Grade F is the failing letter on the standard US grading scale, covering any percentage below 60 and equating to a 0.0 GPA on the 4.0 scale. The course earns no credit and doesn't contribute any quality points to the cumulative GPA. Some US high schools set the F threshold at 70 percent rather than 60. Confirm the cutoff with the school handbook before relying on the standard 60 percent floor.
What Grade F Means on the Standard US Grading Scale
On the standard US grading scale used at most colleges and public high schools, grade F is the failing tier. Any final course percentage below 60 receives an F, regardless of how close the score sat to the passing threshold. F is the failing grade. The course earns no credit and contributes 0.0 quality points to the cumulative GPA. Most schools allow a retake; grade replacement policies vary.
Some US institutions adjust the percentage cutoffs by a few points: a school might publish an A floor of 90 instead of 93, or run a 7-point band for plus and minus tiers rather than the standard 3-point modifier shift. The 4.0 GPA value tied to grade F is more consistent across schools than the percentage range, so it's worth verifying the specific cutoff with the registrar's published grading policy before relying on either reading.
How Grade F Compares to Adjacent Letters
The plus and minus modifiers split each letter tier into three sub-bands worth 0.3 GPA points each. The table below shows how grade F sits relative to the letter directly above and below on the standard scale, with percentage range and 4.0 GPA value for each.
| Letter | Percentage | 4.0 GPA | Standing |
|---|---|---|---|
| D- | 60-62% | 0.7 | Below average |
| F | Below 60% | 0.0 | Failing |
Retake and Grade Replacement Rules for an F
Most US colleges allow a student to retake a course where they earned an F. Grade replacement policies vary by institution. At some schools the original F is struck from the cumulative GPA and only the new grade counts; at others both grades stay on the transcript and the cumulative averages them together. Confirm the specific policy with the registrar before retaking, because the choice changes how quickly the cumulative GPA recovers.
A single F can drop a semester GPA by a full letter or more depending on credit load. In a 15-credit semester with three other A grades and one 3-credit F, the term GPA falls from a possible 4.0 to 3.2. The 0.0 quality-point contribution of the F is the only change; the other courses still contribute their full grade-point value, but the F's credit hours divide into a smaller numerator. The GPA calculator models the impact of an F before final grades post.
Browse All Letter Grades on the US Scale
The US grading scale has 13 standard letters from A+ to F, plus two special variants (E historical, F- atypical). Use the chips below to jump to any letter's reference page, or see the full grading scale for all letters in one comparison table.
- Grade A+
- Grade A
- Grade A-
- Grade B+
- Grade B
- Grade B-
- Grade C+
- Grade C
- Grade C-
- Grade D+
- Grade D
- Grade D-
- Grade F
- Grade E
- Grade F-
Last verified: 2026-05-09. Sources: AACRAO transcript standards, NCES grade-distribution data, and the Mount Holyoke College historical record of the 1887 letter-grade adoption. Always verify the specific cutoff and GPA value with your school's registrar; institutional grading policies vary.