Course Options Pertinent to the Winter 2021 Semester
As a result of the COVID-19 public health emergency, our campus has made the decision to provide students with an extension to the selective drop period until 11:59 p.m. EST on Tuesday, April 20 as well as an option to switch some or all of their Winter 2021 courses to a Pass/No Record COVID (NRC) grading mode by 11:59 p.m. EST on Friday, May 7. Please see below for more detailed information about each option.
NOTE: Winter 2021 P/NRC requests will not be accepted during the Add/Drop period (through January 27, 2021). The P/NRC academic petition for Winter 2021 will be available beginning on January 28, 2021.
Pass/No Record COVID Grading Option
Undergraduate and graduate students have the ability to move some or all of their Winter 2021 courses to a Pass/No Record COVID grading mode. Specifically, this action includes:
- All undergraduate and graduate students have the option of switching the grading system for their Winter 2021 courses to a Pass/No Record COVID mode.
- All undergraduate and graduate courses switched to a Pass/No Record COVID mode under these circumstances will be permitted to count towards the student’s major, certificates, cognates, or minors requirements as long as the letter grades earned would meet those requirements.
- The "Pass" grade will be recorded as "P" and will reflect the credits earned on the academic transcript.
- The "No Record Covid" grade will be recorded as "NRC" and will reflect zero credits on the academic transcript.
- Undergraduate course: C- or higher is a P; D+ or lower is an NRC
- Graduate course: B- or higher is a P; C+ or lower is an NRC
- Students on probation will not be allowed to exercise this option.
Instructions for Switching Courses to Pass/No Record COVID
Before making a decision to switch a 2021 winter term course to the Pass/No Record COVID mode, students are strongly encouraged to speak with their academic advisor. Use the following link for information on advising offices or to schedule an advising appointment:
Undergraduate
- START
- College of Arts, Sciences, & Letters
- College of Business
- College of Education, Health, & Human Services
- College of Engineering & Computer Science
Graduate
- College of Arts, Sciences, & Letters
- College of Business
- College of Education, Health, & Human Services
- College of Engineering & Computer Science
In order to switch a course to the Pass/No Record COVID mode, please submit an Academic Petition by selecting the Request for grade mode change to Pass/No Record COVID option on the petition form. Petitions must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. EST on Friday, May 7. Without your request to switch to the P/NRC grade, you will receive the default grade listed for your course (A-E for most courses). Late requests will only be considered by petition when a student is completing an Incomplete or X grade.
FAQs
If you opt for the Pass/No Record COVID option, you will not receive an A-E grade. If you do not petition for a Pass/No Record COVID grade, the default is your A-E grade, which will appear on your transcript.
Below is the existing University grading conversion system:
- Undergraduate course: C- or higher is a P, D+ or lower is an NRC
- Graduate course: B- or higher is a P, C+ or lower is an NRC
For students who elect a Pass/No Record COVID grade in Winter 2021, their GPA will not be affected if they receive a Pass or a No Record COVID grade in their course.
Pass grades can be used to satisfy degree requirements so long as the letter grades earned would meet those requirements. For example, if your program requires a letter grade of C or higher and you convert your letter grade to a “Pass”, then the grade entered by your instructor must be a C or higher to fulfill your degree requirements.
NRC grades do not count as course credit and do not impact a student’s GPA.
For undergraduate students, only the previous grade will be calculated in the GPA. A “Pass” or “No Record COVID” will have no impact on the GPA. It is recommended that students speak to their academic advisor about selective drop as it may be a better option for students than Pass/No Record COVID.
For graduate students, all A-E grades are included in the GPA. A “Pass” or “No Record COVID” will have no impact on the GPA.
No. Students on academic probation cannot petition to change their course grades to the Pass/No Record COVID grading mode.
No, students who drop a course will not be allowed back at a later date to complete their studies and elect another grading mode.
No, students will not be allowed to convert UE grades to the Pass/No Record COVID option.
For the current semester:
- No, changing to this option will not change your current semester financial aid.
For future semesters:
- Both Pass/Fail are used to determine Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). Students who receive a Fail in a course will count against the SAP calculation in the Cumulative Completion Rate and Maximum Timeframe measurements.
- For students who are currently in a Warning SAP status, the Fail could lead to ineligibility of financial aid in future semesters.
Please contact the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships for further questions at [email protected].
Please consult with the health professions advising office in order to make an informed choice.
(UPDATE: COVID-19 national emergency) No, although the VA does not typically make payments for classes resulting in non-punitive grades, if COVID-19 is reported as mitigating circumstances for the student’s receipt of a non-punitive grade (i.e., Fail in a Pass/No Record COVID class) the VA will pay for the class.
The current law, under normal circumstances, states that if a student receiving VA Education Benefits completes the term and receives a non-punitive F grade(s), the non-punitive grade(s) must be reported to the VA. This affects your rate of pursuit, and the VA will do a calculation to determine if there is an overpayment. An “F grade” is not counted as earned credit, and is not calculated into the grade point average.
For questions regarding payment, please call the VA Education Hotline 888-442-4551. Do not hesitate to contact the UM-Dearborn Veteran Affairs Coordinator at 313-436-9196 or [email protected] if you have any questions.
Prior to making a decision about the switch,students are strongly encouraged to check with the university to which they are considering transferring in order to discuss any implications of moving to the Pass/No Record COVID mode.
In general, most Academic Honors awards, including graduation honors, include stipulations for minimum GPA requirements. There are also stipulations for a minimum number of credit hours earned, and a minimum number of credit hours graded A-E. In order to fully understand the impact of switching some or all of your courses to Pass/No Record COVID, it is strongly recommended that you speak with an academic advisor.
Courses taken in the Winter 2021 semester, if otherwise transferrable, will be granted credit if the grade is deemed as Pass/Satisfactory from the transferring institution. These courses, if applicable, will fulfill general education and degree requirements.
Selective Drop Deadline
The university extended the selective drop deadline until 11:59 p.m. EST on Tuesday, April 20. Students should email [email protected] with necessary details to process the drop. Refer to the add/drop form and email these details for processing your request (the form may be used, but is not required).
A grade of "W" (Official Withdrawal) will be recorded on the student's academic record. A "W" grade results in no credit, no honor points, and has no impact on the grade point average (GPA). There will be no reduction in tuition and fee assessments.
Students who have questions regarding the selective drop should be directed to their college’s advising office.