FAQ on WGU and their pass/fail grading, and transcripts

This is a question that comes up frequently, so I thought I would address it in its own thread. Please understand that this is in reference to the RN-BSN/MSN programs. I have no personal experience with the pre-licensure BSN program and I do not know if they do that differently.

WGU is competency based, and as such, does not award letter grades. All of their grading is pass/not pass, wherein they state that a "pass" is equivalent to a B. Many people wonder what this translates to, in terms of what a transcript looks like.

The transcript lists the classes taken, then it states "passed" or "not passed" and then it lists the number of credits the class is worth.

After the transcript itself, it gives a "transcript key" that explains the transcript. On it, it explains "Pass" means "successful completion of a course of study. Student has demonstrated the required competencies by passing the final assessment with a grade equivalent of a B or better or 3.0 grade points on a 4.0 scale."

It then goes on to say "Not passed" means "Student failed to complete a course of study in the time allotted. To meet program requirements, the student generally re-enrolls in the course of study in a subsequent term."

Hope that helps clarify things a bit.