Thesis and Non-Letter-Grade Courses in Grad School
How Thesis Credits, Incompletes, S/U, and IP Grades Work — and What They Do to Your GPA

Why Graduate Programs Use Non-Letter Grades

Graduate education is structurally different from undergraduate education, and the grading system reflects that. In undergraduate school, almost every course you take produces a letter grade that enters your cumulative GPA. The system is built for that: courses have clear syllabi, fixed endpoints, and grades submitted at the end of each semester. The GPA that results is a reasonable summary of academic performance across a defined period.

In graduate school, a significant portion of a student's enrolled credits are for work that does not fit that model. Thesis research, dissertation writing, supervised independent study, and laboratory rotations do not have a fixed endpoint within one semester. A PhD student enrolled in CHEM 999 (Doctoral Dissertation Research) during their third year is not doing something that is finished and gradeable at the end of December. They are working on a multi-year project that will eventually be defended before a committee — but that endpoint is 18 months away, not 16 weeks.

Letter grades are also inappropriate for work-in-progress because they would misrepresent the student's standing. If a second-year dissertation student received a C in their dissertation research credit for a semester where they made steady but unspectacular progress, that C would drag down a GPA that otherwise shows strong performance in actual coursework. The C would not reflect the quality of the dissertation; it would reflect that the work was not finished yet. The non-letter grade system exists to separate completed and evaluable work from ongoing research that has not reached a conclusion.

The Categories of Non-Letter Grades

Graduate institutions use several different non-letter grade types, and they do not all work the same way:

The critical thing to understand is that this table is not uniform across institutions. Some schools assign an F to Unsatisfactory thesis grades; others do not. Some schools have a Withdrawal Failing (WF) grade that enters GPA; others have only a W that does not. Before assuming how a non-letter grade will affect your GPA, read your specific graduate school's academic policies document — not a general description of graduate school, but your institution's published rules.

Thesis and Dissertation Credits: How They Work

Thesis credits (typically for master's students) and dissertation credits (for doctoral students) are among the most misunderstood elements of a graduate transcript. Students often arrive at graduate school assuming they are just like courses. They are not.

How Thesis Credits Are Enrolled

When a master's student begins working on a thesis, they register each semester for thesis credit hours under a course number designated for that purpose — commonly something like THES 600, MSTH 699, or a department-specific code. The number of credit hours required varies by program: a standard master's thesis may require 6 to 12 thesis credit hours, spread over one to three semesters. Some programs require continuous enrollment in thesis credits from the point of thesis proposal acceptance through defense.

Each semester, the student registers for some number of these thesis credit hours (often 3 to 6). The credit hours are real: they count toward full-time enrollment status, toward visa requirements for international students, and toward degree completion requirements. But the grade assigned at the end of each semester is typically IP (In Progress), not a letter grade. That IP will remain until the thesis is completed and approved.

How Dissertation Credits Are Enrolled

Doctoral students face a larger version of the same structure. Most PhD programs require a minimum number of dissertation credit hours — commonly 24 to 72 hours depending on the field and institution — which must be completed as part of degree requirements. A student might enroll in 9 dissertation credit hours per semester for several years.

These credits are graded IP throughout the research and writing phase. When the dissertation is completed and the final defense is successfully passed, the IP grades are typically converted to S (Satisfactory) for the final enrollment period, and prior semesters either remain as IP or are also converted, depending on institutional policy. None of these credits — neither the ongoing IP grades nor the final S grades — enter the cumulative GPA calculation.

The Standard Grade Point Scale, for Reference

All GPA-bearing coursework in a graduate program uses the standard letter-grade-to-point conversion. Thesis and dissertation credits bypass this system entirely:

What "Satisfactory Progress" Actually Means

Even though thesis and dissertation credits do not produce letter grades, they are not graded on a purely binary pass/fail basis in a practical sense. Faculty advisors evaluate student progress each semester, and the grade assigned (S, IP, or U) reflects that evaluation. Most programs have written benchmarks for what constitutes satisfactory progress at different stages: completing the literature review by a certain point, submitting a prospectus, completing data collection, producing chapter drafts on a regular schedule, and so on.

A student who is consistently meeting milestones receives S or IP grades each semester. A student who is not meeting milestones — producing no written work, failing to respond to advisor feedback, not completing required stages of the research — may receive a U. That U grade carries consequences that are separate from GPA but no less serious.

In Progress (IP) Grades: What They Mean on Your Record

In Progress grades are the most common non-letter grade for graduate students actively working on thesis or dissertation research. The mechanics are straightforward in theory but vary enough in practice that students need to know the specific rules at their institution.

How IP Grades Work

An IP grade is assigned at the end of a semester in which the enrolled work has not reached a gradeable conclusion. The student is still actively working on the project, and the faculty supervisor has determined that the work is proceeding satisfactorily — just not finished. The IP holds the student's enrollment in good standing for that course without assigning a quality point value.

IP grades do not expire in the same way Incomplete grades do. A dissertation student may accumulate IP grades in DISS 999 across six or seven semesters before the dissertation is defended. Those IPs sit on the transcript, accumulating credit hours and enrollment history, until the final grade is assigned.

IP and GPA Calculations

When you calculate your graduate GPA using tools like the graduate GPA calculator, IP-graded courses are excluded entirely. The GPA formula:

Credit hours for IP-graded courses do not enter the denominator. Quality points for those courses (zero, since no letter grade was assigned) do not enter the numerator. The IP credits are invisible to the GPA calculation, which is exactly what the system intends: they represent ongoing work that has no grade yet.

When IP Grades Are Resolved

IP grades for dissertation research are resolved when the dissertation is defended and approved. At that point, the registrar typically updates the final semester's enrollment to reflect an S (Satisfactory) grade. Earlier semesters of IP enrollment may or may not be updated depending on institutional policy — some schools convert all prior IP dissertation credits to S upon defense; others leave them as IP permanently.

For thesis credits, the resolution typically happens when the thesis defense is passed and the thesis is approved by the graduate school. Again, the final grade is usually S, and the change is processed through the registrar once the graduate school or thesis committee chair certifies completion.

Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory Grading in Graduate School

S/U grading (or its equivalents: Pass/Fail, Credit/No Credit, Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory, or Satisfactory/Not Satisfactory depending on the institution) is used in three distinct contexts in graduate education:

Context 1: Designated S/U Courses

Some courses in a graduate curriculum are designated S/U only — no letter grade is available. These are typically professional development seminars, orientation courses, workshop requirements, and teaching practicum courses. A student enrolled in a department colloquium or a grant-writing workshop, for instance, may have no option to receive a letter grade; the course only offers S or U.

S grades in such courses earn credit hours toward degree requirements without affecting GPA. U grades earn no credit hours but also do not enter GPA. However, a U in a required seminar may require retaking the course to satisfy the degree requirement.

Context 2: Thesis and Dissertation Work

As discussed above, the final grade for completed thesis or dissertation work is typically S (once the IP is resolved). This is a settled outcome: S means the work was completed and accepted. It does not mean "barely acceptable" or "passing on a lower standard" — an S for a successfully defended dissertation is the standard, expected outcome for doctoral work. The quality of the dissertation is evaluated through the committee and the defense process, not through a letter grade.

Context 3: Student-Elected S/U for Letter-Graded Courses

Some graduate programs allow students to elect S/U grading for courses that would otherwise receive letter grades. The rules for this option vary enormously: some programs forbid it entirely for required courses; others allow it only for electives; others place limits on the number of S/U-elected courses counted toward degree requirements. When a student elects S/U for a letter-graded course:

• A grade that would have been B or above typically converts to S (Satisfactory)
• A grade that would have been below B (or sometimes below C) typically converts to U (Unsatisfactory)
• The resulting S or U does not enter GPA
• The specific threshold for S vs. U conversion is set by the graduate school or department policy

This option exists primarily to allow students to take courses outside their primary field without the GPA risk of being graded against students who specialize in that area. A chemistry PhD student electing S/U for an economics elective is protecting their GPA from the volatility of being graded in a field where they lack background.

When U Grades Create Problems

A U (Unsatisfactory) grade does not enter GPA, but it can trigger serious academic consequences. Many programs specify that:

• A U in a required course means the requirement is not met, and the course must be retaken
• Multiple U grades may trigger an academic standing review
• A U in thesis or dissertation work may prompt a formal review of whether the student is making adequate progress toward degree completion
• Some funding sources (fellowships, assistantships) require not just a minimum GPA but also Satisfactory progress in all enrolled work — including S/U-graded courses

The last point is where U grades become dangerous even without touching GPA. A student who receives U grades in dissertation credits semester after semester is not in academic standing trouble by GPA, but they are signaling to their committee and graduate program that the research is not progressing — which can ultimately lead to dismissal from the program on progress grounds rather than GPA grounds.

Incomplete Grades: Deadlines, Conversion Rules, and the Hidden Risk

Incomplete grades are the non-letter grade type most likely to cause GPA damage, and many graduate students discover this the hard way. An Incomplete (I) grade is not a permanent grade: it is a temporary placeholder that comes with a resolution deadline. When that deadline passes without the work being completed, the consequences are immediate and can be severe.

When Incompletes Are Assigned

A faculty member may assign an I grade when a student has completed a substantial portion of a course's requirements (typically 75% or more of the work, though this threshold varies by institution and instructor) but is unable to complete the remainder due to circumstances beyond the student's control. Standard qualifying circumstances include documented medical emergencies, serious illness, death of an immediate family member, or other extraordinary events that arise late in the semester.

Incompletes are not designed as a grade extension for students who are behind on coursework, struggling with the material, or procrastinating. A student who simply has not completed assignments on time does not qualify for an I grade in most graduate schools. The I is an accommodation for genuine emergencies, not a performance backstop.

The Incomplete Resolution Deadline

When an I is assigned, the student and faculty member typically sign an Incomplete Agreement specifying what work remains, what the deadline is, and what grade will be assigned if the work is not completed. Common deadline periods:

Note: these are generalizations. The only authoritative source for your deadline is your institution's academic policies and the specific Incomplete Agreement signed when the grade was assigned. Assuming you have "about a year" without checking your institution's policy is exactly how students end up with unexpected F grades on their transcripts.

What Happens When an Incomplete Converts to F

If a 3-credit course with an I grade converts to an F at the deadline, the impact on GPA is real and immediate. An F contributes 0.0 grade points × 3 credit hours = 0.0 quality points, while those 3 credit hours now enter the GPA denominator. The formula:

For a student with a 3.5 GPA over 24 letter-graded credit hours (84 quality points), an unresolved I in a 3-credit course that converts to F reduces the GPA to:

A 3.5 becomes a 3.11 — a meaningful drop, and one that may trigger academic standing review if the program has a 3.3 minimum requirement for certain standing designations or funding eligibility. Use the cumulative GPA calculator to model the impact of any grade on your running total before assuming you know how bad the damage is.

Preventing Incomplete Conversion Problems

The most important thing a graduate student with an I grade can do is calendar the resolution deadline and monitor it actively. Do not rely on the institution to remind you. Registrar systems typically process automatic conversions without individual notification; you may not receive any warning before the F appears on your transcript.

If you cannot complete the work by the original deadline, check whether your institution allows Incomplete extensions. Many do, but require a formal petition submitted before the original deadline expires. After the deadline, extensions are rarely granted, and the automatic conversion typically cannot be reversed once processed.

Withdrawal Grades: W, WF, and What Each Means

Withdrawing from a course produces a Withdrawal (W) grade on the transcript. W grades do not enter GPA: the course is excluded from both the quality points numerator and the credit hours denominator. However, there is an important variant: the Withdrawal Failing (WF) grade, which does enter GPA.

Standard Withdrawal (W)

A W grade is assigned when a student formally withdraws from a course by the published deadline for withdrawal without academic penalty. The deadline is set each semester; withdrawing before it produces a W that does not affect GPA, carries no credit, and counts toward institutional enrollment records but not degree progress. Many graduate programs allow one or two W grades without formal review; beyond that threshold, advisors and program directors typically want to discuss what is happening.

Withdrawal Failing (WF)

If a student withdraws from a course after the standard withdrawal deadline while failing the course (or at some institutions, under any circumstances after a certain point), a WF grade may be assigned. WF enters GPA as an F: 0.0 grade points on however many credit hours were enrolled. The consequences are identical to an earned F. Whether your institution uses WF grades, and under what circumstances, is specified in the academic calendar and withdrawal policies — not all schools use this designation.

When Withdrawal Patterns Matter

Even when W grades do not enter GPA, repeated withdrawals create a record. Graduate programs reviewing a student for continuation, funding renewal, or committee formation may look at the pattern of withdrawals alongside GPA. A student with a 3.7 GPA and five W grades in their graduate transcript will prompt questions about why so many courses were left unfinished, even though none of those W grades touched the GPA calculation.

Audit Courses and Non-Credit Enrollment

Auditing a course means enrolling in it for the purpose of attending lectures and accessing course materials, without participating in graded assessments or earning academic credit. Audit enrollment has no effect on GPA for any reason: no credit hours enter the GPA denominator, no quality points enter the numerator, and no grade is assigned that can ever convert to an F.

How Audit Appears on the Transcript

Most institutions display audited courses on the official transcript with a designation such as AU (Audit) or V (Visitor). Some institutions do not display audited courses on official transcripts at all, particularly if the student registered through a non-credit or continuing education pathway rather than through the main registrar. When audits do appear, they are clearly marked and excluded from GPA summaries.

Practical Limitations of Audit Status

Audit courses generally do not:

• Count toward minimum credit hour requirements for full-time enrollment status
• Count toward degree requirements
• Satisfy prerequisite requirements
• Count toward satisfactory academic progress requirements for financial aid
• Count toward visa enrollment minimums for international students (F-1 or J-1)

For graduate students who need to take a course outside their field to fill a knowledge gap without the GPA risk, the choice is often between auditing (no GPA impact, no credit) and S/U election (no GPA impact, credit counts toward requirements). The right choice depends on whether degree credit matters for the specific course.

How Your Calculated Graduate GPA Is — and Is Not — Affected

Let's make the GPA arithmetic explicit with a worked example. Consider a third-year PhD student with the following transcript:

GPA calculation: Only the letter-graded courses enter the calculation.

The 24 dissertation credits (IP) and 4 S/U credits are invisible to the GPA. The student's official graduate GPA is 3.50, calculated from 12 letter-graded credit hours, even though they have 36 total enrolled credits on record. Use the graduate GPA calculator to run scenarios for your own transcript mix.

Academic Standing Beyond GPA: Where Non-Letter Grades Still Matter

The fact that non-letter grades do not enter GPA does not mean they are inconsequential. Academic standing in graduate school is evaluated on two tracks simultaneously: GPA standing and progress standing.

GPA Standing

GPA standing is determined by the cumulative graduate GPA relative to the minimum threshold. For most programs, this is a 3.0 floor. Falling below 3.0 triggers academic probation. This calculation uses only letter-graded courses, as described above. See the full discussion in our guide on what triggers academic probation in grad school.

Progress Standing

Progress standing is evaluated separately. Programs typically require students to make "satisfactory progress toward degree completion" — a requirement that encompasses timelines, milestone completion, and the quality of thesis or dissertation work. Progress standing can deteriorate even when GPA standing is fine, and vice versa.

A student who has accumulated IP grades across six semesters of dissertation enrollment and has not yet proposed their dissertation topic is not in GPA trouble. But they are likely in progress trouble: the program will eventually conduct a formal review, and if the committee cannot certify satisfactory progress, the student may be placed on academic warning for progress reasons rather than GPA reasons. In severe cases, students are dismissed for failure to make progress even with GPAs above the minimum.

Satisfactory Academic Progress for Financial Aid

Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements for federal financial aid add a third evaluation axis. SAP requirements have three components: a minimum GPA (usually 3.0 for graduate students), a completion rate (usually requiring that a minimum percentage of attempted credits be completed), and a maximum time frame. Non-letter grade courses interact with SAP in specific ways:

• IP grades are typically counted as "attempted but not completed" credits for SAP pace-of-completion purposes until they are resolved to S
• Incompletes that are unresolved may count as non-completions for SAP rate calculations
• U grades typically count as non-completions for SAP
• W grades typically count as attempted but not completed for SAP rate calculations

If your SAP completion rate falls below the required threshold, you can lose financial aid eligibility even if your GPA is above the minimum. This is a common surprise for graduate students who have accumulated multiple W or I grades without thinking about the SAP implications. See our guide on Satisfactory Academic Progress and financial aid for the full breakdown.

Funding Implications: TA, RA, and Fellowship Requirements

Most graduate funding sources — teaching assistantships, research assistantships, and fellowships — include eligibility requirements that go beyond simply maintaining a GPA above the minimum. Non-letter grades can affect funding eligibility in ways that students may not anticipate.

Assistantship Eligibility

Teaching Assistantship (TA) and Research Assistantship (RA) eligibility is almost universally conditioned on being in "good academic standing." Good academic standing typically requires:

• Cumulative GPA at or above the program minimum (usually 3.0)
• Satisfactory progress in dissertation or thesis work (no U grades in research credits)
• No unresolved Incompletes in required courses (many programs add this as a separate condition)
• Not currently on academic probation

The third point — unresolved Incompletes — is frequently overlooked. A student with a 3.6 GPA who has an unresolved I in a required methodology course may be technically ineligible for continued TA or RA funding under their program's interpretation of "good standing," even though the I has not entered GPA. Always check whether your program or graduate school has an explicit policy on Incompletes and assistantship eligibility.

External Fellowship Requirements

External fellowships (NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, NIH training grants, GRFP, and others) typically require awardees to maintain good standing. The specific language varies by fellowship: some tie "good standing" directly to the home institution's definition, while others add independent requirements about academic progress and satisfactory research activity. If you hold an external fellowship and receive a U grade in your dissertation research, notify your fellowship program officer promptly — most have reporting requirements and procedures for handling this, and the earlier you communicate, the more options are available.

How Non-Letter Grades Appear on Your Official Transcript

When a graduate student completes their degree and requests official transcripts, those transcripts show the complete enrollment history including all non-letter grades. What the reviewer sees depends on the institutional format, but most official transcripts display:

• Each course number and title
• Credit hours enrolled
• Grade assigned (including IP, S, U, I, W, AU)
• A cumulative GPA calculated from letter-graded courses only
• Total credit hours attempted (which includes non-letter grade courses)
• Total credit hours earned (which typically excludes IP and I until resolved)

A PhD graduate's transcript will show year after year of DISS 999 credits with IP grades alongside their letter-graded coursework. This is normal and expected. Any program or employer reviewing a doctoral-level transcript is familiar with this structure. The IP grades do not look suspicious; they look like what they are — ongoing dissertation work across multiple enrollment periods.

What Reviewers Actually Look For

Graduate admissions committees, hiring committees, and licensing boards reading a graduate transcript are looking for several things simultaneously: the GPA on letter-graded coursework, the timeline (did they complete in a typical time frame?), the specific courses and grades, and any anomalies (repeated courses, multiple Ws, unresolved Is, U grades in required work). A single W or a single I does not raise significant flags. A pattern of Ws, a resolved Incomplete that became an F, or a series of U grades in dissertation credits would warrant closer examination.

Strategic Considerations for Graduate Students

Understanding how non-letter grades work gives graduate students more control over their academic and financial aid standing. Several practical strategies follow from the mechanics described in this guide.

Track Your Incomplete Deadlines on a System Outside Your Head

Put Incomplete resolution deadlines in a calendar with multiple reminders: 60 days before, 30 days before, and 14 days before. Do not rely on the registrar or the faculty member to remind you. If you anticipate not meeting a deadline, initiate an extension request at least 30 days before the original deadline. After the deadline, extensions are rarely available, and the F conversion may already have been processed.

Know the S/U Election Rules Before You Register

If your program allows S/U election for letter-graded courses, know the rules: the deadline for electing S/U (usually the first few weeks of the semester, not the end), the maximum number of S/U-elected credits allowed toward your degree, the threshold for S vs. U conversion, and whether S/U election is allowed for required courses. Electing S/U for a course and then earning a grade below the S threshold produces a U with no credit — worse than the letter grade would have been in some circumstances.

Understand the Two-Track Evaluation System

Graduate students often focus exclusively on GPA because that is what they heard about in undergraduate school. In graduate school, progress standing matters equally, and sometimes more, than GPA standing. Consistently making progress on your thesis or dissertation, meeting milestones, and receiving Satisfactory grades in research credits is not separate from academic success — it is academic success in a doctoral program.

Calculate the Impact Before You Withdraw

Before withdrawing from a course, determine whether a W will create SAP problems (too many attempted but not completed credits) and whether your program counts W grades in any way that affects standing or funding. If you are close to a SAP completion-rate threshold, a W may push you below it even though it does not touch GPA. Use the target GPA calculator to also model what would happen if you stayed in the course and received a low letter grade vs. withdrawing.

Common Misconceptions About Non-Letter Grades in Grad School

Misconception 1: "IP grades are temporary bad grades that hurt my GPA"

IP grades are not bad grades. They are a designation for ongoing work and carry no grade point value. They do not hurt GPA. They are visible on your transcript as ongoing enrollment, which is accurate.

Misconception 2: "A Satisfactory thesis grade is equivalent to a pass/barely-passing"

S grades for thesis or dissertation work represent the successful, expected completion of that work. An S dissertation grade means the dissertation was defended and accepted by the committee. It is not a low-quality outcome — it is the standard outcome.

Misconception 3: "I grades have no time limit; I can finish when I'm ready"

Incompletes have explicit deadlines, often one semester or one year. Missing the deadline typically results in an automatic F. The deadline is fixed by institutional policy, not by the student's readiness to complete the work.

Misconception 4: "A U grade in my dissertation research is just like a bad coursework grade"

U grades in dissertation research do not enter GPA, but they can trigger progress reviews, funding suspension, and program dismissal proceedings that are independent of GPA. They signal to the committee and graduate school that the research is not progressing satisfactorily.

Misconception 5: "Withdrawing from a course always protects my GPA"

W grades do not enter GPA at most institutions, but WF grades (Withdrawal Failing) do. Withdrawing after the penalty-free deadline, or while clearly failing, may result in a WF that enters GPA as an F. Always confirm whether your school uses WF grades and under what conditions before assuming a withdrawal is GPA-neutral.

Misconception 6: "Auditing a course gives me partial credit toward my degree"

Audited courses earn no credit toward degree requirements. An audited course is attendance without credit. It does not count as a prerequisite, a requirement, or toward minimum enrollment for any purpose.

Misconception 7: "Dissertation credits don't count toward the credits needed to graduate"

Dissertation credit hours are real, required credit hours in most PhD programs. They count toward the minimum credit hour requirement for the doctoral degree. They just are not letter-graded. Completion of the required number of dissertation credit hours is typically a non-negotiable graduation requirement.

Misconception 8: "My GPA includes all the credits I've enrolled in"

GPA is calculated only from letter-graded credits. If you have 60 enrolled credit hours but only 18 are letter-graded, your GPA reflects only those 18 credits. The other 42 (thesis, S/U, IP, audit) are invisible to the GPA formula.

Misconception 9: "A resolved Incomplete always shows the completion grade; the I disappears"

Institutional practices vary. Some schools replace the I with the final grade; others show both the original I and the replacement grade with a notation. Either way, reviewers who read the transcript carefully will see that an Incomplete was assigned at some point, even if the resolution grade is perfectly respectable.

Misconception 10: "Non-letter grades never affect my funding eligibility"

U grades in required work, unresolved Incompletes, and SAP problems caused by high W rates can all affect TA/RA eligibility and external fellowship standing, independent of GPA. Funding eligibility is tied to "good standing" broadly defined, not just GPA.

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