Pass/Fail Grades

Pass/Fail Policy

Before graduation, a student is permitted to elect up to four semester course units of work to be graded Pass/Fail. The purpose of the option is to encourage students to explore new areas of study in which they are interested but have little or no background, not to justify reduced effort in a course. The Pass/Fail option may be chosen for semester course units taken to satisfy distribution requirements or any elective semester units outside the major or minor.

The Pass/Fail option is subject to the following limitations:

1. Neither the First-Year Program nor the First-Year Seminar may be taken on a Pass/Fail basis.

2. Courses counting towards the student’s major or minor completion cannot be taken on a Pass/Fail basis after the major or minor is declared.

3. No more than one optional Pass/Fail course can be taken in any semester.

4. The Pass/Fail option requires that the written consent of the instructor and acknowledgment by the academic advisor be submitted to the registrar by the end of the ninth week of classes in the fall and spring semesters. In summer session or courses that meet only half of the fall or spring semester, students may avail themselves of the option by the midpoint of the course as determined by the registrar.

5. A student must attain a minimum of a 1.0 grade to receive a Pass for the course.  

Students should be aware that grades of 0.0 (F) are calculated in the grade point average. Although the P grade is not calculated in the grade point average, P grades may place students at a competitive disadvantage when they apply for admission to some graduate or professional schools.

Students choosing to take a course Pass/Fail in a given semester will not be eligible for the Dean’s List in that semester, if the total graded units become less than 4.0 units.

If no Pass/Fail option is allowed in a course, the instructor will indicate that policy in the course syllabus.