Summer 2021 Grading Policy
Undergraduate Students
With input from the Faculty Senate and the Associated Students Senate Pro Tempore, and with the approval of the Provost, the University will – with the modifications described below – continue for Summer Session 2021 with the standard and published undergraduate grading policy posted below. This temporary policy has no bearing on courses graded S/U or on grading in the Fairhaven College, which has its own grading policy.
Requesting P/NP grades
Students may designate a course as Pass/No Pass by submitting the Grade Mode Change Form with the Registrar’s Office after registering for the course; they may change this designation by submitting the change to the Registrar’s Office at any time through July 23, 2021. After that date and through August 24, 2021, in case of hardship, a student may request a late change to Pass/No Pass grading by contacting their instructor. To record a late change to Pass/No Pass grading, the instructor will contact the Registrar’s Office. Students may be advised to stay with a letter grade if required for accreditation, veteran status and benefits, or other purposes.
P/NP grades
Undergraduate students opting for P/NP (EP/NP*) grading in Summer Session 2021 will receive an EP for grades of D+ and above. A grade of D or D- will be recorded as a NP, which will not earn credits or be reflected in the GPA. A grade of F will be recorded as NP on the transcript, will not receive degree credit, and will not be reflected in the GPA. By choosing not to opt for EP/NP grading, a student may have a D or D- reported to their transcript, which will earn credits and be reflected in the GPA. Departments requesting a different minimum grade for credit may petition their Dean and will announce the course grade rubric before the start of classes. This policy has no bearing on courses graded S/U.
Credit
A grade of EP* during Summer Session 2021 will count towards curricular, major, continuation, and graduation requirements unless noted by a department and included in the respective syllabus.
Rationale
In Spring Quarter of 2020, the coronavirus pandemic led the university to shift to remote learning, a modality that was new for many faculty and students. These uncharted teaching/learning conditions made it necessary to adopt a temporary grading policy that would accommodate student acclimation to the new learning environment and that would afford students a certain flexibility in how their work in courses would be formally registered. While the challenges brought on by the pandemic have by no means disappeared, the return to some face-to-face instruction this academic year, as well as more familiarity with remote and online teaching/learning, has supported returning to the standard rank (letter grade) system. For Spring 2021, the faculty chose to allow more time for students to make a pass/no pass election. That will continue to Summer 2021. The later date by which students must opt for a EP/NP grade (the last date prior to the start of grade recording, as opposed to the standard Week 4 deadline), recognizes a continued need for flexibility and the fact that the decision might be better informed later in the term. As other universities make similar decisions, it is also in the best interests of our students to revert to rank grading, retaining some aspects of the flexibility present in the temporary policy (more time to choose Pass/No Pass grading, etc.).
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