COVID-19 Grading Changes

To convert an existing course from a letter grade to a pass/fail grade, the student must initiate the request before 11:59 p.m. on April 30, 2020, using the online Spring 2020 Pass/Fail Form.

1. Student completes request form online. A note of explanation for the request may be included.
2. Academic adviser approves or denies the request. A note of explanation must be provided for denial of the request. Notification of the decision is due no later than 11:59 p.m. on May 5, 2020.
3. Instructor of record approves or denies the request. A note of explanation must be provided for denial of the request. Notification of the decision is due no later than 11:59 p.m. on May 5, 2020.
4. If all approvals are granted, the registrar will process the change.
5. If all approvals are NOT granted, the student has the option to continue in the course and earn the letter grade, drop the course, or pursue an appeal of the decision as follows: Appeal Process: appeal of the decision must be made by May 31, 2020. The student should first discuss the matter with the instructor of the course involved. If the matter is not satisfactorily settled, the student should then discuss the matter with the chair of the department in which the course was offered. If the matter is not satisfactorily resolved by the chair, or if the chair is the actual instructor of record, the student should then make a written appeal to the dean of the college in which the course was offered, including a clear statement of the problem and arguments or evidence to support the student's appeal. The dean will discuss the matter with the student, with the instructor of record, and with the department chair, and will attempt to resolve the matter and render a decision. A final complaint in written form may be submitted to the provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs. An appeal committee of five, as a subset of the Academic Standards Committee, approved by the Academic Standards Committee, will hear the complaint and make a recommendation to the Provost's Office. The student may be accompanied by another person of their choice at any stage of the complaint process.

Courses taken as pass/fail during this period would be accepted for major (and minor) and General Education credits.

Upon receipt of all required approvals, if the student passes the course with a letter grade of "D" or higher, they will receive instead an "S" grade (for satisfactory) and the course will count towards total credit earned, but the grade does not count in their GPA. If a student does not pass the course, they will receive a "U" grade (for unsatisfactory), which is treated as an "F" and does affect the student's GPA.

No, a student may choose to convert an unlimited number of undergraduate courses to a pass/fail grade for courses taken during the 2020 spring semester.

• Upon receipt of all required approvals, if the student passes the course with a letter grade of “D” or higher, they will receive an “S” grade (for satisfactory) and the course will count towards total credit earned, but the grade does not count in their GPA. If a student does not pass the course, they will receive a “U” grade (for unsatisfactory), which is treated as an “F” and does affect the student’s GPA.
• The “pass” grade will not count toward either overall or major GPA. However, the “fail” grade will affect your GPA just like an “F.”

Prerequisites in your degree program at UWRF may have specific letter-grade requirements in order for you to move to the next level in a sequence of courses.

We know our students are still working diligently on their coursework and our faculty and instructors are still delivering a rigorous learning experience. We expect that most of our students will still want their transcript to reflect the caliber of performance and maintain the letter grade they’ve worked hard to earn.

• A grade of “S” will show for satisfactory completion of the course, a satisfactory grade will not affect the student's GPA
• A grade of “U” will show for unsatisfactory completion which is treated as an "F" and does affect the student's GPA.

Many pre-professional programs and graduate programs have letter-grade entrance requirements for certain courses. Be sure to connect with your adviser concerning your plans for graduate school. Almost every university in the country is changing the grading basis for this semester. While we can’t predict exactly what will happen in the future, most students nationwide will have COVID-19 related grades on their transcript in 2020.

Students may not request the reversal of a change to pass/fail grading once the change has been processed.

If you plan to transfer to another institution, some institutions do not transfer these credits into the fulfillment of degree requirements.

Retro-credits for completion of foreign language courses rely upon letter grade results, and the opportunity to earn those retro-credits would be lost with a move to pass/fail.

Undergraduate and graduate academic suspension policies will be put on hold for the remainder of the 2020 spring semester. No student will be suspended for academic reason following the 2020 spring semester; students will only be put on academic probation for failing to meet expectations for good academic standing. Note: this is an academic policy, Financial Aid suspension is a different policy. Students should contact the Financial Aid Office for questions concerning financial aid suspension.

Only undergraduate students may choose to convert courses to pass/fail grade during the Spring 2020 semester.

Students can use the Spring 2020 drop form to drop a course up to 11:59pm on Friday May 8. This form is required to go to the instructor and your academic adviser for their approval. Once they have both approved it, the Registrar’s Office will process your request.

Yes, the appeal of the decision must be made by May 31, 2020. The student should first discuss the matter with the instructor of the course involved. If the matter is not satisfactorily settled, the student should then discuss the matter with the chair of the department in which the course was offered. If the matter is not satisfactorily resolved by the chair, or if the chair is the actual instructor of record, the student should then make a written appeal to the Dean of the College in which the course was offered, including a clear statement of the problem and arguments or evidence to support the student's appeal. The Dean will discuss the matter with the student, with the instructor of record, and with the department chair, and will attempt to resolve the matter and render a decision. A final complaint in written form may be submitted to the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. An appeal committee of five, as a subset of the Academic Standards Committee, approved by the Academic Standards Committee, will hear the complaint and make a recommendation to the Provost's Office. The student may be accompanied by another person of their choice at any stage of the complaint process.

If you are an International exchange students who does not have an assigned advisor you should list Kiki Augustin as your adviser and should first check with their home institution for approval or advice before changing a course to pass/fail.