Guide
How to Check Your Grades on Canvas (and What Instructors See)
To check your grades in Canvas, open a course and click Grades in the left course menu, or click View Grades from the Dashboard sidebar to see every course at once. This guide covers where every grade view lives, how to use What-If scores to plan for finals, why some grades appear hidden, and what your instructor actually sees on their side of the gradebook.
Key takeaways
Grades live in each course's Grades tab, or all at once through Dashboard then View Grades.
What-If scores let you test hypothetical grades privately, which is the fastest way to know what you need on a final.
A hidden eye icon grade means the instructor has not released it yet, not that it is missing.
Calculate based only on graded assignments is on by default and can inflate your total late in the semester.
Tools like CanvasTool make cross-course grade checks a one-menu task instead of five tabs.
Where do I find my grades in Canvas?
There are three places:
1. Inside a course: click Grades in the course's left menu. This shows every assignment, your score, the class statistics (if enabled), and any instructor comments. 2. All courses at once: on the Dashboard, click View Grades in the right sidebar. You get a card per course with your current total. 3. Mobile app: the Canvas Student app shows grades per course, and you can enable push notifications so grades appear the moment they're posted.
What do the icons next to my grades mean?
- Eye with a slash: the grade is hidden. The instructor has graded (or is grading) but hasn't released scores yet.
- Paper/document icon: submitted, not yet graded.
- Dash (-): no submission and no grade yet. A dash is not a zero, but it can become one.
- Comment bubble: the instructor left feedback. Always open these; points sometimes hide in the comments.
How do What-If grades work?
On the Grades page, click any score box and type a hypothetical number. Canvas recalculates your course total instantly with that fake score. This is the fastest way to answer "what do I need on the final to keep a B?" Test a few scenarios, then click the revert arrow to restore your real scores. What-If scores are only visible to you and change nothing in the actual gradebook.
Why is my Canvas total different from what I calculated?
Three usual causes:
1. Weighted assignment groups. If exams are worth 50% of the grade, a 90 on an exam moves your total far more than a 90 on homework. Check the Assignments page for the weight breakdown. 2. "Calculate based only on graded assignments" is checked by default on your Grades page. Your total ignores everything not yet graded. Uncheck it to see your grade if every missing item became a zero, which is the more honest number late in the semester. 3. Dropped scores. Some instructors drop the lowest quiz or homework automatically. Dropped items show with a faded score.
Why can't I see a grade my classmate can see?
Instructors can post grades to everyone at once or gradually as they finish grading. If a classmate has a score and you don't, your submission may simply not be graded yet. If the assignment shows the hidden (eye) icon for you, wait; if it's been unusually long, message the instructor through the Inbox.
What can instructors see on their side?
The instructor's gradebook shows every student's scores, submission times, and late/missing flags. Beyond grades, Canvas gives instructors access to course activity data: total page views, participation counts, and per-assignment access logs. What they see is broader than most students assume, and worth understanding before you rely on assumptions. We cover it fully in what instructors can see on Canvas.
How can I check grades faster across all my courses?
If you're checking five courses' grades every day, the built-in views involve a lot of clicking. Some students set up the mobile app notifications; others use browser tools. CanvasTool is a paid extension that puts common Canvas tasks, including quick grade access, in one menu on any Canvas page. The full guide to CanvasTool covers what's included.