Re: P/NP Grade Option for Spring 2021
To: All students
CC: Faculty and staff
March 15, 2021
Dear Undergraduate Students,
Due to the continued impact of COVID-19 on semester operations, we are extending our temporarily change of campus policies around Pass/No Pass grade options. For Spring 2021, undergraduate courses may be taken for a P/NP letter grade and still be used to satisfy prerequisite and/or degree requirements (for all courses except BIO 2 and GASP 109, 190 and 191). Additionally, students have up until the last day of instruction (Friday, May 7, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. PST) to select P/NP grade options for a course.
Changing the grading option to P/NP provides flexibility and could also have important ramifications for an undergraduate’s educational progress and goals. As such, we ask that students should consult with their instructors and advisors about the possible benefits and costs associated with P/NP grades before requesting this change.
The following guidelines are meant for undergraduates, academic advisors and faculty to inform guidance on a P/NP grade choice. Academic advisors are an important resource for consultation. For information on grade options, click here.
- For the entirety of the Spring 2021 courses, all UC Merced undergraduate programs have agreed to accept P/NP grades: UC Merced degree programs typically require students to utilize the letter grade option for all of their required courses. All undergraduate degree programs have agreed to temporarily waive this requirement for Spring 2021 courses, except except BIO 2 and GASP 109, 190 and 191.
- Students who plan to apply for postgraduate/professional study: There is a chance that medical/professional/graduate schools may have a letter grade requirement and may not accept a grading option of P/NP for some courses.
- Students working on raising their GPA to be in good standing: Students who need to raise their GPA above a 2.0 to be in good standing or for purposes of financial aid may be harmed by the adoption of P/NP grades, as they are not included in GPA calculations.
- Students who receive veterans or veterans dependent benefits: Students who receive veterans or veterans dependent benefits should seek guidance from UC Merced’s Veterans Services: veteranservices@ucmerced.edu.
- Maintaining satisfactory academic progress for financial aid: In addition to GPA, a student must maintain “Satisfactory Academic Progress” (SAP). As indicated in the Federal Stimulus Package language, students choosing to adopt P/NP grading option will maintain SAP, as P/NP grades still figure into the SAP calculation. Otherwise, P/NP does not have a financial aid impact.
- Pass/No Pass definition: The grade P is assigned for a letter grade of C-minus or better. If the student earns a grade of D-plus or below, the grade will be recorded as NP. In both cases, the student’s grade will not be computed into the grade point average.
Process For Students Interested in Changing Grading Option
Students interested in making a grade option change should consult with an academic advisor on any of the above factors or additional questions, and then go to MyRegistration and select the Change Grading Option.
