Governors State University will fully implement a Plus/Minus grading system by the beginning of Summer term 2021. 

A group of students, faculty, and administrators had begun collaborating in 2018 about how to revise Policy 26 on Grading and Status. Section III A. Final Grade Determination 1. On Nov. 15, 2019, the group approved the new policy which reads: “At the completion of the work for a course, the instructor will determine a letter grade (which may include +/-).”  

An Interim Policy is now available, which clarifies the use of plus/minus grades. Policy 26 has been in effect since Fall 2020, with the grading option of the Plus/Minus grading system. Grading scales reflecting the use of Plus/Minus grading for all courses were to be fully implemented by the beginning of Summer 2021. 

You may be wondering how the policy will affect your GPA. Plus/Minus Grades are assigned quality points for the GPA in the following manner: 

A = 4.00; A- = 3.7; B+ = 3.3; B = 3.00; B- = 2.7; C+ = 2.3; C = 2.00; C- = 1.7; D+ = 1.3; D = 1.00; D- = 0.7; F = 0.00  

Policy 26 applies to undergraduate and graduate students admitted to GSU prior to the Fall 2020 semester. However, grades earned prior to the implementation of Plus/Minus grading will be retained, as will the GPA associated with those grades.  

In other words, Plus/Minus grading will be available only for grades earned after the start of the Fall 2020 semester. Because it has been approved as an official university policy, faculty members are required to use Plus/Minus grading in all classes for undergraduate and graduate-level coursework. 

The transcripts will include a notation indicating that the University implemented the Plus/Minus grading system for all students beginning with Fall 2020. 

A FAQ is available on the Registrar’s website, and if you have any further questions, please contact your Academic Advisor.