Policy guide
WGU grading explained: what counts as passing, and what lands on your transcript
At a glance
Last updated
WGU defines passing a course as demonstrating competency at a level equivalent to a B or better (3.0 on a 4-point scale), and it does not calculate a GPA. Instead of letter grades, a WGU transcript shows marks: Passed, Not Passed, Requirement Satisfied, In Progress, Dropped, or Withdrawn. Anything other than Passed counts against satisfactory academic progress, which requires completing at least 66.67% of the competency units you attempt. Source: WGU Institutional Catalog, August 2026 edition.
- Passing = B or better equivalent (3.0 on a 4-point scale)
- WGU does not calculate a GPA
- Transcripts show marks, not letter grades
- Not Passed counts against the 66.67% SAP completion rule
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What grade do you need to pass a WGU course?
One bar, and it is higher than most schools. Per the August 2026 WGU Institutional Catalog, WGU defines demonstrating competency, recorded as a grade of Passed, as performance equivalent to a B or better, meaning 3.00 grade points on a 4.00 scale. There is no sliding scale of A-minus through C-minus work: either the final assessment clears the competency bar and the course records Passed, or it does not.
In practice that bar lands differently by assessment type. For an objective assessment, it means hitting the cut score on the proctored exam. For a performance assessment, it means every required rubric row marked met by an evaluator, because a task with an unmet row is returned for revision rather than partially passed. Both paths end at the same transcript mark.
Does WGU give letter grades or a GPA?
No. The catalog states plainly that WGU does not calculate a GPA. Your permanent academic record shows one of a short list of marks for every course you enroll in: Passed, Not Passed, Withdrawn, or In Progress, plus Requirement Satisfied for requirements cleared through approved alternate routes such as a vendor certification, and Dropped for courses removed from term registration.
For anything that asks for a GPA, the convention WGU publishes is the equivalence itself: a Passed course represents B-or-better work. Students applying to graduate programs that demand a numeric GPA typically point the admissions office at WGU's grading policy page and transcript legend, which state the 3.0 equivalence directly.
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What marks appear on a WGU transcript?
The catalog's grading system lists the full set. Passed certifies successful completion at the B-equivalent bar. Not Passed means the required assessments were not completed before the end of the term, and it becomes part of the permanent record. Requirement Satisfied recognizes a requirement cleared through alternate coursework or a vendor assessment. In Progress marks courses designed to run longer than one term. Dropped and Withdrawn cover registration outcomes.
| Transcript mark | What it means | Counts against SAP? |
|---|---|---|
| Passed | Competency demonstrated at B-equivalent or better | No |
| Not Passed | Assessments not completed by end of term; permanent record | Yes |
| Requirement Satisfied | Requirement cleared via alternate coursework or vendor exam | No |
| In Progress | Course designed to extend beyond one term | Yes, until completed |
| Withdrawn / Dropped | Enrollment ended or course removed from registration | Withdrawn: yes |
What happens to your record if you do not pass?
A course that is not passed by the end of the term is recorded as Not Passed, including courses where the student never attempted the assessment at all. The catalog is explicit that this mark stays on the permanent academic record and transcript, and that later program changes do not erase it.
The second consequence is satisfactory academic progress. WGU requires students to complete at least 66.67% of all competency units attempted, measured cumulatively, and to complete at least one course each term. Not Passed, Withdrawn, and In Progress marks all count as units not completed, so a string of unfinished courses threatens aid eligibility and enrollment, not just the transcript. Our SAP guide walks through that math in detail.
How do employers and graduate schools read a WGU transcript?
Employers overwhelmingly verify the degree itself, not individual marks. Where a transcript is requested, the reader sees a list of Passed marks plus the published explanation that Passed equals B-or-better competency. There is no GPA to screen against, which cuts both ways: no low GPA to explain, and no high GPA to brag with.
Graduate programs are the stricter reader. Competitive programs that filter on GPA handle WGU applicants through the transcript legend and the 3.0 equivalence, and many ask for a letter or additional evidence for anything above the bar. If a specific graduate program is your goal, ask its admissions office how it treats competency-based transcripts before you finish, not after.
Why the grading model is the reason speed works at WGU
The all-or-nothing bar is what makes WGU's flat-rate tuition math work. Because a course ends the moment its assessment clears the competency bar, a student who clears twelve courses in a term pays the same as a student who clears two. There is no partial credit for almost finishing, and no grade penalty for finishing fast.
That is also the model our completion plans are built around. The plan is a sequence of assessments cleared against the bar, with dates. When we take over remaining courses, every one of them ends at the same transcript mark: Passed.
Questions, answered
WGU defines passing as demonstrating competency equivalent to a B or better, 3.00 on a 4.00 scale, per the August 2026 Institutional Catalog. Courses record Passed or Not Passed rather than letter grades, and WGU does not calculate a GPA.
Yes. Per the catalog, a mark of Not Passed becomes part of the permanent academic record and transcript, and changing programs or course versions does not remove it. It also counts against satisfactory academic progress, which requires a cumulative completion rate of at least 66.67% of attempted competency units.
Point them to WGU's published grading policy and transcript legend: every Passed course represents B-or-better work, a 3.0 equivalence on a 4-point scale. Graduate programs that screen on GPA handle competency-based transcripts case by case, so ask the specific program before assuming.
It means the course requirement was cleared through an approved alternate route, such as passing a vendor certification exam associated with the course, rather than through the standard course enrollment. It counts as completed and does not harm academic progress.
The same mark as any other completed course: Passed. The transcript records the outcome against WGU's competency bar, and nothing else about how the work got done. Coursework Ninja is independent and not affiliated with WGU.
Coursework Ninja is an independent done-for-you degree completion service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Western Governors University.
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