I would say that graduate programs tend to be a bit more binary, i.e. you're either passing a course or you aren't, and the professor knows exactly who those pe

I would say that graduate programs tend to be a bit more binary, i.e. you're either passing a course or you aren't, and the professor knows exactly who those people are. And if you aren't passing, your prof. will also quietly suggest to you early on that you drop it and take it again a bit down the road. This was my experience in masters & phd level math courses, at least.