Please direct all questions to the University Registrar’s Office:

Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) of 1974 as Amended

This record is released on the condition that the student information contained herein will not be transferred to a third party without the written consent of the student.

Carnegie Mellon University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), 3624 Market Street, 2nd Floor West, Philadelphia, PA 19104.

College and department accreditations include:

• Accreditation Board for Engineering Technology (ABET) – Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Engineering and Public Policy, Mechanical Engineering, and Materials Science and Engineering
• National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) – Architecture
• National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) – Art and Design
• National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) – Music
• American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) and Middle Atlantic Association of College of Business Administration (MAACBA) – David A. Tepper School of Business
• American Chemical Society (ACS) – Chemistry
• National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NAPAA) – H. John Heinz III College.

LANGUAGE OF INSTRUCTION

All Carnegie Mellon University courses are taught in English.

TEACHING LOCATION

This transcript reflects all Carnegie Mellon coursework, independent of campus or teaching location.

Carnegie Mellon observes the semester system (fall, spring, and summer) with two six-week mini sessions. Courses may be taught in other shortened sessions.

Each Carnegie Mellon University course number begins with a two-digit prefix which designates the department offering the course (76-xxx courses are offered by the Department of English, etc.). Although each department maintains its own course numbering practices, typically the first digit after the prefix indicates the class level: xx-1xx courses are first-year-level, xx-2xx courses are second-year level, etc. Prior to fall 2016, xx-6xx courses may be either undergraduate senior-level or graduate-level, depending on the department. After fall 2016, all xx-6xx courses and higher are graduate-level courses.

Degrees are awarded upon satisfactory completion of all requirements in the approved curriculum(a), university residency, and by recommendation for degree(s) by the faculty of the appropriate college(s).

Three units equal one semester hour of credit. Full-time units: 36 units or greater for most majors.

QUALITY POINT AVERAGE (QPA) CALCULATIONS

Carnegie Mellon University defines a quality point as a point value times units for a given course. QPAs are calculated according to the following formula:

Semester QPA: quality points divided by factorable units.
Cumulative QPA: total quality points divided by total factorable units.

Undergraduate courses are not factorable into QPA for graduate students, except for graduate students in CMU/III, DC, HC and TSB.

UNITS CARRIED VS. PASSED VS. FACTORED

• Units Carried refers to the total number of units for which the student is registered.
• Units Passed is the total of all units that have a passing grade. Grades of ‘R’,’N’,’ and ‘I’ are not included in units passed.
• Units Factored is the total of all units factored into QPA. 

CUMULATIVE QPA

• A separate cumulative QPA is calculated for undergraduate and graduate records. If a student attends for a combination of undergraduate, graduate studies, and/or non-degree studies, a cumulative QPA may not be calculated.
• Cumulative QPA may not be available on transcripts for semesters prior to 1989.

4.0 GRADING STANDARDS

Undergraduate students (and graduate students in CFA, CIT, CMU, MCS, and SCS who matriculated before fall 1995):

4+ GRADING STANDARDS / 9.0 GRADING STANDARDS

• The 9 .0 grading scale is applicable only to certain graduate students who matriculated before Fall 1995: Students in the Graduate School of Industrial Administration (GSIA, now Tepper School of Business (TSB)), the School of Urban and Public Affairs (SUPA, now Heinz College (HC)), and graduate students who were admitted to the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (H&SS, now Dietrich College (DC)) after August 1986.
• The 4+ grading scale is applicable to graduate students who matriculated in and after Fall 1995.

* CIT graduate students are not permitted to receive an A+. 

** HC graduate students do not receive D or D+ grades.

After the midpoint of the spring 2020 semester, a global pandemic caused a significant disruption that warranted temporary changes to our grading policy. These changes, which were for the spring 2020 semester only, offered broader use of our Pass/No Pass (P/NP) grading option and the acceptance of passing grades to fulfill degree requirements.

GRADING SCALE & QPA CONVERSION

We are unable to provide conversion to other grading scales, such as percentage, GPA (grade point average), ECTS, or other scales. A guide to our grading scale is provided on the back of all official transcripts. While we do provide overall semester QPA and cumulative QPA, we are unable to provide an “in-major” QPA (i.e. QPA for courses only in your major).

PASS/NO PASS GRADE CONVERSIONS

Note: After the midpoint of the spring 2020 semester, a global pandemic caused a significant disruption that warranted temporary changes to our grading policy, which were for the spring 2020 semester only. These changes offered broader use of our Pass/No Pass (P/NP) grading option and the acceptance of passing grades to fulfill degree requirements.

Undergraduates

If the pass/no pass final grade option is elected, any grade of D or above will be reflected on the student record as a P and any classes for which an R has been assigned will be recorded as an N grade.

Graduate Students

When graduate students elect the pass/no pass final grade option, grades are assigned per the student's home college policy. Students in CIT and SCS will receive S grades instead of P grades. S grades are the equivalent of a P grade, and vice versa.

Pass/No Pass Grade Conversion for Graduate Students by Home College

* See note on course numbers above.

Please see the Undergraduate Catalog for a listing of all degrees offered.

Physical Education Courses are considered Units Passed in the student’s overall semester and cumulative QPA; they are not considered Units Factorable and are not used in calculating the student’s overall semester QPA, rank in class or for academic action.

Carnegie Mellon University does not discriminate in admission, employment, or administration of its programs or activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, handicap or disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, creed, ancestry, belief, veteran status, or genetic information. Furthermore, Carnegie Mellon University does not discriminate and is required not to discriminate in violation of federal, state, or local laws or executive orders.

Inquiries concerning the application of and compliance with this statement should be directed to the Office for Institutional Equity and Title IX, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, telephone 412-268-7125.

Obtain general information about Carnegie Mellon University by calling 412-268-2000.