You must indicate this grade option — grade (ABC/NC) or satisfactory/no credit (S/NC) — at the time you register for a course. You may change your grade option for a course during the first four weeks of the semester using the online registration system. No grade option changes are allowed after the first four weeks of any semester.

A small number of courses are designated by their instructors as mandatory S/NC. Such courses cannot be taken for a grade, and are indicated with an asterisk on both the internal academic record and the official transcript. If a student has done extraordinarily well in a course taken S/NC — defined by the Faculty Rules as equivalent to an A — the course instructor may give a grade of S with Distinction. S with Distinction grades are not recorded on your Brown transcript or your internal academic record. They do count toward eligibility requirements for Phi Beta Kappa and College honors at graduation. The Registrar's Office maintains a list of S with Distinction grades for these purposes.

In keeping with the spirit of the Open Curriculum, Brown does not compute students' grade point averages. If you have questions about how to complete applications for external opportunities (e.g., graduate or professional school, fellowships), please consult with an academic advising dean.