Keck School of Medicine MD Student 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

Courses	Grading Structure
Required Courses in the Pre-Clerkship Phase	Pass (P) Fail (F)* Incomplete (I)** No Grade (NG)*
Required Clerkships	Honors (H) High Pass (HP) Pass (P) Fail (F)* Incomplete (I)** No Grade (NG)*
Selectives/Electives	Credit (CR) No Credit (NC)* Incomplete (I)**

*     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.

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 clerkship within 12 consecutive months, the Incomplete will be replaced with a grade of Fail (F) or No Credit (NC).
3. A grade of Fail (F)/No Credit (NC) is assigned when a student fails to satisfactorily complete all of 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.
4. Grades of Fail or No Credit will remain on the student’s transcript and become a part of the student’s permanent record.
5. 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 transcript. The official record will contain both the narratives of the original grade of fail and the narrative of the subsequent grade when applicable.
6. A designation of No Grade (NG) is assigned when a student is not eligible to remediate a failing component of a course or clerkship.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. All grades for all students are reported to the Student Performance Committee.

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, required assignments, assessment of professional behavior, and any other required learning activities.  Criteria for Honors, High Pass, Pass and Fail grades are specified within each clerkship manual.

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

• Failure to meet a minimum designated score for Honors on a Clerkship NBME subject exam on the initial attempt.
• Unexcused absences during a clerkship.
• Failure to complete any required assignment due prior to the final day of a clerkship and for which an authorization for a late submission was not previously arranged by the student with the clerkship director or medical student educator (MSE).
• Exhibiting unprofessional behavior as outlined in the Student Handbook or in the KSOM Code of Professional Behavior

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

Reviewed and Approved: July 21, 2021

Medical Education Curriculum Committee (MECC)