Transcripts & Academic History

This key applies to most students at UT Knoxville, including undergraduate, graduate, and Veterinary Medicine coursework. It includes:

• Accreditation Statement: UT Knoxville is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award baccalaureate, master’s, educational specialist, and doctoral degrees. Degree-granting institutions also may offer credentials such as certificates and diplomas at approved degree levels.
• Academic Calendar Systems: UT operates on a semester calendar with fall and spring semesters (approximately 15 weeks each), mini-terms, and a condensed summer semester. Coursework completed before Fall 1988 followed the quarter system. For the Winston College of Law, the transition to the semester system occurred earlier, with all coursework completed after Spring Quarter 1981 recorded under the semester system.
• Academic Standing: Unless otherwise noted by ‘Academic Dismissal,’ a student is eligible to enroll.
• Credit Hour: One credit hour represents approximately 35 hours of student engagement per semester, including instruction and independent work. This standard applies across all instructional formats: traditional, online, hybrid, lab, and experiential. Credit hours and learning outcomes are defined by faculty and approved through university governance. Refer to the University Catalog for full policy details.
• Transfer Policy: (Effective fall quarter 1985) Transfer hours are counted for degree programs but are not computed in the UT grade point average for courses transferred after summer quarter 1985.
• Confidentiality Notice: Official transcripts are provided in accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), a federal law (20 U.S.C. §1232g) that protects the privacy of student education records. It is intended solely for use by the recipient and may not be disclosed or shared without the student’s written consent.
• Grade Point Average (GPA): GPA is calculated by dividing the sum of quality points earned by the sum of attempted hours for all courses receiving a grade used in calculating the GPA.

Effective fall 2025, the Winston College of Law returned to a letter grading system. From fall 2006 through summer 2025, the college awarded numerical grades and grades of Satisfactory/No Credit.

Numerical grades were reported in 0.1 increments, with 0.0 as the lowest possible grade, 0.8 as the minimum passing grade, and 4.3 as the highest grade. Grades between 4.1 and 4.3 signified extraordinary performance.

For purposes of class rank and honors distinctions, the college rounded grade point averages to the nearest tenth, although the official university transcript reflected GPAs rounded to the hundredth.

UT approved a spring 2020 temporary S/CR/NC grading scale for undergraduate students enrolled in undergraduate (100- to 400-level) courses. Students had to choose to adopt S/CR/NC grading during the last week of class before final exams were administered.

S, CR, and NC grades are not included in institutional GPA calculations.

The Winston College of Law adopted a mandatory H/S/NC grading scale for spring 2020 classes that normally would have been graded on the college’s 4.3 grading scale.

As a result of this mandatory policy, spring semester 2020 class performance did not impact a student’s GPA or class rank.

1. Match Grades & Symbols: The key lists all active and historical grades, including letter grades (A-F), honors grades (H), and grades not counted in the GPA (W, S, NC, etc.).
2. Check Credit Levels: The key explains UT’s course numbering system (Undergraduate, Graduate, Law, and Veterinary Medicine) and what special prefixes (like N, S, or R) mean.
3. Understand Policy Notes: GPA calculations, repeat course policies, and calendar systems (semester vs. quarter) are summarized.
4. Verify Authenticity: UT transcripts are printed on secure paper with built-in security features. Directions for testing authenticity are included.