UNC announced its change of policy regarding pass/fail declarations by students, expanding the grading method as the university conducts its fall semester remotely.

The university shared the change to its campus community Thursday night, announcing undergraduate students will have the option to declare any undergraduate course below a 700-level as pass/fail. The option is an alternative to a letter grade and students can elect to make any course pass/fail until the last day of classes, November 17.

The announcement follows UNC’s move to an exclusively remote instruction model after holding just more than a week of in-person classes. Following several clusters of positive COVID-19 cases among students, university leadership shifted back to all-online learning, which it did when the pandemic began in March. UNC also granted students expanded pass/fail options at the end of the spring 2020 semester.

Carolina’s method of pass/fail allows students to receive one of three grades: Pass, Low Pass, or Fail. Grades of C or higher will be converted to a Pass designation, while grades of C-, D+ or D earn a Low Pass. Courses that receive a Low Pass cannot be used for graduation requirements or prerequisites that require a grade of C or higher. Grades of F remain a Fail designation.

UNC clarified said Thursday courses with the pass/fail designation will be eligible to count toward majors, minors, General Education credits and any other degree requirements. There is no limit on the number of courses students can declare with this grading method for the fall 2020 semester, said the university’s release. Courses with the pass/fail designation this semester will also not count toward any graduation limits of such grading options.

In addition, the university said it will continue using a ‘CV’ grade as an alternative to an incomplete grade for undergraduate students “adversely affected” by the ongoing pandemic. CV grades are typically given to address accessibility or equity issues when coursework cannot be completed, according to UNC policy.

To read the full announcement from UNC and to learn more details about pass/fail changes, visit the university’s website.

Photo via UNC.

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