of T, your grading scheme may be change. Make sure to talk to your graduate unit about what you will need to remain in good standing.

Related Policies

  • Grading and Course Marks

Related Articles

How can I calculate my final grade?

What if I disagree with my mark?

What do I do when I get a lower grade than expected?

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