What Is a Passing Grade in College?

A passing grade for undergraduate courses is typically a D- or higher, although some schools don’t offer grades of D- and go directly from D to F, which is a failing grade. A passing grade for graduate school courses can vary by school but is commonly a C- or higher. The numeric percentage required to get a passing grade can vary by school.

In addition to receiving passing grades in their classes, students also need to meet their program’s grade point average, or GPA, requirements. Although a student may get a passing grade in a class, a low grade can bring down the grade-point average to point where the student needs to repeat the class to meet academic requirements for the school.