The standard scale runs A at 90 to 100 worth 4.0, B at 80 to 89, C at 70 to 79, D at 60 to 69, F below 60, with W, WF, NCF, and LP as the administrative marks. Two overlays matter. Graduate and professional courses often set higher minimums, and MSN and DNP nursing courses require a B, meaning a 79 in advanced pharmacology is not a weak pass, it is a failed course. And clinical practicum and field-experience courses, the FNP's NSG6420 through NSG6440, the DNP's NSG7200, grade Pass or Fail on satisfactory clinical evaluation, outside the GPA. Coursework is week-organized, discussions, papers, quizzes and exams, presentations, so the ladder is climbed seven days at a time.
The scale, exactly
| Grade | Band | Points | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 90 to 100 | 4.0 | The guarantee target on every order here |
| B | 80 to 89 | 3.0 | The floor, not the goal, in graduate nursing |
| C | 70 to 79 | 2.0 | Fails MSN and DNP nursing courses outright; punitive in other graduate courses requiring B or better |
| D | 60 to 69 | 1.0 | Undergraduate territory only, and thin ice there |
| F | below 60 | 0.0 | Plus W, WF, NCF, and LP as administrative marks |
The nursing B rule, spelled out
MSN and DNP nursing courses set their minimum passing grade at B. The arithmetic is blunt: an 82 passes and a 79 repurchases the course at $660 per quarter credit and reruns it on the calendar, so the true working floor for a graduate nurse here sits at 80, and comfortable margin starts near 85. This is why our nursing engagements target the A band as standard, margin is the product, and why mid-course gradebooks hovering in the low 80s get flagged for intervention rather than reassurance. Send a screenshot any time; the recovery math is free and honest.
P/F practicums, the parallel track
The FNP's mentored practicum sequence, NSG6420, NSG6430, NSG6435, NSG6440, the DNP's NSG7200 field experience, and their kin grade Pass or Fail on satisfactory clinical evaluation. GPA relief, undiminished stakes: a Fail repeats the practicum. Our lane there is documentation, objectives, logs, clinical write-ups drafted from what you actually did, while the hours and the patient care stay entirely yours, detail at the MSN desk.
The week-organized gradebook
South University labels coursework by week, Week 2 Discussion, Week 4 Assignment, Week 8 Project, across sessions that run 5 to 5.5 or 10 to 11 weeks with identical content either way. Grades combine discussions with peer replies, written assignments, quizzes and exams in multiple formats, presentations, and the capstone family per syllabus. The accelerated sessions double the weekly density rather than trimming the content, which makes format choice a genuine strategic decision, covered with the calendar math in the quarter rhythm manual.
Playing the ladder well
- Nurses: treat 80 as sea level and 85 as the real floor; the B rule forgives nothing below it
- Everyone: read your syllabus's minimum-grade line in week one, several graduate programs quietly want B or better
- Map the session's weeks on day one, especially in the 5.5-week sprint format
- Choose W over WF when the math has already failed; the marks differ and so do their consequences
- Keep practicum documentation current weekly; retroactive clinical logs are misery
Keep the average above the rule
Send your course and gradebook screenshot. The scale read and the plan come back free, same day.
Sources and verification
Facts on this page come from official and independent sources, and anything that matters is worth checking against the originals:
- catalog.southuniversity.edu/grading-policies: the official grading policy pages, primary source for the scale and minimum-grade rules
- www.southuniversity.edu/online: South University's official online-programs hub
- www.sacscoc.org: the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, the institutional accreditor
- www.ccneaccreditation.org: Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, the nursing accreditor
- apastyle.apa.org: APA Style, the official style authority behind the formatting rules