COVID-19 has changed the 2019-20 school year in profound and unexpected ways. We understand how the shift to online-only courses and the postponement of commencement have transformed your educational experience this year. In an effort to minimize any adverse effects on your academic progress, we are offering some flexibility in grading for the spring semester. Starting Monday, March 23, you will be able to select from two options for each of your courses:

• A Credit/No-Credit (CR/NC) grade or
• A traditional letter grade

This selection can be initiated by clicking here. If you choose the credit/no-credit option, you will receive a “pass” or “fail” mark for the class instead of a letter grade. If you do not wish to change your traditional letter grade to the credit/no-credit option, then no action is needed.

We hope offering this additional option will accommodate most student needs at this time. For those of you who have been working toward and counting on a letter grade, you will be able to claim that academic achievement. For students whose changing life circumstances and the transition to online education have disrupted lab work, design projects or other requirements, a credit/no-credit grade will provide the credit you need without negatively affecting your GPAs. 

You will have until April 10 to designate which course(s) you wish to convert to credit/no-credit. Any courses not designated by that date will receive a traditional letter grade. All courses taken as credit/no-credit this semester will count toward your major and other college or department graduation requirements. Additionally, any credit/no-credit course from this semester will not count against the current limits on the number of credit/no-credit courses students can take (see University Regulation 6-100A).

At the same time, we are extending the deadline for withdrawing from your course(s) to April 10 to allow greater flexibility this semester. Withdrawal will be listed on your transcripts but will not impact your GPA; it also will not result in a tuition refund. A withdrawal indication on your transcript can be explained in graduate school applications and to future employers as part of the extraordinary circumstances of the 2020 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) worldwide pandemic. Students around the world are facing similar circumstances with accompanying changes to their transcripts as they complete their college educations.

For more information, please check the Office of the Registrar’s website, call 801-581-5808, or email registrar@utah.edu.