When you register for classes, you may see the option to select your grading basis. This blog post will discuss the grading basis options and their implications.
You may take a course under A-F or S/N (i.e. "pass/fail") grading bases; however, it is important to understand your choice and its potential implications. In many cases, you can choose your grade basis when you register, but some courses limit the options available. Some courses may also have an audit option; however, this option is not recommended for degree seeking students as auditing a course does not result in credit being earned.
The University policy states that you cannot take courses required by your major or minor with an S/N grading basis unless a particular course required by your major or minor is only offered with an S/N grading basis.* Therefore, it is very important that you select A-F grading when you register for any major or minor required courses.
If you opt to take a non-major/minor course as S/N, note that you will need to earn an "S" to receive credit for a course. An "N" will result in no credit earned. Neither an "S" nor an "N" grade have an impact on one's GPA.
You have through the second week of the semester to change your grading basis for a class. You can find this deadline for each term on One Stop's Academic Calendar page.
If you accidentally selected S/N for a major or minor requirement and the deadline to change your grading basis for the term has passed, you will need to petition the CSE Scholastic Committee to request a change to your grading basis. Your petition will need to include a personal statement detailing why you missed the deadline to change your grading basis, a timeline of events, and evidence of extenuating circumstances.
Petitions to request a change in grading basis from A-F to S/N after the deadline are very rarely approved. Please contact your college advisor if you have any questions about the petition process.
*During fall 2020, spring 2021, and summer 2021 temporary policy exceptions were made to the S/N grading basis policy in response to COVID-19. Any classes during these particular semesters for which you selected the S/N option do not count toward any credit limits on S/N classes. Additionally, classes taken S/N may fulfill undergraduate program requirements. Please note, these exceptions only apply to classes taken during fall 2020, spring 2021, and summer 2021.
Please contact your program or academic advisor with any questions about these policies.
