This page is to provide updates and information for the Spring 2020 semester from the Office of the Registrar. Please visit the main University COVID-19 website for the most updated official guidance.
COVID-19 | Pass/Fail Grading (Updated 5/26/2020)
No. Courses that have already been graded will not be available to change to Pass/Fail.
Yes, a student can change the grading basis up until the deadline.
Any class that is offered as Regular Grading can, for Spring 2020 only, be taken as Optional Pass/Fail. Classes offered as S, P, F grading will continue as S, P, F.
Yes, for the Spring 2020 term; an earned Pass grade will satisfy program requirements the same as if the course was passed as regular grading. The applicability of the course towards requirements does not change (ie – the class would have to count for that requirement as regular graded).
No. Classes taken as Pass/Fail in the Spring 2020 term will not count toward the 12 unit maximum.
Yes. This policy is for all classes taken as regular grading, for all students, in all academic career levels, for all program requirements.
Graduate students can opt to earn a Pass/Fail grade instead of an A, B, C grade in letter-graded graduate courses. For a student who chooses this option and earns a Pass (equivalent to A, B, or C) those units will count toward degree completion, but will not affect GPA. A course that was initially letter-graded (A, B, C) but converted to Pass for Spring 2020 will count toward required letter-graded units.
Students are able to update this grading basis through UAccess student. Please review the help guide to make a change or a video walking through the steps.
The University will add a transcript note to classes taken in Spring 2020 Pass/Fail about the extraordinary nature of this grading basis. Many institutions, including our AAU peers, are adjusting their grading policies for this term and providing similar notes.
The Graduate College at the University of Arizona will calculate the GPA for students seeking graduate admission using only letter-graded courses. That is, P/F grades will not calculate into the GPA. However, for the Spring 2020 term, the credit units accrued for courses in which a student earned a Pass "P" will be included. This allows us to count the "P" grades toward the units required to calculate admission without affecting the GPA. We will not count "F" grades toward the required units.
Pass/Fail grades do not calculate in GPA, but an earned Pass grade still counts toward the required number of units for scholarship renewal. Eligibility for continuing students will be evaluated as normal, based on cumulative University of Arizona grade point average and cumulative units completed by the end of the academic year.
Review terms and conditions for your specific scholarship(s)
No. Faculty will be able to enter grades directly through the instructor center as typical. A resource guide on how to enter grades, including how to identify students who have chosen the Special Pass/Fail grading basis is available online.
Due to a number of issues unique to the law school, including mandatory curving and rankings, students in the JD program will have mandatory Pass/Fail grading. Like the rest of the Special Spring 2020 Pass/Fail grading basis, a “Pass” grade will satisfy all program requirements. JD students should contact Mike Brooks (brooks@arizona.edu) with any additional questions.
No. This option is at the discretion of the student. Some students may want and/or need to complete a course with a regular grade.
Please note this excludes students in the JD program in the James E. Rogers College of Law (see FAQ "Is this pass/fail grading basis different for the James E. Rogers College of Law".
No. For the Spring 2020 term only, the limit of 2 pass/fail classes has been waived.
Students must still meet the transfer honors admissions requirements. Grades of "P" or "S" (or equivalent) can be used toward unit requirements to be considered a transfer student but will not calculate into the Honors Admissions GPA requirement.
Transfer students applying to programs with additional specific requirements will need to meet all criteria outlined by the specific program in which they are applying. As stated, COVID-19 global pandemic impacted P/F coursework will transfer to meet admissions/degree requirements but will not factor into GPA requirements. Each academic program will support students by accounting for this exceptional situation when making decisions.
Yes, all students who have previously opted for optional Pass/Fail will be awarded these same benefits for the Spring 2020 class.
The GRO attempt toward the limit will be removed, and the previous grade will remain calculated in the student’s GPA but if the Spring 2020 class is Passed the credit will be earned.
- The deadline to file this change is the last day of classes, May 6, 2020.
- If the class is in a session that ends prior to the regular term, the deadline is the last day of that session.
- If the class is in a session that ends after the end of the regular term, the deadline is the last day of that class; please contact reghelp@arizona.edu if making a change after May 6th.
Instructors will continue to have discretion on how grades are assigned as outlined in their syllabus or otherwise communicated to students. The scale should be consistent with the Pass/Fail grading policy.
For graduate courses, a C or higher is considered a Pass.
Yes, if the grade is Pass it will earn academic credit; the Fail grade will not earn the credit.
No. Students who do not earn an A or B in one of these courses will still have the course satisfy the gen-ed English requirement but will need to contact their advisor for their major on how the department expects majors to satisfy the MCWA.
Yes. Units earned as Pass in Spring 2020 will count toward the units required for Academic Distinction and Graduation with Academic Distinction eligibility, but as the units will not carry GPA value, the student will need to have otherwise met the appropriate GPA requirements.
No. The Dean’s List is a single-term honor. Students will otherwise need to earn the appropriate number of units and GPA to receive the honor.
No. The Pass or Fail grade will not impact GPA.
The University will accept COVID-19 Pandemic impacted transferable coursework from all in-state, out-of-state, international and private institutions where grades of "P" or "S" or equivalent were awarded and can be used to meet degree requirements.
- Students who request a change after the deadline shall follow this process.
- If a student's degree has been awarded there will be no change in grading basis
Yes, this option is available to all students for the Spring 2020 academic term.
Yes, for the Spring 2020 term only, an earned Pass grade will satisfy the prerequisite requirement for future classes.
COVID-19 | Course Withdrawal (updated 3/26/2020)
Yes, after the extended deadline, students can still appeal for a late withdrawal through the Late Change Petition process.
No. The deadline for dropping classes without it appearing on the transcript has not changed.
No. The refund period for classes remains the same.
No. The deadline remains the same.
Online through UAccess Student Center
There is not currently a maximum withdrawal allowance for graduate students. However, withdrawals may negatively impact their time to degree and satisfactory academic progress. Moreover, graduate students must be enrolled in minimum units to maintain funding, graduate assistantships, and visa eligibility and are encouraged to communicate with the Graduate Program Coordinator or Director of Graduate Studies before withdrawing from a course. Review the continuous enrollment policy online.
Deadlines will be updated on the Dates and Deadlines page.
No. Any course withdrawn during the Spring 2020 term will be excluded from the 18-unit maximum for undergraduate students.
COVID-19 | Grade Replacement Opportunity (GRO)/Course Repeats (updated 5/21/2020)
No. The GRO option remains only for classes in which a C, D, or E grade is earned.
No. The GRO option remains only for classes in which a C, D, or E grade is earned.
The GRO option is for when a course from this term is repeated; you will need to complete the course this term, enroll in the course in a subsequent term, and then choose the GRO option within the deadline.
You should review the GRO policy
Graduate students are not eligible for grade replacement opportunity (GRO). However, the Graduate College will include Spring 2020 as an extra semester for graduate students seeking Academic Renewal. Normally, a graduate student can petition for Academic Renewal for up to 4 consecutive semesters. A student may also include Spring 2020 for consideration above and beyond the 4 semesters currently allowed. See the current academic renewal policy.
Yes, classes in Spring 2020 can be GROed in future terms without counting toward the GRO limit until a student has earned 59 units, even if the student has already used their 3 GRO attempts.
No. GRO is only available for Undergraduate students who have earned less than 60 units.
COVID-19 | Undergraduate Academic Eligibility (updated 5/27/2020)
No. Students who are in academic eligible status will remain so for the Fall 2020 academic term.
No. Academic eligibility is the policy for if an undergraduate student is able to enroll in classes at the University. Each department and college retains the ability to determine if a student can remain in their program, although all are encouraged to work with students to be successful through this unprecedented time.
- Students who end the Spring 2020 term with less than a 2.0 Cumulative GPA should connect with their academic advisor.
- Students who end the Spring 2020 term with less than a 2.0 will maintain their current academic status.
| Academic Eligibility Status | PRIOR Status Before Spring 2020 | Spring 2020 Status |
|---|---|---|
| Student's previous eligible and falls below 2.0 | ADW – Academic Warning | Below 2.0 - ADW – Academic Warning |
| Already on Academic Warning and stays below 2.0 | ADP – Academic Probation | Below 2.0 - ADP – Academic Probation |
| Already on Academic Probation and stays below 2.0 | AINE – Academically Ineligible | Below 2.0 - AINE – Academically Ineligible |
| Student's CUM GPA is above 2.0 but semester GPA is below 2.0 | AREV – Academic Review | Below 2.0 - AREV – Academic Review |
COVID-19 | Graduate Academic Eligibility (updated 3/26/2020)
Graduate students currently on academic probation will have an additional semester to raise the graduate GPA and will NOT be dismissed at the end of Spring 2020. The deadline to increase graduate GPA to 3.0 is extended to the end of Fall 2020. See current academic probation policy and satisfactory academic progress policy.
The academic eligibility status of a graduate student at the end of the Spring 2020 term will be determined by the student’s most recent status, except in the case when a student who was on probation earns a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or greater, in which case their status will become "eligible." Specifically, graduate students currently on academic probation will have their probation hold lifted if they bring their cumulative graduate GPA up to 3.0 at the end of Spring 2020.
COVID-19 | Graduate Time to Degree, Defenses, Oral Exams, and Thesis/Dissertation Submission (updated 4/7/2020)
Yes. For the Spring and Summer 2020 terms, the deadlines for Doctoral defenses and final submission of Master’s thesis and Doctoral dissertations have been extended. Please note that all other requirements for degree completion (e.g., coursework) must be completed as per University deadlines.
Yes. All Spring 2020 exams and defenses must be held remotely. You may use telephone or computer-assisted remote meetings. We also strongly encourage you to plan remote exams and defenses for Summer 2020 terms. Regardless, please follow current University policy on gatherings and spatial distancing.
No. For Spring and Summer 2020, you do not need to request special permission for all participants to attend remotely.
Master’s and Doctoral Students whose Spring 2020 term was affected by Covid-19-related changes may extend their time to degree by one semester without submitting a petition. Coursework for Master’s students normally expires after 6 years. This extension would allow for 6.5 years to complete coursework for those affected by Covid-19 during the Spring 2020 term. Normally, Doctoral students must complete all degree requirements (e.g., oral defense, dissertation submission) within 5 years of passing their comprehensive exams. This extension would allow for 5.5 years to complete requirements for those affected by Covid-19 during the Spring 2020 term.
Enter your program’s building for the "Building" field and list "Remote" in the "Room" field in the Announcement of Comprehensive Exam and Announcement of Final Oral Defense forms on GradPath.
COVID-19 | Incomplete Grades (updated 4/7/2020)
Yes, the Incomplete policy allows for an extension of up to one additional year with instructor and dean approval. Students who need an extension should complete the Petition for Extension of Coursework for an Incomplete Course.
No. Faculty and students should review the policy and procedure and use this option sparingly, as has always been its intent.
COVID-19 | Remote Instruction, Exams, and Synchronous Meetings (updated 3/25/2020)
Yes, with the following recommendations for instructors:
- Schedule exams and any other synchronous activities at the original class meeting time
- Schedule asynchronous exams and activities for a lengthier period of time so as not to conflict with other classes in the students’ schedules
- If either of the above options are impossible, let it be known that you will offer accommodations for students who have a conflict with another class
Yes! Classes that have a meeting pattern can choose to continue to meet synchronously during this time period, being flexible for time zone and other considerations.
No. If a course that has transitioned to remote would like to not hold an asynchronous final, the faculty should follow the approved policy for Online Final exams:
"Instructors of fully-online classes are required to specify in the syllabus when—during the official final exam period—they will hold their final exam or by what date and time students are required to submit their summative assessment."
Yes, common final exams can still occur at the same day and time – if academic units would like to adjust or eliminate their common final exam, please contact rcshelp@arizona.edu.
If a final exam is to be given during a synchronous meeting it is to occur following the Final Examination Schedule.