Five days may not feel like a long time. However, when you are a student waiting on a final grade, it can feel like an eternity.

“Students may need to pass a class in order to register for a more advanced course, or they may need to meet with an advisor, or need to provide transcripts for other opportunities or financial aid,” said Associate Dean for Undergraduate Affairs Liz Leckie. “They need their grades as soon as possible to make decisions and move forward.”

Currently, faculty have up to 12 days after the final exam period to submit final grades.  That will change this fall when the grading period is reduced to five calendar days. However, while the change is being made now, it has been a focus of academic advisors and others on campus for more than a decade. Then, in 2023, the newly formed Academic Advising Standards Council brought the issue to University Registrar Erin Mason. Her team worked with the council to explore the issue, do research on the possible benefits and drawbacks, and investigate the impacts on student benchmarks before presenting to the Academic Senate.

“It was an incredible opportunity to watch the Senate meeting where the vote happened. It was an incredible moment at the institution where administrators, faculty, and staff came together,” said Leckie. “They talked about it, and they discussed their concerns, but then the vote was overwhelmingly positive to change it.”

The change not only helps students, but it also brings the University of Utah in line with other institutions around the country. Currently, the U has one of the longest grading periods in the nation.

“This is a really meaningful change that’ll help a lot of students,” said ASUU Assembly Chair Anna Locke. “It’s a strong step in the right direction, especially as the U strives to become a top university.”

For more information about academic schedules and deadlines, please visit the Office of the Registrar.