Historical Transcript Details | Cornell University Registrar

General Information
One semester hour of credit is one lecture or recitation each week for a period of a fifteen-week term (semester). In all courses, two and one-half hours of laboratory work, and in the technical courses, three hours of drawing or show work, are regarded as the equivalent of one recitation or lecture. Two semesters constitute the normal academic year.

Dean's List
Posting of the Dean's List notations began with Fall term 1971. Dean's List awards are posted for the following units: Agriculture & Life Sciences; Architecture, Art & Planning; Arts & Sciences; Engineering; Hotel; Human Ecology; Industrial and Labor Relations; and Unclassified Division.

Majors
Majors are not recorded on a student's transcript prior to 1981.

Historical course symbols

AD - Advanced Standing Credit
C.D.O. - Registrations for two weeks to take examination for graduate degree
CNC - Course cancelled after the ninth week of term
F or S before a grade - first or second term
FS - First-Year Writing Seminar
GL - In the descriptive title area-course taken at graduate level by Summer Session and Extramural students only
NA - Not attending
NE or ATT - Attended without examination
SS - Summer Sessions
Z - Withdrawal with official cancellation
* - Preceding credit hours - indicates temporary credit. Total credit earned with final grade for course appears in the term following

Physical Education

Before 1982. Physical Education courses automatically printed on the transcript. If a student took the course, the grade would be SX. If a student did not enroll in the course, the grade would be UX.

Grading

Current grading information can be found on the reverse of an official transcript or here.

Beginning September 1, 1965

Class rank is not computed in the College of Arts and Sciences

There are records of students whose grades have been partially on a "1 to 100" numerical scale (before September 1965) and partially on the letter grade system (beginning September 1065). For all such students a cumulative average under the numerical grade system existed, and that cumulative average was converted to a cumulative quality point average in such a way that rank order of every student at the time of the change-over was not distributed. Letter grades earned after the change-over are converted to quality point values and merged with the converted quality points accumulated prior to the change-over period.

Between July 1, 1933 - September 1, 1065

Between the above dates, all undergraduate grades were on a numerical scale: 60-100, a pass; 40-59, a failure (instructors decided whether this grade entitles the student to make up the work, or whether it may serve to meet prerequisites of advanced courses); 0-39, a failure.

Circle around term hours represents make up.
Circled "+" sign indicates passing mark at time of leaving to enter armed forces; full credit for the term.
Circled "-" sign indicates non-passing mark; no credit for the term.

Prior to July 1, 1933

A,B,C,D, or 60-100 = a Pass
E, or 50-59 (prior to Jan. 1922, 0-40) = a Failure
F, or 0-49 (prior to June 1922, 0-40) = a Failure