Read below for an update on the changes to P/NP grading policies for the W21 quarter.
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As many of you may be aware, the Academic Senate has just given individual departments the option to accept P/NP graded courses towards major and minor requirements for the Winter 2021 quarter. The history department has decided to opt-in and allow this, so all history department major/minor courses may be taken for a P/NP grade in Winter 2021 only. I’ve pasted the message regarding these regulation changes from the College of Letters and Science below, and encourage you all to read it thoroughly before making changes to your grading options. I know many of you have reached out to me already this quarter to inquire about taking P/NP courses for major or minor credit, so please disregard what I said before and follow the new regulations. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions!
*For those of you in our interdisciplinary minors (Poverty, Inequality, and Social Justice and Labor Studies) that take courses from outside the history department, please note that it is at the discretion of the department that owns the course to decide whether they will offer it with P/NP grading or not. If they do, you can take it with a P/NP grade and receive minor credit for the course.
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There have been some important changes approved by the Academic Senate to the policies regarding Passed/Not Passed grading in Winter 2021:
Policy for P/NP Grading in Winter 2021
1. The deadline to switch between letter graded and P/NP has been pushed back to the last day of instruction, March 12, 2021, instead of the usual end of the seventh week.
2. Departments may “opt in” and allow Winter 2021 courses for which a student has earned a P to count toward major requirements.
- If a department decides to opt in, all the department’s courses, even those currently restricted to letter grade, will have the P/NP option this quarter.
- If a department decides to opt in, courses from another department that meet major requirements may be taken P/NP if the course allows optional grading.
- Departments have until 5 PM on Friday, February 19, to decide to opt in. Check your department’s website after that date for more information.
3. Students on Academic Probation may take courses P/NP in Winter 2021.
4. Winter 2021 courses taken P/NP will count as letter-graded units for the purpose of fulfilling the University Letter Grade Requirement’s minimum 120 letter-graded units.
5. P/NP policies for Spring and Summer 2021 have not been finalized. These will be finalized by the Academic Senate on March 11, 2021, and announced to all students.
FAQ: Should I take courses P/NP?
For Pre-Health Students: Health Professions Advising strongly discourages pre-health students from changing their grading option for their science courses to P/NP, especially professional school prerequisite courses! The only exception is if a student knows, without a doubt, that they will earn a C- or below in a course, which would mean a NP would be earned. Ultimately, if students are still unsure, please speak to a pre-health advisor during drop-in advising. Drop-in times and other important information can be found on the Health Professions Advising website, https://healthsciences.duels.ucsb.edu/home.
For Pre-Law Students: For any students considering going to law school, please note that NP grades are converted to F by the LSAC (Law School Admissions Council). P grades, however, are not included in the calculation at all. For additional information on how grades are recalculated for the law school admission process and considered by law schools, please visit our pre-law advising page to connect with one of our pre-law advisors: https://duels.ucsb.edu/professional/law
For Students Changing/Adding Majors: If you are thinking of possibly changing majors, or adding a second major, you will want to be sure that your intended major department has opted in before taking classes required for their major P/NP. The same advice applies if you are Undeclared, for any major you might be considering.
For Students Considering Graduate School: If you are considering graduate school in your major, you may want to think twice about taking major courses P/NP. Consult your department if you have questions about how P/NP may be treated as part of graduate admissions in your discipline.
For GI Bill Veterans: If you are receiving GI Bill Veterans benefits, check with your VA certifying official about policies. In some situations, grades of NP may require you to repay money.
If you are unsure, ask your departmental advisor, or contact a College advisor via:
College of Letters & Science Advising
academic_advising@ltsc.ucsb.edu
https://www.duels.ucsb.edu/advising
academic_advising@ltsc.ucsb.edu
https://www.duels.ucsb.edu/advising
College of Engineering Advising
coe-info@engineering.ucsb.edu
https://engineering.ucsb.edu/undergraduate/academic-advising
coe-info@engineering.ucsb.edu
https://engineering.ucsb.edu/undergraduate/academic-advising