Excelsior College uses a 4-point grading system, with each diminishing letter grade going down one point. Thus, an "A" is worth 4 points, a "B" is 3, "C" is 2, "D" is 1 and an "F" grade is worth nothing. The school does not list or include plus or minus grades on student reports for either undergraduate or graduate students. Thus, an "A+" and an "A-" will both be listed on the report as an "A."
To graduate from Excelsior College, you need to have an overall GPA of 2.0 or higher. For a graduate degree, you need to have a minimum GPA of 3.0. This is in addition to any coursework and examinations required for your degree from Excelsior.
While Excelsior College awards a numerical value to a "D" grade for coursework, it will only accept "D" grades as contributions towards an undergraduate degree if a student has enough higher-level grades ("B" or "A" grades) to contribute towards an overall GPA of 2.0.
The exam grading system used by Excelsior College Examinations is slightly different than the grading system the college uses for courses. Instead, they follow the guidelines from the American Council on Education Credit Recommendation Service. According to these guidelines, grades of a "D" or an "F" are not awarded any credit. Thus, the translation from letter grade to numeric value is the same as in the grading system for courses at Excelsior, but for exams, a "D" is awarded the same numerical value as an "F" (a zero). A passing grade at Excelsior then is considered to be a "C" grade or above.