COVID-19 Grading Policy
In light of the significant challenges posed by the COVID-19 virus, eligible students have the option of converting letter grades to Pass/No Credit within seven days after their grades have been posted.
Reason for Policy
This policy supports students in working to their highest academic potential while reducing any concern that the circumstances brought about by the pandemic might negatively impact their grades and GPA.
Who Is Governed by this Policy
Students, faculty, staff, and administration.
Policy
Before submitting grade change requests, students will consult with an academic advisor and Student Financial Services to understand the potential impact on financial aid, certification requirements, NCAA eligibility, graduate school applications, joint program articulation agreements, Latin Honors eligibility, Dean’s List eligibility, and related questions.
- In most cases any letter grade of C- or higher can be converted to a “Pass” [P], while any lower grades can convert to a special “No Credit” [NC] designation.
- For reasons related to professional certification requirements, students in certain majors and programs will have restrictions on how this Pass/No Credit policy will apply to their own degree requirements (departments will be reaching out to their students soon to provide information about the impact and relevance of this policy in each major/program). These include:
- Nursing
- Accounting
- Scholar Teacher Education Program (STEP)
- Physical Education, Art Education, and Music Education
- Communication Sciences and Disorders
- Pass and No Credit grades will not have an impact on student GPA.
- For Fall 2020, classes in which a student earns a “Pass” can be applied to General Education and Foreign Language requirements.
- For Fall 2020, classes in which a student earns a “Pass” can be applied to major/minor/program degree requirements (with possible exceptions in the above majors/programs).
- Restrictions on Pass/Fail classes related to academic probation and independent studies will not apply to students opting for Pass/No Credit for Fall 2020.
- While this policy applies only to undergraduate students, some graduate programs are establishing Pass/No Credit policies for Fall 2020 and will be communicating those to their students soon.
Due to the challenges students are facing this semester, the University has released a potential modification to the Fall 2020 grading policy to include a Pass/ No Credit option. In the professional schools, regulatory and licensing requirements differ for each major. As a result, each individual program must define parameters that are acceptable for their student’s professional plan of study.
The faculty of the College of Nursing and Public Health have identified the following policy regarding classes required for the major in the undergraduate baccalaureate program (Fall 2020 semester only). Students will have the option of converting letter grades in selected classes to Pass/ No Credit within seven days after their grades have been posted while adhering to the following guidelines:
- The option of “Pass/ No Credit” does not apply to nursing (NUR) courses required for the major. Students enrolled in these courses will receive a letter grade.
- For ONE science pre-requisite course that a student is enrolled in during the Fall 2020 semester, a letter grade of C+ or higher can be converted to a “Pass [P], while a lower grade can convert to a special “No Credit” [NC] designation. This applies to the following science prerequisite courses*:
- Anatomy and Physiology I and II (BIO 203 and BIO 204)
- Chemistry 109 (CHE 109)
- Microbiology (BIO 208)
- Genetics (BIO 209)
- Pathophysiology (BIO 210)
*This option can be exercised for ONE of the above science courses during the Fall 2020 semester.
- For the following other pre-requisite courses, any letter grade of C or higher can be converted to a “Pass [P], while any lower grades can convert to a special “No Credit” [NC] designation.
- Statistics (MTH 113)
- Lifespan development (PIA 114)
- Students who choose a “No Credit” grade for Fall 2020 will have to repeat the course. There will be no impact on the overall cumulative GPA if this option is chosen. The designation of “No Credit” will not be counted towards the policy of dismissal for failure of more than one science course.
- Students who choose a “Pass” grade for one pre-requisite science course in Fall 2020 will receive academic credit and the course will be applied to their major requirements.
- Before submitting grade change requests, students should consult with their academic advisor and Student Financial Services to understand the potential impact on financial aid, certification requirements, NCAA eligibility, graduate school applications, joint program articulation agreements, Latin Honors eligibility, Dean’s List eligibility, and related questions.
- Important note: Not all nursing graduate schools will accept a grade of “P” on a prerequisite science course. If choosing this option, students should be fully aware of the potential impact it may have on graduate school admission.
This policy is applicable to undergraduate students, with exceptions/restrictions based on course/program as described in college/school procedures. College/school procedures may also make this policy applicable to graduate students, with possible exceptions/restrictions.
Students in eligible programs/courses have seven days after grades have been posted to request a conversion of the assigned grade to a P (Pass) or NC (No Credit).
Before submitting requests, students consult with advisors regarding potential impact on program and other requirements.
Grades of P earned during the Spring 2020 semester may be applied to General Education, Foreign Language, and major/minor/program degree requirements, with possible exceptions in Nursing, Accounting, Scholar Teacher Education Program (STEP), Physical Education, Art Education, Music Education, and Communication Sciences and Disorders.
Restrictions on Pass/Fail classes related to academic probation and independent studies will not apply to students opting for Pass/No Credit for Spring 2020.
Definitions
- Pass: For Spring 2020, this reflects a grade of C- or higher, with exceptions as outlined in college/school procedures. This grade is recorded on the academic transcript with the designation of P. Applicable semester credit hours count as earned credit. The grade of P is not included in GPA calculations.
- No Credit: This reflects a grade lower than C-, with exceptions as outlined in college/school procedures. This grade is recorded on the academic transcript with the designation of NC. No semester credit hours are earned. The grade of NC is not included in GPA calculations.
Procedures
College of Arts and Sciences: Graduate students in Math, Computer Science, and Biology programs may convert grades of B- or higher to grades of P; grades below B- may be converted to grades of NC. Graduate students in the MFA program are not eligible to convert grades to P or NC.
Gordon F. Derner School of Psychology: All graduate students have the option to convert to P/NC. For the PhD and the School Psych Programs, a grade of C+ or below may be converted to a grade of NC. For the Infant Mental Health, MA, and MHC programs, a grade of B- and below may be converted to a grade of NC.
College of Education and Health Sciences: In Communication Science Disorders, undergraduates are not eligible for the P grade in LIN 103 or any SPE course; graduate students in the Speech Language Pathology and Audiology programs are not eligible to convert grades to P or NC. In Education, undergraduate and graduate students are ineligible for P grades, but may convert grades below C- to an NC. In Health and Sport Sciences, graduate students are ineligible to convert grades to P/NC.
Robert B. Willumstad School of Business: Graduate students have the option to convert grades to P/NC. In the MS Professional Accounting program and the accounting concentration of the MBA program, grades of B or higher may be converted to P; grades below B may be converted to NC. In all other graduate programs in this school, grades of B- or higher may be converted to P; grades below may be converted to NC.
College of Nursing and Public Health: For undergraduate students, C+ is the lowest grade that can be converted to a grade of P for all NUR courses, as well as CHE 109 AND BIO 203, 204, 208, 209, AND 210; C is the lowest grade that can be converted to a grade of P for MTH 113 and PIA 114; grades below can be converted to NC. Graduate students have the option to convert grades of B- or higher to a grade of P; grades below may be converted to NC.
School of Social Work: In the MSW program, grades of C- or better may be converted to a grade of P; in the PhD program, grades of B- or better may be converted to a grade of P; grades below may be converted to NC.
College of Professional and Continuing Studies: BIO 204 and CHE 109 are ineligible for grade conversions for students in the AA Liberal Arts program.
In addition, each school/college has specific guidelines regarding the application of P grades toward degree requirements. Students will consult with advisors regarding these and other eligibility concerns.
Forms
Students request grade conversions through an online process located on the “Request Pass/No Credit Grade” in CLASS.
Related Information
Policy Owner
Secondary Contacts
- Regular Semester Hours Mon-Fri: 8:30 am - 4:00 pm