What you need to know

You can take an Advanced Standing Exam to receive credit or place into a more advanced subject level. Grades received for ASEs are not included in the calculation of your term or cumulative GPA. A passing grade on an ASE entitles you to full credit for the subject. If you pass an ASE but decide to take the subject in a subsequent term, the subject, the ASE, and both grades will appear on your transcript. The grade you receive for the subject will be used in the calculation of your term and cumulative GPAs; the grade received for the ASE will not.

Some key points to remember:

  • If you fail an ASE, you may not retake it. Instead, you can register for the corresponding subject in a subsequent term.
  • Grades earned from ASEs are not eligible for Flexible P/NR designation.
  • If you are an undergraduate on academic warning or a first-year student, ASEs taken in December or May count toward your credit limit for the term. Exams taken in August/September or January/February do not.

ASE grading and credit policies for first-year students

  • P grades will appear on your fall term record and transcript for ASEs receiving a C or better in August/September or December.
  • We do not keep a record of any D or F performance for ASEs taken in August/September.
  • A, B, or C letter grades will appear on your spring term record and transcript for ASEs taken in January/February or May. These grades are not included in your GPA calculation.
  • Non-passing D or F grades for ASEs taken in December, January/February, or May will appear on your internal record, but not on your transcript.
  • If you take an ASE in December or May, credit earned will count toward your credit limit for the term (54 units plus 6 units of First Year Discovery (FYD) subjects in the fall, 60 units plus 6 units of FYD subjects in the spring).
  • If you take an ASE during IAP, credit earned will not count toward the IAP credit limit of 12 units.

ASE grading policies for upperclassmen and graduate students

ASE grades (A-F) will appear on your transcript. They are not included in the calculation of your GPA.