Pass-Fail Systems for Undergraduates

Student Option System

The pass-fail grading option is intended to encourage undergraduate students to take challenging courses outside the major field. Courses numbered below 100 are generally not available for optional pass/fail grading system. However, the College offering a course may establish a petition process to determine, on a case-by-case basis, whether a student is allowed to take a course numbered below 100 with pass-fail grading. Courses 400 and above are not available for the optional pass/fail grading system.

A student may register for no more than one course pass-fail numbered above 100 and below 400 in any one semester. Students should check the pass/fail restrictions for specific courses. Students may take a maximum of six courses pass-fail per undergraduate career if the student is on a four-year program, or a maximum of eight courses per undergraduate career with a five-year, two-degree program. If a student changes a course from pass-fail grading to regular grading, that course will still count toward the maximum number of courses taken pass-fail during the student’s undergraduate career. The optional pass/fail option may not be used for major or minor subject credit toward graduation or for distribution requirements.

Each college faculty shall decide under what conditions and which courses or categories of courses throughout the university may be taken for pass-fail credit by students registered in that college, except for courses designated specifically for pass-fail grading. Each college shall keep the educational policy committee advised of changes in its rules.

A student designates the course(s) to be taken pass-fail normally at preregistration but not later than the fifteenth day of instruction in a regular semester. Summer/Winter session deadlines are prorated according to the length of the session. Prior to this deadline, the student may transfer from pass-fail to regular grading, or vice-versa, without penalty. The courses designated for pass-fail grading by the student require the written acknowledgment of the academic adviser. Retroactive changes to/from pass-fail grading are strictly prohibited.

Since the instructor giving the course is not officially notified which students are taking the course pass-fail, a regular letter grade is reported to the Office of the Registrar for the pass-fail students. The student record reflects “P” for reported letter grades from A through D–, and “F” for a reported letter grade of F.

Under this system, the student surrenders their equity to letter grades of A through D–, except as specified below. A grade of P applies to the student’s graduation requirements but is not used in the computation of the cumulative average; whereas an F grade is included in the cumulative grade point average.

Acceptance into a program that does not allow pass-fail grading in a course is the only valid reason for converting the grade for a completed course from pass-fail to a letter grade. If a student changes their program such that a course previously taken for pass-fail grading is not allowed for pass-fail grading in the new program, the student must submit a petition to the Committee on the Standing of Students requesting acceptance by the new program, or substitution of the original letter grade submitted, or the substitution of another course. The recommendation of the advisor must accompany the petition.

Courses that cannot be taken pass/fail and are above the 100 level:

Anth 140 (CogS 140, MLL 140, Psyc 140) Introduction to Linguistics
Engl 122 Speculative Fiction
Engl 123 American Literature I
Engl 124 American Literature II
Engl 125 British Literature I
Engl 126 British Literature II
Engl 155 The Novel
Engl 157 Poetry
Engl 163 Topics in Film Studies
Engl 175 Individual Authors
Engl 177 Individual Works
Engl 187 Themes in Literature
Engl 189 Popular Literature
Engl 191 Special Topics
Engl 387 Film History, Theory and Criticism
Psyc 107 Child Development
Psyc 109 (SSP 109), Adulthood and Aging
Psyc 117 Cognitive Psychology
Psyc 153 (SSP 153), Personality
Psyc 176 Mind and Brain

NOTE: No Sociology or Anthropology courses numbered 100 or above may be taken Pass/Fail.