Taking a class Pass/Fail

The deadline is the Friday of the week in which the session is 25% completed. For most Fall/Spring classes, this is the end of the 4th week. *The deadline for modular and summer session courses is the Friday of the week in which the session is one-fourth completed.
**For more detailed information about registering to take a course pass/fail and the College of Letters & Science pass/fail policy, refer to http://uas.ls.wisc.edu/academic_policy/pass_fail.html.

You cannot take anything pass/fail (P/F) that counts toward a specific requirement (language, breadth, major, etc.). A pass/fail course has no effect on your GPA. Instructors have no idea you are taking the class P/F unless you inform them. They will enter whatever grade you earn into the computer, and the Registrar's Office will convert it to the appropriate P/F grade. Remember that you must earn at least a "C" grade in the course to pass it. Grades of "D" and "F" are considered failing grades.

Can I change to Pass/Fail after the deadline?

You cannot change a course to P/F after the deadline. The idea is that you should know before you even take the class whether it is something you want a grade in or are doing just to gain knowledge. If you don't know before the class starts, you have four (4) weeks to decide. After that, a grade will be recorded. Your options for not having a grade recorded are dropping the class and/or withdrawing from the semester.

What is the difference between audit and pass/fail?

For pass/fail, you are required to do the work and it counts toward graduation. Taking a class for audit requires you to attend the class and do the required reading. The professor MUST know you are registered as auditing the class and it does NOT count toward graduation.

You can only audit a course with the consent of the instructor, and you need to have sound academic reasons for doing so. Audited classes do not count toward graduation, but they do count toward the maximum number of credits you can carry in a semester. You have until the end of the 4th week of classes to change to audit (you only have until the end of the second week of classes to change it back from audit to credit, though). You cannot audit classes that are labs, skills or performance classes. This is because auditors are passive learners and are not allowed to take exams or recite in class. This includes many math and language classes. To audit a class, check with the professor first and then speak with the department. For popular classes, preference is given to students taking the class for credit instead of audit.

For pass/fail, you are required to complete the work. However, you do not need the instructor's permission to complete the work. It does count toward graduation (see Taking a Class Pass/Fail). For audit, you are only allowed to do the reading and attend the class. The professor MUST give permission to audit the course and it does NOT count toward graduation. *Thus, you will need to turn in a signed Course Change Form with the instructor and department's signatures giving you permission to audit his/her course by the appropriate deadline to room B12 Bascom Hall. *