This semester the Pass/No Credit grading policy was changed to allow undergraduate students the chance to choose a minimum grade for a course. If the student earns the grade they chose, or higher, then the grade will be recorded on their transcript and factored into their GPA. If they don’t earn the grade, and receive above an F, then a “P,” which stands for pass, will show up on their transcript instead.
Deborah Machalow, executive vice president of the Undergraduate Student Government, presented the policy change to the Undergraduate Council. Machalow drafted the policy and presented it to an Undergraduate College committee which re-drafted and finalized it last semester. There was debate over whether the policy makes taking harder courses less of a risk/challenge for the student which would create a safety net.
The Graded/Pass/No Credit policy, or G/P/NC, was created to help students who wish to take classes that are outside of their comfort zone or seem to be a challenge without affecting their GPA. According to the Undergraduate Bulletin, however, this option is only available for no more than one course per term and can only be chosen once for the selected class.
For example, a business major may want to take a high-level history class, but is afraid that it might affect their GPA negatively. If they choose the G/P/NC option and select a B as the minimum grade, they are able to work towards receiving a B without stressing out if they don’tearn it.
In order to select the G/P/NC option for a class, one must log onto SOLAR and select the “Enrollment” option. After selecting “Enrollment,” then select “Edit a Class” and the class that will be G/P/NC. There will then be the option to select which grade will be the minimum in order to receive the grade.
G/P/NC unfortunately isn’t available for certain courses, including any courses in the College of Engineering, Applied Sciences majors, and DECs. It can, however, be used to fulfill the university upper-division credit requirement. The deadline for this option is the ninth week of classes, which is October 26 according to the academic calendar.
