Every medical school in the United States uses some form of grading policy to measure student performance. These systems can be complex, and it can be difficult to understand how your grades will impact your medical school career. However, it is important to take the time to familiarize yourself with the grading policy used by the schools you are considering. Each school has its own standards for what constitutes a “good” grade, and these standards can vary widely. As you research medical schools, take the time to understand how each school evaluates students so that you can choose the school that best meets your needs.
A shift in grading policies
The numeric system has been historically the most widely grading policy used in the U.S. In this system, each letter grade is assigned a numeric value, and GPAs are calculated by averaging these values. For example, an “A” is worth 4 points, a “B” is worth 3 points, and so on. The advantage of this system is that it allows for easy comparison between students.
However, the numeric system does not take into account factors such as class difficulty or improvement over time. As a result, some medical schools are moving towards a more holistic approach to grading. In this system, grades are viewed as just one part of the student’s overall application. Other factors, such as letters of recommendation and personal statements, are also taken into consideration. Ultimately, medical schools and residency programs are looking for well-rounded applicants who have demonstrated both academic excellence and a commitment to medicine.
The Pass/Fail grading policy is becoming more widely used by medical schools for preclinical courses
There are several different medical school grading policies in use today. Since the first two years of medical school are heavily focused on coursework, many schools have adopted systems that don’t include letter grading. This enables students to focus on learning difficult material rather than place energy on their class ranking. Many programs have also adopted these “alternative” grading policies to increase the well-being of their students. However, the rigors of medical school still require medical students to be at the top of their game to get that passing mark!
According to the AAMC Report of Grading Systems Used in Medical School Programs, the majority of schools since 2016 have uased a system in which students are graded on a pass or fail basis. Here, we break down the most common grading policies used in medical schools. Keep reading to find out more!
2-tier Pass/Fail Grading Policy(P/F)
- The Pass/Fail system is the most commonly used among MD programs in the U.S.
- Out of about 150 medical progams, approximately 100 schools have consistently used this grading policy.
- Pass-Fail grades typically do not contribute to a student’s overall GPA.
- A “Pass” grade has an average cutoff percentage grade of 68%. This means that all students who earn a cumulative grade of 68% or more get a final grade of “Pass” on their transcript.
- A “Fail” grade requires students to retake the course before advancing. Even if the student retakes a class in which they got an “F,” this mark will be recorded on their transcript.
- After retaking a course, students typically earn a “Remediated Pass” grade.
3-Tier Pass/Fail Grading Policy (H/P/F)
- This 3-tier system adds a layer of motivation for students to excel by including an “Honors” grade (Honors, Pass, Fail).
- A “Pass” grade is an average of 68% or more, similar to the 2-tier Pass/Fail system.
- A “Fail” grade also requires students to retake a course before they can move onto the next semester of classes.
Although these two Pass/Fail systems are similar, the 3-tier Pass/Fail system adds some complexity to grading. It is common for schools that employ a 3-tier Pass/Fail system to rank students in the top 20-25% of their class. These are typically students who recieve “Honors.” Some students may prefer a program with an Honors opportunity. However, others might see this grading policy as being too competitive between class members. It’s up to you to determine what helps you learn best!
…but the Pass/Fail grading policy is less common during clinical clerkship.
A clinical clerkship is a medical student’s opportunity to gain practical experience in patient care. Unlike the classroom environment of medical school, clinical clerkships take place in real-world medical settings such as hospitals and clinics. As a result, the stakes are higher and the pressure to perform is intense. For many students, the thought of not passing a clinical clerkship is simply too much to bear. Fortunately, the pass/fail grading policy is less common during clinical clerkships.
In most cases, students are graded on a scale of honors, high pass, pass, or fail. This allows for a more nuanced evaluation of student performance and gives students a better chance of success. As always, residency placement is highly competitive, but the clinical clerkship grade is just one factor that medical schools will consider when making their decisions. Ultimately, each student’s goal should be to gain the valuable experience and skills that they need to succeed in their future medical career.
The most common kind of grading policies during clinical clerkship are:
4-Tier Pass/Fail Grade System (Honors, High Pass, Pass, Fail)
- Most core clinical clerkships use this grading method.
- This grading policy adds a layer of grading to distinguish mastery of material during rotations.
- Like the other Pass/Fail systems, students must earn at least a “Pass” grade to continue their curriculum.
- Here, “Honors” is typically given to students who get a cumulative grade average of 88% or above. This percentage might differ by program or class. However, “Honors,” always highlights the top students of the class.
- “High Pass,” signifies that the student has done outstanding or above average, but is not quite at the top of their class.
4-Tier grading policy may contribute to an overal GPA by assignming a numeric value to each grade:
- Honors = +4 points
- High Pass = +3 points
- Pass = +2 points
- Fail = 0 points
Most grading policies will vary, so be sure to check with your program of interest!
Letter Grade System
You may already be familiar with the letter grading policy. Most four-year universities and colleges grade on a scale of A to F. However, the letter grading policy is one of the least used systems in medical schools. Because the last two years of medical school are the most complex and hands-on, letter-grading is often used to begin ranking students.
Letter grading usually employs the following 4-point scale, where each grade contributes to an overall GPA:
- A+ = 4.0
- A = 4.0
- A- = 3.7
- B+ = 3.3
- B = 3.0
- B- = 2.7
- C+ = 2.3
- C = 2.0
- C- = 1.7
- D+ = 1.3
- D = 1.0
- F = 0.0
Most medical schools rank students in their last two years only.
How medical schools rank their medical students is a question with no easy answer. There are many different factors that can affect a student’s ranking, from their grades to their extracurricular activities. However, one of the most important factors is how well they perform on their medical school exams. Medical schools use a variety of exams to test students’ knowledge, from the preclinical medical school exam to the clinical clerkship exam. Each of these exams carries a different weight, and students who perform well on them will typically see a boost in their ranking. In addition, medical schools often take into account a student’s residency placement when making rankings. Those who are placed in prestigious residency programs are typically given a higher ranking than those who are not.
Ultimately, there is no single factor that determines how medical schools rank medical students. Instead, it is a combination of many different factors that contribute to a student’s final ranking. To encourage teamwork, collaboration, and a focus on learning clinical skills, some schools only release student rankings during the 4th year. These rankings are typically only disclosed by the Dean during residency applications.
However, schools that use a Pass/Fail system without a numeric assignment do not rank students until the last two years of medical school, or not at all.
Grading and student ranking systems vary by school. Here is a complete list!
Standardizing the grading policy allows students across different universities, with different levels of achievement, to be compared. Unlike traditional 4-year universities, however, medical schools do not rank their students on a standardized scale. Some medical schools have a Pass/Fail grading policy, while others have a 4-5 point grading policy. Medical school grading policies become even more complex because some medical schools rank their students while others do not. In the table below, we compare which allopathic (MD) medical schools grade their students and rank their students.
Medical School | City, State | MD/DO | Grading Policy | Student Ranking |
---|---|---|---|---|
University of Alabama School of Medicine | Birmingham, Alabama Huntsville, Alabama Montgomery, Alabama Tuscaloosa, Alabama | MD | Pre-clinical: Pass/Fail Clinical: Honors/ High Pass/ Pass/ Fail | No |
University of South Alabama College of Medicine | Mobile, Alabama | MD | Pass/Fail with a student ranking numeric system | Yes |
Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine | Rochester, Minnesota Scottsdale, Arizona Phoenix, Arizona Jacksonville, Florida | MD | Year 1-2: Pass/Fail Year 3-4: Honors/High Pass/Pass/Fail | No |
University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson | Tucson, Arizona | MD | Pass/Fail | Yes |
University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix | Phoenix, Arizona | MD | Year 1-2: Pass/Fail Year 3-4: Honors/High Pass/Pass/Fail | No |
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Medicine | Little Rock, Arkansas Fayetteville, Arkansas | MD | Pass/Fail | Yes |
California Northstate University College of Medicine | Elk Grove, California | MD | Honors/Pass/Fail | Yes, but ranking is only released in Dean’s letter and residency applications. Otherwise, it is not available. |
California University of Science and Medicine | San Bernardino, California | MD | Honors/Pass/Fail | No |
Charles R. Drew, University of Medicine and Science | Willowbrook, California | MD | Honors/Pass/Pass/Fail | Not available |
Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine | Pasadena, California | MD | Year 1 and 2 : Pass/Conditional Pass/Fail Year 3 and 4: Honors/Pass/Fail or Pass/Fail (varies by selectives) | Not available |
Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California | Los Angeles, California | MD | Year 1-2: Pass/Fail Year 3: Honors/High Pass/Pass/Fail Year 4: Credit/No Credit | No |
Loma Linda University School of Medicine | Loma Linda, California | MD | Pass/Fail Clerkships: Honors/High Pass/Pass Fail | No |
Stanford University School of Medicine | Palo Alto, California | MD | Pre-clerkship courses and non-required clerkships: Pass/Fail Required Clerkships: Pass with Distinction can be earned based on Stanford’s Criterion Based Evaluation System (CBES) | No |
University of California, Davis School of Medicine | Sacramento, California | MD | Pass/Fail | No |
University of California, Irvine School of Medicine | Irvine, California | MD | Year 1: Pass/Fail Year 2-4: Honors/Pass/Fail | No |
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA | Los Angeles, California | MD | Pre-clinical years: Pass/Fail Clinical years: Honors, High Pass, Pass, and Fail | Not available |
California University of Science and Medicine – School of Medicine | Colton, California | MD | Year 1-2: Pass/Fail Year 3-4: Honors/High Pass/ Pass/Fail | No |
University of California, Riverside School of Medicine | Riverside, California | MD | Pre-clinical years: Pass/Fail Clinical years: Honors/ High Pass/Pass/Fail | No |
University of California, San Diego School of Medicine | San Diego, California | MD | Year 1-2: Pass/Fail Year 3: Honors/High Pass/Pass/Fail Year 4: Honors/Pass/Fail | No |
University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine | San Francisco, California Fresno, California | MD | Pass/Fail | No |
University of Colorado School of Medicine | Aurora, Colorado | MD | Phase 1 and 2: Pass/Fail Phase 3: Honors/High Pass/Pass/Fail | No |
Frank H. Netter M.D. School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University | North Haven, Connecticut | MD | Year 1-2: Pass/Fail Year 3-4: Honors/High Pass/Pass/Fail | No |
University of Connecticut School of Medicine | Farmington, Connecticut | MD | Pass/Fail | No |
Yale School of Medicine | New Haven, Connecticut | MD | Pre-clinical years: Pass/Fail Clinical years: Honors, High Pass, Pass, and Fail | No |
George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences | Washington, District of Columbia | MD | Pre-clinical years: Pass/Fail Clinical years: Honors, High Pass, Pass, and Fail | No |
Georgetown University School of Medicine | Washington, District of Columbia | MD | Pre-clinical years: Pass/Fail Clinical years: Honors, High Pass, Pass, and Fail | Not available |
Howard University College of Medicine | Washington, District of Columbia | MD | Honors/Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory Year 3 clerkships have an additional ranking: HP (High Pass) | Not available |
Florida Atlantic University Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine | Boca Raton, Florida | MD | Year 1-2: Pass/Fail Year 3: Honors/High Pass/Pass/Fail Year 4: Pass/Fail | No |
Florida International University Hebert Wertheim College of Medicine | Miami, Florida | MD | Year 1-2: Pass/Fail Year 3: Honors/High Pass/Pass/Fail Year 4: Pass/Fail | Ranking is used to identify the top 10% and report quartiles in the Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE). |
Florida State University College of Medicine | Tallahassee, Florida | MD | Year 1-2: Pass/Fail Year 3-4: Honors/Pass/Fail | No |
Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine | Davie, Florida | MD | Pre-clinical years: Pass/Fail Clinical years: A, B, C, F | Not available |
University of Central Florida College of Medicine | Orlando, Florida | MD | Hybrid system, includes: A/B/C/F, Honors/Pass/Fail and Pass/Fail | No, other than what is required for the Medical Student Performance Evaluation (Dean’s Letter) for residency applications |
University of Florida College of Medicine | Gainesville, Florida Jacksonville, Florida | MD | Pre-clinical years: Pass/Fail Clinical years: Numerical grading policy | Students are ranked in third and fourth year clerkships |
University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine | Miami, Florida | MD | Pre-clinical years: Pass/Fail Clinical years: Numerical grading policy | Yes |
USF Health Morsani College of Medicine | Tampa, Florida | MD | Not available | Not available |
Emory University School of Medicine | Atlanta, Georgia | MD | First 18 months: Pass/Fail The rest of the curriculum: letter-graded | No |
Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University | Augusta, Georgia Athens, Georgia Albany, Georgia Rome, Georgia Savannah, Georgia Brunswick, Georgia | MD | First 18 months: Pass/Fail Grading policy thereafter vary by campus | Not available |
Mercer University School of Medicine | Macon, Georgia Columbus, Georgia Savannah, Georgia | MD | Final course and program evaluations are reported as Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory | Yes, but ranking is only released in MSPE (Dean’s letter). Otherwise, it is not available. |
Morehouse School of Medicine | Atlanta, Georgia | MD | Mostly letter grades, except 6 senior electives are Pass/Fail | No |
University of Hawaii at Manoa John A. Burns School of Medicine | Honolulu, Hawaii | MD | Honors/Pass/Fail | No |
Carle Illinois College of Medicine | Champaign, Illinois | MD | Phase 1: Pass/Fail Phase 2-3: Honors/Pass/Fail | Not available |
Loyola University of Chicago Stritch School of Medicine | Maywood, Illinois | MD | Pass/Fail | Not available |
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine | Chicago, Illinois | MD | Pass/pass after remediation in phase 1. Honors/High Pass/Pass in clerkships. | No |
Chicago Medical School of Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science | North Chicago, Illinois | MD | Year 1-2: Pass/Fail Year 3: Honors/High Pass/Pass/Fail Year 4: Variable | No |
Rush Medical College | Chicago, Illinois | MD | Year 1-2: Pass/Fail Year 3-4: Honors/High Pass/Pass/Fail | After M3, students are provided quartile rankings in preparation for MSPE |
Southern Illinois University School of Medicine | Springfield, Illinois | MD | Pre-clerkship: Pass/Fail Clerkship: Honors, Pass, and Fail | No |
University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine | Chicago, Illinois | MD | Pass/Fail | Only during third year |
University of Illinois College of Medicine | Chicago, Illinois Peoria, Illinois Rockford, Illinois | MD | Phase 1: Pass/Fail Phase 2-3: Outstanding/Proficient/Advanced/Proficient | No, other than what is required for the Medical Student Performance Evaluation (Dean’s Letter) for residency applications |
Indiana University School of Medicine | Indianapolis, Indiana | MD | Pre-clerkship: Pass/Fail Clerkship: Honors, Pass, and Fail | No |
University of Iowa Roy J. And Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine | Iowa City, Iowa | MD | Pre-clinical years: Pass/Fail Clinical years: Honors, Near Honors, Pass, and Fail | No |
University of Kansas School of Medicine | Kansas City, Kansas Wichita, Kansas Salina, Kansas | MD | Year 1-2: Pass/Fail Year 3: Pass with Distinction/Pass/Fail Year 4: Not Available | Yes |
University of Kentucky College of Medicine | Lexington, Kentucky | MD | Pass/Fail | Student quartile reported on MSPE |
University of Louisville School of Medicine | Louisville, Kentucky | MD | Honors/Pass/Fail | Yes |
Louisiana State University School of Medicine in New Orleans | New Orleans, Louisiana | MD | Honors/High Pass/Pass/Fail | Yes, by quartile |
Louisiana State University School of Medicine in Shreveport | Shreveport, Louisiana | MD | Pass/Fail | Not available |
Tulane University School of Medicine | New Orleans, Louisiana | MD | Pass/Fail | Not available |
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine | Baltimore, Maryland | MD | Year 1-2: Pass/Fail Year 3-4: 4 tier grading policy | Not available |
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine | Bethesda, Maryland | MD | Honors/Pass/Fail | No |
University of Maryland School of Medicine | Baltimore, Maryland | MD | Honors/High Pass/Pass/Fail | For the MSPE, third year students are informed of their ranking in the upper, middle, or lower third of the class. |
Boston University School of Medicine | Boston, Massachusetts | MD | Year 1-2: Pass/Fail Year 3-4: Honors/High Pass/Pass/Fail | No |
Harvard Medical School | Boston, Massachusetts | MD | Satisfactory/ Unsatisfactory | No |
Tufts University School of Medicine | Boston, Massachusetts | MD | Year 1-2: Pass/Fail Year 3-4: Honors/High Pass/Pass/Low Pass/Fail | No |
University of Massachusetts Medical School | Worcester, Massachusetts | MD | Pre-clinical years: Pass/Fail Clinical years: High Honors, Honors, Pass, and Fail | No |
Central Michigan University College of Medicine | Mount Pleasant, Michigan | MD | Pass/Fail | No |
Michigan State University College of Human Medicine | East Lansing, Michigan Grand Rapids, Michigan Flint, Michigan | MD | Pass/Fail | No |
University of Michigan Medical School | Ann Arbor, Michigan | MD | Pre-clerkship: Satisfactory/fail Clerkship: Honors/High Pass/Pass/Fail | No |
Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine | Rochester, Michigan | MD | Year 1-2: Honors/Pass/Pass with Remediation/Fail Year 3-4: Honors/High Pass/Pass/Pass with Remediation/Fail | Students are ranked in quartiles for Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE) |
Wayne State University School of Medicine | Detroit, Michigan | MD | Pass/Fail with honors | Participate in AOA |
Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine | Kalamazoo, Michigan | MD | Year 1-2: Pass/Fail Year 3-4: Honors/High Pass/Pass/Fail | No |
University of Minnesota Medical School | Minneapolis, Minnesota Duluth, Minnesota | MD | Year 1-2: Pass/No Pass Year 3-4: Honors/Excellent/Satisfactory/No Pass | No |
University of Mississippi School of Medicine | Jacksonville, Mississippi | MD | 4 point scale | No |
Saint Louis University School of Medicine | St. Louis, Missouri | MD | Year 1-2: Pass/Fail Year 3-4: Honors/Near-Honors/Pass/Fail | No |
University of Missouri- Columbia School of Medicine | Columbia, Missouri | MD | Year 1: Satisfactory/ Unsatisfactory Year 2: Honors/ Satisfactory/ Unsatisfactory Year 3-4: Honors/ Letters of Commendation/ Satisfactory/ Unsatisfactory | Graduates are ranked into 1 of 5 groups: Exemplary, Superior, Very Strong, Strong, and Satisfactory |
University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine | Kansas City, Missouri | MD | Not Available | No |
Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine | St. Louis, Missouri | MD | Phase 1: Pass/Fail Phase 2-3: Variable | No |
Creighton University School of Medicine | Omaha, Nebraska | MD | Honors/Pass/Fail | No |
University of Nebraska College of Medicine | Omaha, Nebraska | MD | Pass/Fail | Students are ranked according to their performance under the Pass/Fail grading policy. |
University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Medicine | Las Vegas, Nevada | MD | Pre-clinical years: Pass/Fail Clinical years: Honors, High Pass, Pass, and Fail | No |
University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine | Reno, Nevada | MD | Year 1-2: Pass/Fail Year 3-4: Honors/High Pass/Pass/Fail | Not available |
Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth | Hanover, New Hampshire | MD | Pre-clerkship: Pass/Fail Clerkship: Honors, High Pass, Pass, and Fail | No |
Cooper Medical School of Rowan University | Camden, New Jersey | MD | Year 1-2: Pass/ Unsatisfactory Year 3-4: Pass/ High Pass/ Honors/ Unsatisfactory | No |
Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine | Nutley, New Jersey | MD | Pre-clerkship: Pass/Fail Clerkship: Honors, High Pass, Pass, and Fail | No |
Rutgers New Jersey Medical School | Newark, New Jersey | MD | Year 1-2: Pass/Conditional Pass/Fail Year 3-4: Honors/High Pass/Pass/Fail/Incomplete | No |
Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School | Piscataway, New Jersey New Brunswick, New Jersey | MD | Pre-clerkship: Pass/Fail Clerkship: Honors, High Pass, Pass, and Fail | No |
University of New Mexico School of Medicine | Albuquerque, New Mexico | MD | Phase 1: Credit/No Credit Phase 2-3: Letter Grade | Students are ranked in Phase 2 only. |
Albany Medical College | Albany, New York | MD | Excellent with Honors/Excellent/Good/Marginal/Unsatisfactory | Yes, but student ranking is not shared outside of the university. |
Albert Einstein College of Medicine | The Bronx, New York | MD | Pre-clinical years: Pass/ Fail Clinical years: Honors/High Pass/Pass/Low Pass/Fail | No |
Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons | Manhattan, New York | MD | Fundamentals: Pass/Fail Clinical: Honors/High Pass/Pass/Fail | Not available |
CUNY School of Medicine | New York, New York | MD | Year 1-3: A, B, C, F Year 4-5: Pass/Fail Year 6-7: Honors/High Pass/Pass/Fail | No |
Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell | Hempstead, New York | MD | Core Courses: Pass/Fail Clinical Clerkship first 100 weeks: Pass/Fail Clinical Clerkship second100 weeks: Honors/High Pass/Pass/Fail/Conditional Pass | No |
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai | Manhattan, New York | MD | Year 1-2: Pass/Fail Year 3-4: Honors/High Pass/Pass/Fail | No |
New York Medical College | Valhalla, New York | MD | Pre-clerkship courses: Pass/Fail Required clerkships: Honors/High Pass/Pass/Fail Elective clerkships: Credit/No Credit | Students are ranked in quartiles for Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE) |
New York Grossman University School of Medicine | Manhattan, New York | MD | Pre-clerkship courses and non-required clerkships: Pass/ Fail Required Clerkships: Honors/ High Pass/Pass/ Fail | No |
New York University Long Island School of Medicine | Mineola, New York | MD | Phase I (Pre-Clerkship): Pass/Fail Phase II (Clerkship): Honors/ High Pass/Pass/ Fail | Not available |
Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University | Stony Brook, New York | MD | In Phase 1, Biomedical Building Blocks, ICM, TiME, and MCS are graded Pass/Fail. The integrated pathophysiology courses in Phase 1 are graded High Pass/Pass/Fail. Phase 2 and Phase 3 clinical courses are graded Honors/High Pass/Pass/Low Pass/Fail | No |
State University of New York Upstate Medical University | Syracuse, New York | MD | Year 1-2: Pass/Fail Year 3-4: Honors/High Pass/Pass/Fail | Yes, at the end of third year |
State University of New York Downstate Medical Center College of Medicine | Brooklyn, New York | MD | Pre-clinical: Pass/Fail Clinical: 5-tier grading policy | Yes |
Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo | Buffalo, New York | MD | Year 1-2: Pass/Fail Year 3-4: Honors/High Satisfactory/Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory | No |
University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry | Rochester, New York | MD | Pre-clerkship courses: Pass/ Fail Required clerkships: Honors, High Pass, Pass, and Fail | Students are ranked in the MSPE into 1 of 4 groups: Outstanding (20%), Excellent (20%), Very Good (55%) and Good (5%) |
Weill Cornell Medical College | Manhattan, New York | MD | Pre-clerkship courses: Pass/ Fail Clerkships: Honors, High Pass, Pass, and Fail | No |
Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University | Greenville, North Carolina | MD | Letter grading for all years: A, B, C, F | No |
Duke University School of Medicine | Durham, North Carolina | MD | Year 1: Pass/ Fail Year 2-4: Honors/Pass/Fail | No |
University of North Carolina School of Medicine | Chapel Hill, North Carolina | MD | Year 1-2: Pass/Fail Year 3-4: Honors/High Pass/Pass/Fail | Not available |
Wake Forest School of Medicine | Winston-Salem, North Carolina | MD | Foundations courses: Pass/ Fail All other courses: Honors/High Pass/Pass/Low Pass/Fail | Not available |
University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences | Grand Forks, North Dakota Bismarck, North Dakota Fargo, North Dakota Minot, North Dakota | MD | Satisfactory/ S- (pass with reexamination)/ Unsatisfactory | Ranking is used for MSPE |
Boonshoft School of Medicine at Wright State University | Dayton, Ohio | MD | Foundations phase: Pass/Fail Core clerkships: Honors/Pass/Fail Advanced doctoring phase: Pass/Fail | Not available |
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine | Cleveland, Ohio | MD | Pass/Fail | No |
Northeast Ohio Medical University College of Medicine | Rootstown, Ohio | MD | Honors/High Pass/Pass//Fail | Ranking is used for MSPE |
The Ohio State University College of Medicine | Columbus, Ohio | MD | SatisfactoryUnsatisfactory/Progress Honors is only used internally (not on transcript) | Students are ranked in quartiles |
University of Cincinnati College of Medicine | Cincinnati, Ohio | MD | Year 1-2: Pass/ Fail Year 3-4: Honors/ High Pass/ Pass/ Fail | In third and fourth year, students are ranked in quartiles |
University of Toledo College of Medicine | Toledo, Ohio | MD | Year 1-2: Pass/ Fail Year 3-4: Honors/ High Pass/ Pass/ Fail | Students are ranked for AOA selection |
University of Oklahoma College of Medicine | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | MD | Year 1-2: Pass/ Fail Year 3-4: A, B, C, D, F | Students are ranked in quartiles |
Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine | Portland, Oregon | MD | Foundations: Pass/ No Pass Clinical Experiences: A, B, C, D, F or Pass/ No Pass | Not available |
Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine | Scranton, Pennsylvania Danville, Pennsylvania Sayre, Pennsylvania Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania | MD | Year 1-2: Pass/ Fail Year 3-4: Honors/ High Pass/ Pass/ Fail | Ranking is used in third year for MSPE |
Drexel University College of Medicine | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | MD | Pre-clinical years: Pass/ Fail Clinical years: Honors/Highly Satisfactory/Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory | No |
Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine | Hershey, Pennsylvania | MD | Pre-clinical years: Pass/Fail Clinical years: May be graded | No |
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | MD | Module 1 and 2: Pass/Fail Module 3 and 4: Honors/High Pass/Pass/Low Pass/Unsatisfactory | No |
Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | MD | Pre-clinical: Pass/Fail Clinical: Honors/High Pass/Pass/Fail | By upper, middle, and lower third |
Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Bethlehem, Pennsylvania | MD | Year 1-2: Pass/ Fail Year 3-4: Honors/ High Pass/ Pass/ Fail | No |
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | MD | Year 1-2: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory Year 3-4: Honors/High Pass/Pass/ Low Pass/ Unsatisfactory | No |
Universidad Central del Caribe School of Medicine | Bayamón, Puerto Rico | MD | Letter grading: A, B, C Some courses are Honors/ Pass/ Fail | No |
Ponce School of Medicine | Ponce, Puerto Rico | MD | Pass/Fail | Not available |
San Juan Bautista School of Medicine | Caguas, Puerto Rico | MD | Numeric | No |
University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine | San Juan, Puerto Rico | MD | Superior/High Satisfactory/Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory | Not available |
Alpert Medical School at Brown University | Providence, Rhode Island | MD | Pre-clerkship: Satisfactory/ No Credit Clerkship: Honors/ Satisfactory/ No Credit | Not available |
Medical University of South Carolina College of Medicine | Charleston, South Carolina | MD | Pass/ Fail | Not available |
University of South Carolina School of Medicine | Columbia, South Carolina | MD | Numeric (A, B+, B, C+, C, D, F) | Yes |
University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greensville | Greensville, South Carolina | MD | Year 1-2: Pass/ Fail Year 3-4: Letter grading policy | Yes |
University of South Dakota, Sanford School of Medicine | Vermillion, South Dakota Rapid City, South Dakota Yankton, South Dakota | MD | A, B, C, D, F | No |
East Tennessee State University James H. Quillen College of Medicine | Johnson City, Tennessee | MD | Mixed | Yes |
Meharry Medical College School of Medicine | Nashville, Tennessee | MD | Not available | Not available |
University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center College of Medicine | Memphis, Tennessee Chattanooga, Tennessee Knoxville, Tennesse | MD | A, B, C, D, F | Yes |
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine | Nashville, Tennessee | MD | Foundations courses: Pass/ Fail All other courses: Honors/ High Pass/ Pass/ Fail | Students are ranked in quartiles |
Baylor College of Medicine | Houston, Texas | MD | Foundational Science Courses: Pass/ Fail Clinical Years: Honors/ High Pass/MarginalPass/ Fail | No |
Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine | College Station, Texas Bryan, Texas Dallas, Texas Houston, Texas Round Rock, Texas Temple, Texas | MD | Honors/ Pass/ Fail | Yes |
TCU and UNTHSC School of Medicine | Fort Worth, Texas | MD | Phase 1: Pass/ Fail Phase 2-3: Honors/ High Pass/ Pass/ Fail | Not available |
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Paul L. Foster School of Medicine | El Paso, Texas | MD | Year 1-2: Pass/ Fail Year 3-4: Honors/ Pass/ fail | No |
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine | Lubbock, Texas Amarillo, Texas Odessa, Texas | MD | Honors/ High Pass/ Pass/ Fail | No |
University of Houston, College of Medicine | Houston, Texas | MD | Not available | Not available |
University of Texas Medical Branch School of Medicine | Galveston, Texas | MD | Pass/Fail | No |
McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston | Houston, Texas | MD | Honors/ High Pass/ Pass/ Below Pass/ Fail | No |
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine | San Antonio, Texas | MD | Honors/ High Pass/ Pass/ Fail | Internal rankings for pre-clerkship courses. Quartile rankings for MSPE |
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine | Edinburg, Texas | MD | Pass/Fail | Internal rankings |
University of Texas Southwestern Medical School of Dallas | Dallas, Texas | MD | Pre-clerkship: Pass/ Fail Core clerkship: Honors/ High Pass/ Pass/ Fail Elective clerkship: Honors/ Pass/ Fail | Quartile rankings |
University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School | Austin, Texas | MD | Pass/ Fail | Not available |
University of Utah School of Medicine | Salt Lake City, Utah | MD | Year 1-2: Pass/ Fail Year 3-4: Honors/ High Pass/ Pass/ Fail | No |
University of Vermont College of Medicine | Burlington, Vermont | MD | Pass/ Fail | No |
Eastern Virginia Medical School | Norfolk, Virginia | MD | Year 1-2: Pass/ Fail Year 3-4: Honors/ High Pass/ Pass/ Fail | No |
University of Virginia School of Medicine | Charlottesville, Virginia Falls Church, Virginia | MD | Pre-clerkship: Pass/ Fail Clerkship: Graded | No |
Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine | Richmond, Virginia | MD | First 3 semesters and 4th year electives are Pass/ Fail. Third year clerkships and required fourth year classes are Honors/ High Pass/ Pass/ Fail | Not available |
Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and Research Institute | Roanoke, Virigina | MD | Pass/ Fail | No |
University of Washington School of Medicine | Seattle, Washington | MD | Pass/ Fail during the first 18 months | No |
Washington State University Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine | Spokane, Washington | MD | Pass/ Fail | Not available |
Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine at Marshall University | Huntington, West Virginia | MD | Year 1-2: Pass/ Fail Year 3-4: Honors/ Pass/ fail | No |
West Virginia University School of Medicine | Morgantown, West Virginia Charleston, West Virginia Martinsburg, West Virginia | MD | Honors (only available to the top 15% of the class)/ Pass/ Fail | Students are ranked in quartiles during the third year |
Medical College of Wisconsin | Milwaukee, Wisconsin Green Bay, Wisconsin Wausau, Wisconsin | MD | Pass/ Fail | No |
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health | Madison, Wisconsin | MD | Satisfactory/ Unsatisfactory | Ranking is used for MSPE |
A list of U.S. Allopathic (MD) medical schools that compares ranking and grading systems for their medical students.
More Resources
- AAMC Curriculum Reports: Grading Systems Used in Medical School Programs
- AAMC Curriculum Reports: Assessment of Professional Behavior
- AAMC Curriculum Reports: Clerkships Most-Included Topics at Medical Schools