Grading Policy
For the RENAISSANCE Curriculum, refer to the GRADING SYSTEM POLICY
The University of Maryland School of Medicine has a letter grade policy. Final grades for courses in all four years are recorded as follows unless otherwise specified by course director:
| H | Honors - An award of "Honors" is given to a student who receives a final grade of "A" and performs at a clearly outstanding level and/or who performs an additional scholarly effort. Specific criteria for "Honors" are determined by the course director or course committee. |
| A | Excellent |
| B | Very Good |
| C | Satisfactory |
| D | Unsatisfactory - "D" grades may not serve as a final course grade. They are remediable by examination (or other appropriate means designed by the course director) or by repeating the course. Remediation by examination will permit a maximum grade of "C" possible on the portion of the course remediated. A final grade will be determined by the course director. If the final grade is a "C", both the "D" and the "C" grades will appear on the transcript with a GPA of 1.5 for the course. If the course is remediated by repetition, the student may earn the maximum grade possible in the course. In both cases the "D" and the grade for the repetition will appear on the transcript to make it clear that this is a remediated course. The mean of the two grades will make up the GPA for the course. |
| F | Fail - Requires repeat of the course or an approved equivalent. Both the original grade of "F" and the grade received after remediation will be recorded on the transcript. Failed clerkships will be remediated in a method determined by the Department in consultation with Advancement Committee. The evaluations from both clerkships will appear and be explained in the MSPE. |
| I | Incomplete - This designation is used when mitigating circumstances exist; e.g., illness or unavoidable absence has prevented the student from completing the course on time. In addition, unless agreed upon in advance with the clerkship director or course director, any student who has not completed all requirements for a third or fourth year course or rotation by the end of the sixth week after its completion shall be given a grade of "incomplete." An "I" grade shall stand on the student's transcript even once a final grade has been assigned. An explanation for an "I" grade shall be included in the student's MSPE. If the required remaining coursework is not completed within 1 year, the grade will become an "I/W." |
- In the clinical years, plus and minus grades may be awarded for grades A, B and C.
- Other grading policies by specific courses such as Pass/Fail grading are announced to the class at the beginning of the course.
- Small group attendance is an integral component of all courses. Please see the Attendance Policy
Letter grades are converted to numeric values based on the following scale:
| Grade | Value | M1, M2 | M3, M4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| H | 4.3 | Yes | Yes |
| A | 4.0 | Yes | Yes |
| A- | 3.7 | No | Yes |
| B+ | 3.3 | No | Yes |
| B | 3.0 | Yes | Yes |
| B- | 2.7 | No | Yes |
| C+ | 2.3 | No | Yes |
| C | 2.0 | Yes | Yes |
| C- | 1.7 | No | Yes |
| D/C | 1.5 | Yes | Yes |
| D | 1.0 | Yes | Yes |
| F | 0.0 | Yes | Yes |
| Pass/Fail | n/a | Yes | Yes |
If a course is remediated from a D to a C by examination, a grade of D/C and a value of 1.5 will be assigned. If a course is remediated from a D to another grade by repeating the course, both grades stand, and the value of 1.0 will be used for the first taking of the course and the value of the new grade will be used for the second taking of the course. If a course is remediated from an F to another letter grade, both grades stand, and the value of 0.0 will be used for the first taking of the course and the value of the new grade will be used for the second taking of the course.
Narrative Assessment
In addition to the final letter grade, the student's overall performance is evaluated subjectively. The pre-clinical curriculum, with small group activities, allows for such assessment.. Clinical years' activities are in small groups with close mentoring. A passing grade in any course is contingent upon a certain level of attendance and participation above and beyond examination performance. Appropriate evaluation forms, including narrative assessment forms are designed for this purpose.
Timeliness of Assessment
- All final grades must be submitted no later than 4 weeks following the end of each course.
- Reminders will be e-mailed weekly to clerkship, sub-internship and elective directors, coordinators, department chairs, and designated directors of undergraduate medical education.
- All grades for graduating students must be submitted before the graduation date of that student.
Last Revision: April 24, 2020