Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s) for P(Pass) and NC (No Credit) Grades for Spring 2020

After grades post on April 30th, you will have until May 11th, 2020 at 11:59pm to “opt-in” to grades of P (Pass), NC (No Credit).

This will be through an electronic process when you log-in to your MyFIU student account home page, there will be a “request grade change.” You will receive additional information soon on the process.

NC grades will not be automatically entered for Spring 2020. You will need to opt-in to available NC or P grade options.

Grades of F can be changed to NC grades. The NC grades will not impact your GPA. NC grades will be considered attempted credits but will not be considered as earned credits.

No. F grades do not have the option of a P, only NC.

Grades of D can be changed to P grades. The P grade that replaces a D will not impact your GPA. Grades of P that replace D grades will count as both attempted and earned credits. P grades that replace Ds will not meet prerequisite requirement of C or better or graduation requirements that require a C or better.

Grades of C or C+ can be changed to P grades. The P grade that replaces a C or C+ grade will not impact your GPA; will count as both attempted and earned credit; and will meet prerequisite requirements of C or better. The P grade that replaces a C or C+ grade will not meet prerequisite requirements of B or better. Students who choose the P to replace a grade of C or C+ will not be able to retake the course without getting permission from their advisor.

Grades of B- can be changed to P grades. The P grade that replaces a B- grade will not impact your GPA; will count as both attempted and earned credit; and will meet prerequisite requirements of C or better. The P grade that replaces a B- grade will not meet prerequisite requirements or graduation requirements of B or better. Students who choose the P to replace a grade of B- will not be able to retake the course without getting permission from their advisor.

Grades of B or higher cannot be replaced with P grades or with NC grades. Your advisor can work with you if you have extenuating circumstances. Please make an appointment to speak to your advisor about your grades before the end of the period to change grades: May 11th, 2020.

As an Honors College student you must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.2 for satisfactory academic standing and to graduate as an Honors College student. We suggest that you speak to your advisor and/or the Honors College prior to grades posting so you can discuss the implications of the options. Honors courses are also eligible for the P grade option, but we recommend you speak to your Honors College Advisor regarding any IDH course grade changes prior to grades posting.

Yes, the new grades will be reflected on your transcripts. They will be accompanied by a notation that the grade was selected as a result of COVID 19.

The P grade will not impact your GPA. It will count as attempted and earned credit.

If a C or better is required to fulfil the prerequisite, only a P grade that is replacing a C grade or higher will fulfill the requirement. If the original grade received was a D, the P grade will not fulfill the requirement. 

If a B or better is required to fulfil the prerequisite, the P grade to replace a B- or lower will not fulfill the requirement.

UCC: If the original grade received was a C or higher, the P grade will fulfill any requirement that requires a C or better. If the original grade received was a D, the P will not fulfill any requirement that requires a C or better (Gordon Rule, Gordon Rule with Writing). Not all UCC courses require that you attain a C or better, although some UCC courses may serve as both UCC and major requirement. To fulfill the major requirement, the original grade would need to be high enough to fulfill that requirement. Please check with your advisor to see if the course in question could be completed with the P grade.

Major Requirements: You will need an original grade of C or better to complete most major requirements. If your original grade was a D, changing the grade to P will not complete those requirements. It is best to check with your advisor to determine if the P will work based on the original grade you received.

Electives: If the elective in question would be fulfilled with a D grade, then the P grade would most likely fulfill that requirement. If the elective requires a C or better to pass, then the P grade would only work if your original grade was a C or higher. Please check with your advisor to see if the course in question could be completed with the P grade.

If the course is noted in the catalog as a repeatable course, yes. If the course is not noted as repeatable, you will only be able to repeat the course if your original grade was a D. To retake a course for which you originally earned a C or better, you would need to get permission from your advisor.

Yes, the NC grades received for Spring 2020, due to the COVID-19 emergency, will not count towards your limit of 4 NC grades.

While it is not required that you consult with your advisor, it is advisable that you work with your advisor prior to making your choice. Your choices will have GPA implications and could impact your progress to graduation and/or financial aid renewal eligibility. We suggest that you speak to your advisor and the OneStop prior to grades posting so you can discuss the implications of the options. Soon after grades post, you will receive an email with instructions on making your choices.

If you are a graduate student you must consult with your Graduate Program Director prior to making your choice to avoid any possible delays in the completion of your degree.

Yes, you can opt to change the grade in your course to P or NC as applicable regardless of the original modality of the course.

No, those classes ended and were graded prior to the COVID 19 emergency. Only classes for Session B (2nd 7 weeks), Session C (full 16 weeks), and dynamically dated classes that are/were still on-going, as of March 12, 2020 or later.

Spring 2020 financial aid will not be impacted by choosing a P or NC grade.  For Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) and for Bright Futures renewal requirements, P grades will count as both attempted credits and earned credits.  NC grades will count as attempted but not earned credits.

Both the NC grade and the P grade are considered attempted credits and will count towards the total course credits for the purpose of Excess Hours. Please check with your Excess Credit Counter or consult with your advisor to determine if you are in danger of accruing Excess Hours.

You can choose the NC or P grade option for each course individually as applicable. P for any course in which you earned a D, C, C+, or B-; NC for any course in which you earned an F.

Once you select an option, and the May 11th, 2020 deadline has passed, you cannot make a change. This is an option for a limited time and not reversible.

If you are an undergraduate student and are having a problem reaching your undergraduate advisor, please contact ACS@fiu.edu.

If you are a graduate student, please contact the Graduate Program Director for your program.

While it is advisable that you consult with your advisor prior to making your choice, you will initiate the change. We suggest that you speak to your advisor prior to grades posting so you can discuss the implications of the options. Soon after grades post, you will receive an email with instructions on making your choices.

An NC grade is “no credit” and therefore does not transfer. Depending on the institution you plan to attend, the P grade may transfer, you should check with your future institution to confirm.

Since admissions to graduate programs differ, it is best to speak to the Graduate Program Director or Graduate Admissions Office for the program you are considering prior to making your choice.

Typically, health professional programs require a C or higher earned on pre-requisite coursework. A consensus has been voiced by health programs that many will be flexible in accepting a P grade for the spring 2020 semester. FIU cannot guarantee that every health professional program will accept a P grade and schools may require justification from students on the selection of a P. Health professional programs will NOT accept an NC and students who select an NC grade in place of an F will need to retake the course. Office of Pre-Health advising will offer special group advising sessions this semester through Zoom conferencing to answer questions related.

If you are in a graduate certificate program consult with the program director prior to choosing anything other than the letter grade you receive in the course.

If you are in a cohort program and courses must be taken sequentially, opting for a NC may affect your standing in the program and prevent your timely graduation. You should consult with the program director to evaluate if you can take the courses at a later time and be awarded the certificate.

If you choose P in a course, that course will not contribute to the GPA. If you complete all the required certificate courses successfully (ie. “P” or a passing letter grade, and your GPA is 3.0 or above), then you will earn the certificate.

You can choose the P option but the P will not suffice for you to meet the condition for full admission. If you are reaching the 9 credit milestone this term and elect to have a P in one or more of the courses and this is your third term in the program, you will be able to maintain your conditional admission status for one more term to obtain the required 3.0 GPA for full admission. If you are completing more than 9 credits this term and will meet the 3.0 GPA condition with a subset of the courses you are taking, your condition will be met and you can be fully admitted even if you elect to have a P in one of the courses beyond the 9 credits.

If you are worried about your international student status if you happen to opt for the Pass/NO Credit Earned choice, USCIS has established that

“…full course of study requirements can be waived as a direct result of the impact from COVID-19” (March 26 Update)

So, although we would highly advise you to remain within the regular grading option, if you have a circumstance related to the COVID-19 situation and you have discussed the possibility with your academic advisor, you may opt for the new P or NC alternative. Also, please be reminded that ISSS only responds to immigration-related questions, all academic/GPA inquiries should be directed to your academic advisor.

Once you have discussed your decision with your academic advisor, if you still have questions about how this may impact your visa status ALWAYS ask ISSS! And ALWAYS read our immigration updates, because this policy may change in the future.

Student-athletes must contact their SAAC Academic Coordinator prior to making a decision. Your choices will have GPA implications that could impact your NCAA progress to degree and/or ability to receive Financial Aid. We suggest that you speak to your Academic Coordinator and the FIU Office of Athletics Compliance prior to grades posting so you can discuss the implications of the options. Soon after grades post, you will receive an email with instructions on making your choices.

P grades will have no impact on students’ GPA and as such will not contribute to the total number of grade points students earn. Prior to choosing the P grade, you should work with your advisor to calculate how your choices will affect your ability to reach the minimum GPA requirements and minimum number of grade points needed for those honors (Summa Cum Laude requires an earned cumulative GPA of 3.9 or higher; Magna Cum Laude requires an earned cumulative GPA of 3.7 – 3.899; Cum Laude requires an earned GPA of 3.50-3.699).”To graduate with the above honors, the student must have completed a minimum of 40 semester hours of coursework at FIU for which grade points (Pass/Fail does not apply) are earned at the university.” – Undergraduate Catalog, p.57.

P grades will have no impact on students’ GPA. Prior to choosing the P grade, you should work with your advisor to calculate how your choices will affect your ability to reach the minimum GPA requirements to make the Dean’s List (Any fully admitted undergraduate student who earns a semester average of 3.5 or higher on nine or more semester credit hours of coursework for which grade points are earned is placed on the semester Dean’s List. This achievement is noted on the student’s permanent academic record).

Students taking General Chemistry 1 in Spring who receive F:

• Students who need to take General Chemistry 2, can choose the NC option to remove the impact of the F from their GPA. The NC grade, like the F, would be counted as attempted but not earned credits. The students would need to retake General Chemistry 1 and receive a grade of C or higher before they could take General Chemistry 2.
• Students who realize that they no longer want to be in a major that requires General Chemistry (English for example) could still choose the NC grade option. They would still need to take a Natural Science course to fulfill the UCC requirements. Their advisors can help direct them to appropriate science courses.

Students taking General Chemistry 1 in Spring who receive D:

• Students who need to take General Chemistry 2 could choose to take a P to remove the impact of the D from the GPA but they would need to retake General Chemistry 1 before moving on to General Chemistry 2
• Students who realize that they no longer want to be in a major that requires General Chemistry (English for example) could take the P to remove the impact of the D from the GPA. They would not need to retake the General Chemistry 1 course since the D will fulfill the UCC Natural Science requirement (Group 1).

Students taking General Chemistry 1 in Spring who receive C, C+, B-:

• Students who need to take General Chemistry 2 could calculate the impact of the C, C+, or B- on their GPA. If removing that grade would help their GPA, they could choose to change to the P grade. They would not need to retake General Chemistry 1. They could enroll in General Chemistry 2. Their advisor can assist with making the GPA determination.
• Students who realize that they no longer want to be in a major that requires General Chemistry (English for example) could still choose to change to the P to remove the impact of the C, C=, or B- grade to their GPA if that is beneficial. The General Chemistry class with either the C or above or the P would fulfill the UCC Natural Science requirement (Group 1)