The usual thresholds
- F (0–59%) — no credit; the course must be retaken.
- D- to D+ (60–69%) — usually passes for credit, but often not for prerequisites or majors.
- C- to C+ (70–79%) — the common minimum for major requirements and transfer credit.
- B or above (80%+) — required for some competitive majors, scholarships and graduate pathways.
Passing versus progressing
The pass line earns credit; the progression line, set by each department, earns the right to take the next course. A student can pass calculus with a D and then be blocked from calculus II. Always check the prerequisite grade, not just the pass mark, before deciding whether to retake a course.
When a pass/fail option helps
Many colleges let you take elective courses pass/fail. That protects your GPA from a course outside your major, at the cost of not counting toward it. It is a good tool for a hard elective, and a bad one for a prerequisite where a letter grade is required.
Rounding, curves and the borderline
A 59.4% is an F in most systems, but instructors often round a 59.5% to a D-. Curving moves the whole class, not just you. The practical move near a boundary is to ask the instructor's rounding policy in advance and put the effort into the last graded item that sits on the line.