Grading Policy

Policy Statement:

All grading components are reviewed and approved by the Medical Education Curriculum Committee (MECC).

Grade designations at the Keck School of Medicine are as follows:

Table 1. Grading structure for all 4 years of curriculum

* Grades of Fail (F) or No Grade (NG) or No Credit (NC) do not meet KSOM graduation requirements.

** Incomplete (I) is not a grade but a temporary designation for students who have not completed course requirements and have the opportunity to complete pending requirements for a final grade.

Grading Components:

Pre-Clerkship Courses: All courses in the Pre-Clerkship Phase are graded as Pass/Fail. Students must meet all of the requirements stated in the course syllabus in order to pass a course.

Required Clerkships: The final grade for each clerkship is based on a composite of Faculty/Resident Evaluation of Students, written examinations, Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), required assignments, assessment of professional behavior, and any other required learning activities. Scores from student’s first attempt at each of the components of the grade will be used to determine the final grade for the clerkship.  Criteria for Honors, High Pass, Pass and Fail grades are specified within each clerkship syllabus.

The following conditions, when met, will render a student ineligible for Honors:

• Unexcused absences during a clerkship.
• A non-passing score on the first attempt of any graded element.
• Achieving less than four (4) Professional Accountability points as detailed in the clerkship syllabi.
• Exhibiting unprofessional behavior as outlined in the Student Handbook or in the KSOM Code of Professional Behavior.

Electives: The final grade for the elective course of Credit or No Credit is determined by the elective director.

Policy Requirement:

1. All final grades are recorded on the student’s academic record and reported on the transcript.
2. If a student does not resolve an Incomplete with satisfactory completion of all components of a course or clerkship within 12 consecutive months, the Incomplete will be replaced with a grade of Fail (F) or No Credit (NC).
3. If a student passes a second retake of a pre-clerkship exam, the final grade will be reported as an Fail/Pass (F/P).
4. A grade of Fail (F)/No Credit (NC) is assigned when a student fails to satisfactorily complete all the required components of the course or clerkship, has not resolved an Incomplete by the designated deadline, or has not met the standard for the code of professional behavior.
5. Grades of Fail (F) or No Credit (NC) will remain on the student’s transcript and become a part of the student’s permanent academic record.
6. Upon successful completion of a remediated course or clerkship, both the original grade of Fail(F)/No Credit (NC) and the grade received for the repeated effort will be recorded on the official record, which will contain both the narratives of the original grade of fail and the narrative of the subsequent grade when applicable.
7. A designation of No Grade (NG) is assigned when a student is not eligible to remediate a failing component of a course or clerkship.
8. If a student receives a grade of Fail (F) for a clerkship, the student shall be required to repeat all or part of the clerkship.
9. Students who have failed a clerkship may not participate in electives away from USC or at hospitals or health care facilities not affiliated with the Keck School of Medicine of USC until the student passes the clerkship even if the activity was scheduled prior to the receipt of a failing grade.
10. Grades for all students for required courses in the pre-clerkship, clerkship and post-clerkship phases are reported to the Student Performance Committee.
11. Grades of Fail or No Credit are reported to the SPC for all courses.

Reviewed and Approved: January 21, 2026

Medical Education Curriculum Committee (MECC)