Grading policy changes for Spring 2020

Grading policy changes for Spring 2020

 

In light of the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, Ohio State students will have the option to obtain a Pass/No Pass grade for most courses they are taking in the Spring 2020 semester. These changes will not apply to subsequent terms.

Undergraduate students may select Pass/No Pass instead of a traditional letter grade for General Education and elective courses. Many colleges and programs have extended this option to required courses in undergraduate majors. (Read announcement)

Graduate students may select the Pass/No Pass option for all graded graduate courses. (Read announcement)

For all students, the deadline to request Pass/No Pass grading is April 17, 2020.

Students interested in Pass/No Pass should

  • Read the details of your college or program’s options for Pass/No Pass.
  • Keep in mind that letter grades can be important in admission to a competitive college, advancing to graduate school, maintaining certain types of financial aid and in other circumstances.
  • Contact your academic advisor to discuss your options — your advisor will need to sign off on your request. An online Pass/No Pass request form is also available at go.osu.edu/PA-NPform that will route information to your advisor. (Click "Save" to submit the form. Please note that it can take up to 2 weeks for processing.)

Please see below for more information on college-level decisions, additional grading policy changes and FAQs.

Additional grading policy changes for Spring 2020

In addition to the Pass/No Pass policy changes, Ohio State is extending several other grading options for undergraduate students in the Spring 2020 term. Below is more information about Pass/No Pass, withdrawal and incomplete.

Extended opportunity to take courses Pass/No Pass (PA/NP)

These rules apply only to spring semester 2020. This option can be invoked until April 17, 2020, and is enacted by your academic advisor. Pass/No Pass grades do not count in the calculation of GPA, but academic credits count toward graduation when students Pass a course. Please consult with your academic advisor to discuss this option.

For undergraduate students, any grade of D or better in General Education or elective courses will be marked as “Pass”; grades below D are marked as “No Pass.” Some academic colleges are extending this option to include course work taken for a major or for minor, but requirements vary.  

For graduate students, any grade of C- or better will be marked as “Pass”; grades below C- are marked as “No Pass”. Graduate students may apply this option to any graded graduate course. Please note that in some courses, students may Pass a course but need to do more work (remediation) to master the subject and progress successfully in the program.

Extended duration to complete an Incomplete (I)

For both undergraduate and graduate students, the university is extending the amount of time you have to complete course work for Spring 2020 classes in which you received an Incomplete grade. For Incompletes granted this semester, students will have 10 weeks from the start of the following term (instead of the standard 6 weeks from the start of the following term). Students remain able to request an extension for any Incompletes they may take, should they not be able to complete the course work within 10 weeks. An Incomplete is enacted by the instructor of the course.

Extended opportunity to Withdraw from a class

This option is available until April 17, 2020, and can be enacted by your academic advisor. Withdrawing from a class leaves this class on your transcript, marking it with a W. Courses marked as W do not count toward your GPA. Please consult with your advisor to discuss how this option might impact your academic progress, and talk with Student Financial Aid to understand your aid eligibility.

College details

For spring 2020 only, undergraduate students may take all General Education and elective courses Pass/No Pass under the criteria laid out through University Senate. Graduate students may take all graded graduate courses Pass/No Pass under the Graduate School’s criteria.

For required courses in undergraduate programs, each college and/or program has made decisions appropriate to their discipline to support their students’ academic and career paths. Please note that criteria in these courses for a “Pass” grade may differ. Students should read the detailed explanations of the options in their program(s) and consult with their academic advisor.

DEFINITIONS:

  • Pass/No Pass (PA/NP): Each student may select whether to receive a letter grade or a PA/NP grade for each of their eligible courses. If a student opts for PA/NP grading for an eligible class before April 17, 2020, the student will receive a Pass (PA) or No Pass (NP) grade. PA/NP grades do not affect GPA.
  • Satisfactory/unsatisfactory (S/U): Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory is a grading basis for a course, not a student. In an S/U class, all students in the class will receive a Satisfactory (S) or Unsatisfactory (U) grade. S/U grades do not affect GPA.

 

College Availability of PA/NP Details
College of Arts and Sciences All courses available PA/NP; student chooses. More information
Fisher College of Business All courses available PA/NP; student chooses. More information
College of Dentistry Dental Hygiene available PA/NP; student chooses.
Other programs will receive letter grades.
More information
College of Education and Human Ecology All courses available PA/NP; student chooses. More information
College of Engineering All courses available PA/NP; student chooses. More information
College of Food, Agricultural,
and Environmental Sciences
All courses available PA/NP; student chooses. More information:
CFAES
SENR
ATI
Graduate School All courses available PA/NP; student chooses. More information
Moritz College of Law All courses graded S/U. More information
College of Medicine Decisions vary by program, including the School of Health
and Rehabilitation Sciences; see program for details.
More information
College of Nursing All courses available PA/NP; student chooses. More information
College of Optometry Experiential clinical rotations will be graded S/U. More information
College of Pharmacy Undergraduate courses available PA/NP; student chooses.
Graduate and professional programs will receive letter grades.
More information
John Glenn College of Public Affairs Undergraduate courses available PA/NP; student chooses.
Graduate courses available PA/NP, with exception of capstone courses.
Doctoral courses will receive letter grades.
More information
College of Public Health All courses available PA/NP; student chooses. More information
College of Social Work Undergraduate courses available PA/NP; student chooses.
Decision pending on graduate courses.
More information
College of Veterinary Medicine Year 4 student clinical experiences graded PA/NP or letter
based on timing of completion of the rotation.
Letter grades will remain in years 1-3.
 

Undergraduate student FAQs

 

Pass/No Pass

That’s a decision you can make after talking with your academic advisor. If you’re considering signing up for Pass/No Pass (PA/NP) for any Spring 2020 courses, please keep in mind:

  • All undergraduate students must consult with an advisor and get approval to take a course as PA/NP.
  • Undergraduate majors with competitive admissions processes or GPA minimums will likely still require a minimum GPA to enter the major. Check with college admissions websites for details.
  • COVID-19 is a global pandemic, and other institutions of higher education are also allowing expanded use of this type of grading scheme. Graduate and professional schools may differ in their acceptance of courses taken as PA/NP.
  • Once a course has been changed to PA/NP, it cannot be converted back to a letter grade.
  • Courses graded Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) cannot be converted to PA/NP. S/U is a course grading option while PA/NP is a student elected option.
  • Spring 2020 Session 1 classes are not eligible for a late PA/NP request.

Talk to your academic advisor. An online PA/NP request form is available at go.osu.edu/PA-NPform through Friday, April 17, 2020, and advisors will review all submissions. (Click "Save" to submit the form. Please note that it can take up to 2 weeks for processing.)

No. Once a course has been changed to PA/NP, it cannot be converted back to a letter grade.

A Pass/No Pass (PA/NP) grade cannot raise your GPA. Some programs and graduate programs require a minimum grade in key courses for admission, and it is unclear how PA/NP grades will be viewed. Consultation with advising should help identify key issues.

No. This is an option you can use for eligible courses, but it is not required. Work with your advisor to make the best decision for your circumstances.

Some colleges are planning to accept PA/NP course work from Spring 2020 into majors or minors. Those that are not have been encouraged to be broad-minded and supportive about the re-application for courses taken PA/NP in Spring 2020. If the program will not accept this credit, you are encouraged to appeal the decision.

Not for Spring 2020. The University Senate passed a resolution that waives any GPA requirements related to PA/NP grades.

No. The University Senate passed a resolution that exempts the number of courses taken PA/NP in Spring 2020 from the stated cap of 20 credits.

For Spring 2020 only, PA/NP is an available option for courses being retaken for Grade Forgiveness, assuming that the course is a General Education course or elective or is part of program that is allowing major or minor course work to be taken PA/NP. Because PA/NP grades don’t count in the calculation of GPA, the effect of taking a PA/NP in a course being retaken for Grade Forgiveness will be to eliminate the earlier grade in that course from GPA calculation; this grade will not be replaced per se with another point-bearing grade.

Yes. If you are on academic probation, you may take a course Pass/No Pass. However, courses taken PA/NP do not increase your GPA. They also do not count in the calculation of deficiency points. Opting to take courses PA/NP may still be worth considering, though. Please talk with your academic advisor about your circumstances.

A PA/NP grade does not impact your GPA. However, PA/NP courses count toward attempted and successfully/unsuccessfully completed courses. Receiving a grade of PA is considered making progress. For Spring 2020, any GE or elective course that is graded as PA will be counted as fulfilling those requirements and will have a positive effect on academic progress. A grade of PA in major and minor courses in colleges that opt in to the temporary revision to the policy (see above) will also be viewed as fulfilling requirements of academic progress.

If you do not meet SAP standards in Spring 2020, options include appealing based on impacts arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information, contact your academic advisor or Buckeye Link (614-292-0300 or buckeyelink.osu.edu).

For Spring 2020:

  • Students who are registered for 12 or more credits with at least 9 regular, graded hours and a 3.5 term GPA will be eligible for the Dean’s List
  • Spring 2020 courses taken PA/NP will be counted towards the 60 Ohio State hours required to earn Latin Honors (cum laude, magna cum laude and summa cum laude)

Withdrawals and Incompletes

You should talk with your advisor and the instructor of your courses about which of these options will help you succeed in your classes and academic program. It will be important to know your grade, the number of assignments remaining, and how those assignments will be met, so that you can make informed choices about the relative merits of withdrawing versus choosing to take the course PA/NP or requesting an incomplete. Your advisor will help you request a W or PA/NP, and the instructor can help you take an I.

Students are still able to request an extension for a grade of Incomplete. If you need more than 10 weeks to complete work for an Incomplete course, you can submit a request for an extension of an Incomplete to the course instructor for review and approval.

If you withdraw from a required course, you will need to enroll and complete that course at some other time. If this course is a prerequisite for other courses, you will not be able to complete those courses until you have successfully completed that prerequisite. This may impact your time to degree and could affect financial aid.

At this point, no. Additionally, if you receive financial aid, withdrawing to below 12 credits may have consequences for your eligibility. Please talk with your advisor and with Buckeye Link (614-292-0300 or buckeyelink.osu.edu) to understand how this might impact you.

All course work attempted is factored into meeting SAP and can affect financial aid eligibility. If you do not meet SAP in Spring 2020, appeal options exist, including appealing based on impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information, please contact Buckeye Link (614-292-0300 or buckeyelink.osu.edu).

Graduate student FAQs

All graded graduate courses may be taken Pass/No Pass in lieu of continuing to pursue a letter grade.

No. Students may continue to receive letter grades in all graded graduate courses. Students who prefer Pass/No Pass must request this option through their advisor by April 17.

C- is the minimum passing grade for all graded graduate courses. Please note that in some courses, students may Pass a course but need to do more work (remediation) to master the subject and progress successfully in the program.

A Pass will count for full course credit hours. An No Pass will not count for any course credit hours.

The PA/NP designation does NOT count in the cGPA calculation. Therefore, a PA will not improve a student’s cGPA that is below the minimum of 3.0 for the graduate school, and an NP will not hurt the cGPA.

Please note that in some courses, students may Pass a course but need to do more work (remediation) to master the subject and progress successfully in the program.

In some cases, a Pass/No Pass choice may not be in the best interest of the student’s career aspirations. Students are highly encouraged to speak to their graduate advisors and programs about the impact of choosing Pass/No Pass on their specific academic career, licensure, accreditation, necessary mastery of the subject matter for progression toward the degree, and graduation timeline.

Students must apply for this option no later than April 17. Otherwise, they will be graded on the traditional letter grade scale.

If a student is concerned that disruptions in spring 2020 will affect their academic career, they may also consider requesting an Incomplete (I). Approval of the instructor is required to exercise this option, and the deadline for approved Incompletes has been extended to 10 weeks from the start of the next term.

If you have questions that are not answered by your program or adviser, please contact the Graduate School at grad-schoolregistrationservices@osu.edu.

In light of the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, Ohio State students will have the option to obtain a Pass/No Pass grade for most courses they are taking in the Spring 2020 semester. These changes will not apply to subsequent terms.

Undergraduate students may select Pass/No Pass instead of a traditional letter grade for General Education and elective courses. Many colleges and programs have extended this option to required courses in undergraduate majors. (Read announcement)

Graduate students may select the Pass/No Pass option for all graded graduate courses. (Read announcement)

For all students, the deadline to request Pass/No Pass grading is April 17, 2020.

Students interested in Pass/No Pass should

  • Read the details of your college or program’s options for Pass/No Pass.
  • Keep in mind that letter grades can be important in admission to a competitive college, advancing to graduate school, maintaining certain types of financial aid and in other circumstances.
  • Contact your academic advisor to discuss your options — your advisor will need to sign off on your request. An online Pass/No Pass request form is also available at go.osu.edu/PA-NPform that will route information to your advisor. (Click "Save" to submit the form. Please note that it can take up to 2 weeks for processing.)

Please see below for more information on college-level decisions, additional grading policy changes and FAQs.

Additional grading policy changes for Spring 2020

In addition to the Pass/No Pass policy changes, Ohio State is extending several other grading options for undergraduate students in the Spring 2020 term. Below is more information about Pass/No Pass, withdrawal and incomplete.

Extended opportunity to take courses Pass/No Pass (PA/NP)

These rules apply only to spring semester 2020. This option can be invoked until April 17, 2020, and is enacted by your academic advisor. Pass/No Pass grades do not count in the calculation of GPA, but academic credits count toward graduation when students Pass a course. Please consult with your academic advisor to discuss this option.

For undergraduate students, any grade of D or better in General Education or elective courses will be marked as “Pass”; grades below D are marked as “No Pass.” Some academic colleges are extending this option to include course work taken for a major or for minor, but requirements vary.  

For graduate students, any grade of C- or better will be marked as “Pass”; grades below C- are marked as “No Pass”. Graduate students may apply this option to any graded graduate course. Please note that in some courses, students may Pass a course but need to do more work (remediation) to master the subject and progress successfully in the program.

Extended duration to complete an Incomplete (I)

For both undergraduate and graduate students, the university is extending the amount of time you have to complete course work for Spring 2020 classes in which you received an Incomplete grade. For Incompletes granted this semester, students will have 10 weeks from the start of the following term (instead of the standard 6 weeks from the start of the following term). Students remain able to request an extension for any Incompletes they may take, should they not be able to complete the course work within 10 weeks. An Incomplete is enacted by the instructor of the course.

Extended opportunity to Withdraw from a class

This option is available until April 17, 2020, and can be enacted by your academic advisor. Withdrawing from a class leaves this class on your transcript, marking it with a W. Courses marked as W do not count toward your GPA. Please consult with your advisor to discuss how this option might impact your academic progress, and talk with Student Financial Aid to understand your aid eligibility.

College details

For spring 2020 only, undergraduate students may take all General Education and elective courses Pass/No Pass under the criteria laid out through University Senate. Graduate students may take all graded graduate courses Pass/No Pass under the Graduate School’s criteria.

For required courses in undergraduate programs, each college and/or program has made decisions appropriate to their discipline to support their students’ academic and career paths. Please note that criteria in these courses for a “Pass” grade may differ. Students should read the detailed explanations of the options in their program(s) and consult with their academic advisor.

DEFINITIONS:

  • Pass/No Pass (PA/NP): Each student may select whether to receive a letter grade or a PA/NP grade for each of their eligible courses. If a student opts for PA/NP grading for an eligible class before April 17, 2020, the student will receive a Pass (PA) or No Pass (NP) grade. PA/NP grades do not affect GPA.
  • Satisfactory/unsatisfactory (S/U): Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory is a grading basis for a course, not a student. In an S/U class, all students in the class will receive a Satisfactory (S) or Unsatisfactory (U) grade. S/U grades do not affect GPA.
College Availability of PA/NP Details
College of Arts and Sciences All courses available PA/NP; student chooses. More information
Fisher College of Business All courses available PA/NP; student chooses. More information
College of Dentistry Dental Hygiene available PA/NP; student chooses.
Other programs will receive letter grades.
More information
College of Education and Human Ecology All courses available PA/NP; student chooses. More information
College of Engineering All courses available PA/NP; student chooses. More information
College of Food, Agricultural,
and Environmental Sciences
All courses available PA/NP; student chooses. More information:
CFAES
SENR
ATI
Graduate School All courses available PA/NP; student chooses. More information
Moritz College of Law All courses graded S/U. More information
College of Medicine Decisions vary by program, including the School of Health
and Rehabilitation Sciences; see program for details.
More information
College of Nursing All courses available PA/NP; student chooses. More information
College of Optometry Experiential clinical rotations will be graded S/U. More information
College of Pharmacy Undergraduate courses available PA/NP; student chooses.
Graduate and professional programs will receive letter grades.
More information
John Glenn College of Public Affairs Undergraduate courses available PA/NP; student chooses.
Graduate courses available PA/NP, with exception of capstone courses.
Doctoral courses will receive letter grades.
More information
College of Public Health All courses available PA/NP; student chooses. More information
College of Social Work Undergraduate courses available PA/NP; student chooses.
Decision pending on graduate courses.
More information
College of Veterinary Medicine Year 4 student clinical experiences graded PA/NP or letter
based on timing of completion of the rotation.
Letter grades will remain in years 1-3.