AST 301Introduction to Astronomy
3.27 average GPA and 42.0% A grades across 23,742 reported letter grades. Compare reported semesters and official course sources.
- Average GPA / 4.00
- 3.27
- A grades · excludes A−
- 42.0%
- Letter grades reported
- 23,742
Summer 2011 — Spring 2026 · 34 reported semesters
Source: UT Austin Office of Institutional Reporting; updated .
The grade distribution
Read the exact grade counts
| Grade | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| A | 9,966 | 42.0% |
| A− | 2,755 | 11.6% |
| B+ | 2,276 | 9.6% |
| B | 3,359 | 14.1% |
| B− | 1,275 | 5.4% |
| C+ | 978 | 4.1% |
| C | 1,408 | 5.9% |
| C− | 458 | 1.9% |
| D+ | 270 | 1.1% |
| D | 380 | 1.6% |
| D− | 145 | 0.6% |
| F | 472 | 2.0% |
A shares count A only. A− is separate. GPA uses reported letter grades; 1,957 non-GPA outcomes are excluded.
What the reported grades show
AST 301 (Introduction to Astronomy) has 23,742 reported letter grades across 34 semesters in this export, from Summer 2011 to Spring 2026. Combining those grades gives a mean of 3.27 on UT’s four-point scale. This is a count-weighted result: every reported letter grade contributes once to the course total, so larger reported groups have more influence than smaller groups. It is not an average of rounded semester GPAs.
In AST 301, 9,966 of the 23,742 letter grades were A, or 42.0%. Another 2,755 were A−. Combining A and A− produces an A-range share of 53.6%, a different measure from the A-only figure at the top of the page. The distribution also records 472 F grades. The combined D+, D, D− and F share is 5.3%. These figures help show the shape of the historical outcomes alongside the overall mean.
The latest reported semester for AST 301 is Spring 2026. Its 911 letter grades yield 3.61 average grade points and 66.4% A grades. Across semesters with letter grades, the reported mean ranges from 2.62 in Summer 2014 to 3.74 in Spring 2020. The largest reported letter-grade count is in Fall 2024, with 1,196 letter grades.
Within the AST source group, the pooled undergraduate average is 3.27 across 43,450 letter grades and 24 courses. AST 301 is 0.01 grade points above that pooled mean. This comparison combines different courses and student groups; it does not adjust for prerequisites, course level or selection into a class. Use the department hub to compare the underlying grade counts before interpreting that difference.
AST 301 appears in Fall, Spring, Summer in the reported history. Fall accounts for the largest number of its reported letter grades (13,406). These are observed reporting seasons, not a promise about the next schedule. Check the catalog prerequisites and the syllabus for the exact section before registration; a past grade distribution does not describe an upcoming instructor’s assignments, attendance rules or assessment weights.
Recent semesters
| Semester | Average GPA | % A | Letter grades |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring 2026 | 3.61 | 66.4% | 911 |
| Fall 2025 | 3.72 | 68.7% | 936 |
| Spring 2025 | 3.65 | 64.8% | 959 |
| Fall 2024 | 3.61 | 63.5% | 1,196 |
| Spring 2024 | 3.44 | 50.6% | 1,020 |
| Fall 2023 | 3.36 | 42.6% | 432 |
| Spring 2023 | 3.52 | 51.9% | 555 |
| Fall 2022 | 3.41 | 46.2% | 519 |
| Spring 2022 | 3.41 | 39.1% | 281 |
| Fall 2021 | 3.38 | 41.8% | 1,053 |
| Spring 2021 | 3.68 | 63.1% | 580 |
| Fall 2020 | 3.61 | 58.3% | 881 |
| Spring 2020 | 3.74 | 64.9% | 720 |
| Fall 2019 | 3.27 | 35.6% | 635 |
| Spring 2019 | 3.29 | 41.2% | 522 |
| Fall 2018 | 3.37 | 39.8% | 738 |
| Spring 2018 | 3.02 | 35.8% | 648 |
| Fall 2017 | 3.24 | 31.3% | 1,017 |
| Spring 2017 | 3.19 | 38.1% | 759 |
| Fall 2016 | 3.12 | 27.7% | 951 |
| Spring 2016 | 3.00 | 20.2% | 727 |
| Fall 2015 | 3.13 | 34.2% | 1,174 |
| Spring 2015 | 2.69 | 21.9% | 627 |
| Fall 2014 | 3.08 | 33.1% | 976 |
| Summer 2014 | 2.62 | 5.0% | 20 |
| Spring 2014 | 3.04 | 27.6% | 721 |
| Fall 2013 | 3.09 | 35.0% | 917 |
| Summer 2013 | 2.77 | 18.2% | 55 |
| Spring 2013 | 2.94 | 25.9% | 567 |
| Fall 2012 | 2.89 | 28.9% | 978 |
| Summer 2012 | 2.89 | 20.5% | 39 |
| Spring 2012 | 2.86 | 22.5% | 601 |
| Fall 2011 | 2.81 | 25.7% | 1,003 |
| Summer 2011 | 2.75 | 20.8% | 24 |
Historical offering pattern
| Season | Reported semesters | Most recent |
|---|---|---|
| Fall | 15 | Fall 2025 |
| Spring | 15 | Spring 2026 |
| Summer | 4 | Summer 2014 |
These seasons are observed in the grade history. Confirm the next offering in the official Course Schedule; missing grades do not establish that a course was not offered.
Catalog and prerequisites
General introduction to astronomy for nonscience majors. The solar system, stars, galaxies, and cosmology. Only one of the following may be counted: Astronomy 301, 302, 303, 307. May not be counted toward a degree in the College of Natural Sciences. Three lecture hours a week for one semester.
Prerequisites
No prerequisite text is supplied here. This does not mean the course has no prerequisites.
Catalog credit value: 3 Hours.
Read the official AST 301 catalog entry
Core designations in the catalog export: Natural Science and Technology, Part I.
Use UT’s current core list and the official course schedule for your actual semester, then confirm your degree plan with UT. The 2025–26 Core 010 guidance has term-specific rules and does not establish Fall 2026 eligibility from an old Writing Flag. Policy sources checked October 27, 2026.
Syllabi for the actual section
No section-specific syllabus link for AST 301 is present in this export.
Search UT’s public HB 2504 syllabus and CV archive for the section you plan to take. Older syllabi describe their own semester, not the next offering.
AST 301 questions
What is the average GPA in AST 301?
The reported mean is 3.27 from 23,742 letter grades. Each grade is weighted equally, excluding non-GPA symbols.
What percentage of AST 301 grades are A?
A grades account for 42.0% of reported letter grades. A− grades are separate; the combined A/A− share is 53.6%.
When was AST 301 most recently reported?
The latest semester in the export is Spring 2026, with 911 letter grades. A missing later semester is not evidence that the course stopped being offered.
Do the AST 301 grades measure teaching quality?
No. Grade distributions describe reported outcomes for different sections and student groups. They do not measure teaching quality, workload, learning or your likely individual grade.