UH has decided to implement an interim pass-fail option for undergraduate courses due to the “unprecedented challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic,” the University announced Wednesday.
Students will have until 5 p.m. on May 18 to decide whether they want for their courses to have a letter grade or a “Satisfactory/No Credit Reported COVID-19 (S/NCR)” grading scheme.
They can decide on a course-by-course basis which grading scheme they prefer. The interim policy applies to sessions 1, 4, 5, and 6 as well as the Summer 2020 mini session. UH will evaluate at a later date whether the pass-fail option policy will apply to future terms.
For classes with a satisfactory or unsatisfactory grading scheme, all unsatisfactory grades will be converted to No Credit Reported COVID-19 (NCR) and will not affect GPA.
Finals for the regular academic session end May 6, giving students at worse 12 days to mull over which grading scheme would be best for them once all assignments are turned in.
Grades of D- or higher are considered satisfactory to earn course credit.
More information about an adjusted grading policy for graduate students will be released Thursday. Details on the process for students choosing which grading scheme they want will be communicated by the Office of the University Registrar by April 27.
UH also extended the deadline to Aug. 10 for completing course requirements where there is an Incomplete grade assigned for Spring 2020 courses.
The drop deadline for the regular academic session is still April 10.
Students are urged to contact the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid for how the different grading options will impact financial matters.
Texas A&M University and The University of Texas at Austin also moved to allow students to change their courses for this semester from a letter grade to a pass-fail option and extended their drop deadlines.