Pass/Fail Privilege
College of Letters & Science Pass/Fail Process Changes (5/1/2009)
What is the "pass/fail" policy for L&S students?
Can I take a course pass/fail this semester?
Which courses can I take on a pass/fail basis?
Will pass/fail courses count toward any of my degree requirements?
How are pass/fail courses graded?
How do I register to take a course pass/fail?
What is the deadline for pass/fail registration (or cancellation)?
A course taken pass/fail earns credit if passed and no credit if failed; no letter grade or grade points are given.
Pass/fail allows eligible students to take some elective courses outside their usual area of study without concern for their grade point average (GPA).
You are eligible for pass/fail if:
- You have at least a 2.5 cumulative GPA OR
- You are a first-semester freshman or transfer student
Freshmen, sophomores and juniors may carry one pass/fail course per term.
Seniors may carry two pass/fail courses per term.
No changes to pass/fail registration are permitted after the registration deadline.
Take very few pass/fail courses if you're planning graduate or professional school; take only graded courses if you're pre-med
Warning: If a student or course is ineligible for pass/fail, the Dean's Office will cancel the pass/fail registration, and the course grade will count. Notification of this change may arrive too late for you to drop the course. Be sure that you qualify before registering for a course pass/fail.
- Only elective work may be taken on a pass/fail basis.
- You may not carry any course in your major department on a pass/fail basis, whether required for the major or not, even if you have already completed your major.
- Courses required for a major but offered by another department (e.g., chemistry for the zoology major) may not be taken on a pass/fail basis.
- Courses cross-listed with your major department may not be carried on a pass/fail basis.
- You may not take a foreign language course pass/fail until you have completed the BA or BS foreign language requirement.
Pass/fail courses count toward four requirements:
- 120 total degree credits needed for graduation,
- 80 credits outside any one department,
- 60 credits of intermediate or advanced work (if the course is designated as I, A, or D level),
- Residence requirement (if the course is taken within the last 30 credits before graduation).
Pass/fail courses do not count toward the following requirements:
- Major
- Breadth (humanities, literature, social science, science)
- Foreign language
- Math
- Ethnic studies
- General education
- A maximum of ten (10) pass/fail courses may count toward graduation
- Instructors are not informed which students have registered for pass/fail and assign a regular letter grade to all students in the class. The Registrar's Office converts the letter grade to a pass/fail grade of S or U.
- If you earn a grade of C or better, the letter grade S (Satisfactory) will be posted on your transcript. Your GPA is not affected.
- If you receive a grade of D or F, the letter grade U (Unsatisfactory) will be posted on your transcript. You will receive no degree credit for the class, but your GPA is not affected.
- Pass/fail courses have no effect on probation status.
- Pass/fail courses may affect Dean's List eligibility. You must earn a minimum of 12 graded degree credits in a semester to be eligible for the Dean's List.
- Go to your Student Center in My UW
- Click on the Course Enrollment tab
- Click on Term Information tab
- Select Course Change Request
- Your classes will appear with checkboxes next to them. Please click in the box of the class you wish to declare Pass/Fail.
- This will expand and give options. Choose Add Pass/Fail (or “Remove” to remove Pass/Fail).
- Click “Save”. Undergraduate Academic Services will receive your submitted request.
** If you are not a degree-seeking candidate in the College of Letters and Science, you should contact your Dean’s Office about the pass/fail policy and submitting your pass/fail request.
- Please confirm dean’s approval by going to My Class Schedule in your Student Center. You will see the words Pass/Fail in the Grading column.
- Record deadlines for Pass-Fail. The online request is FINAL (paper requests after the established deadlines will not be accepted). AND, you will be unable to change a course back to graded credit after the established deadlines.
- Fall Term 2009 – Friday, September 25th!
- Remember your grade will be “S” for passing (grade of C or better) or a “U” for failing (grade of D or F).
If you have questions, please contact your assigned academic advisor or Undergraduate Academic Services in 70 Bascom Hall.
Deadlines
- spring and fall term: the Friday of the Fourth week of class (see Registrar's official semester calendar for exact dates)
- summer sessions: the Friday of the week where 1/4th of the course is completed. (In a four-week class, it would be the Friday of the first week of class, for example).
Prior to the pass/fail deadline, you may cancel pass/fail registration and take the course on a regular graded basis.