Grade Elections

As a result of the operation changes due to COVID-19, UNC Charlotte is allowing students to elect Pass/No Credit (P/N) for up to three undergraduate courses for the entire academic year, and no more than two per term. The information below is applicable for Fall 2020, Spring 2021, and Summer 2021​ grades.


Making your grade elections

  • The form to make your grade elections is available in Banner Self Service.
  • From Banner Self Service, click on Student Services/Student Accounts, then click on Student Records, then Pass/No Credit Grading Request.
  • For Spring and Summer 2021 terms, you must elect High Pass/Pass/No Credit (H/P/N) by the date identified in the Academic Calendar

Read More about Grade Options Here

*Please note that on January 22, 2021 the Undergraduate Grading Policy for the 2020-21 academic year was amended. Read more about the changes made here.


FAQs

Based on student feedback, there is a change for the grade election procedure for the Spring 2021 semester as follows:

  • Students may complete their courses and review their letter grades before deciding whether to request H/P/N grades to replace standard grades for any of their Spring 2021 courses. 

  • Students in full-term and 2nd half-term courses can make grade elections between May 20 and June 1.

  • Students in 1st half-term courses can make grade elections between March 20 and April 2.

  • Instructions for making H/P/N grade elections were provided in March, access instructions here.

  • Students who already have made grade elections for Spring 2021 were contacted by the Office of the Registrar and given details of the change.

Students are strongly encouraged to consult with their academic advisor and course instructor before making a decision to be aware of any implications on future plans. Please be aware of the details of this grading exception.

If you wish to request H/P/N grading for a prerequisite course that requires a grade of C or higher in order to progress, then you should complete the course and receive a final grade. After the final grade is posted, you may then complete a petition to request a H/P/N grade by January 8, 2021, if you wish to replace your course letter grade with a H/P/N grade. This will ensure that if you have grades of C or better in prerequisite courses, you can progress while not impacting your GPA calculation.   

The use of the H grade designation will signify that you have passed, with a C or above, and will have satisfied progression (prerequisite) requirements.  This grade designation is limited to the 2020-2021 academic year only.  

We strongly encourage you to consult with your academic advisor and course instructor before making a decision. Some colleges or degree programs may have exceptions. Please be aware of the details of this grading exception.

Undergraduate students are reminded that up to two courses can be elected for P/N grading for the Fall 2020 term, including those awarded via petition. You may elect P/N grading for no more than three undergraduate courses for the entire academic year, including summer.

To file an academic petition after Dec. 16, you must complete an academic petition via the online academic petition system.  

If you elect for Pass/No Credit in a course that is a prerequisite for a future course and earned a minimum grade of C, you will be assigned an H (High Pass) grade and you will be able to progress to the next course. If the progression course is a prerequisite for a future course and you earned a grade of D or F, you will not be allowed to progress to the next course. We encourage you to consult with your academic advisor before making any decisions. This decision is NOT REVERSIBLE, once elected.

A grade of H or P will not be factored into the term or cumulative GPA; therefore, it is important for you to consult with your academic advisor or program director for advice before making an election decision.

We encourage you to make an informed decision of how a High Pass (H) or Pass (P) grade, instead of a letter grade, may impact future plans.  You should seek guidance from your academic advisor or program director and consider all implications before requesting Pass/No Credit accommodation.  You will not have an opportunity to petition for a standard letter grade after the election process concludes.

Honors programs have requirements related to letter grades to be eligible to graduate with honors or be admitted or continue in an honors program.  As an honors student in honors courses, you may not elect an H or P instead of a grade for any honors course to receive honors credit. If you need a COVID-related exception may work with a faculty member to make a request via this form. 

No. Provided you have earned 48 credits at UNC Charlotte, even if some of those credits are graded on a Pass/No Credit basis, you will remain eligible.

If you opt to take No Credit (N) for a course grade, then you will either be required to pay all of the funds back from the first day of the term (including BAH, tuition, fees, book funds, etc.) or you may be allowed to repay prorated debts through the last day of attendance.  This is determined by the Veterans Administration, not the UNC Charlotte Veteran Services Office.  

Those choosing to take the High Pass or Pass option will not be impacted. The only reason the No Credit (N) option poses a potential issue is that it does not count towards your degree AND there are no consequences (an F grade).  Students using Vocational Rehabilitation (Chapter 31) will be best served by consulting directly with their Vocational Rehab Counselor.

No.  Courses selected for Pass/No Credit during the 2020-2021 academic year are excluded from the maximum four courses that you may ordinarily elect P/N.

Yes. For Spring 2021, students will have the opportunity to review their final course before making a decision to elect Pass/No Credit grading. Students must elect the Pass/No Credit accommodation for a course by the date in the Academic Calendar.  

The grade of I is assigned at the discretion of the instructor when a student who is otherwise passing has not, due to circumstances beyond his/her control, completed all the work in the course.  Students must consult with the course instructor before the semester ends and should consider all implications, including extra workload.  The missing work must be completed by the deadline specified by the instructor, and no later than 12 months.  If the I is not removed during the specified time, a grade of F, U, or N, as appropriate, is automatically assigned.  The grade of I cannot be removed by enrolling again in the same course, and students should not re-enroll in a course in which they have been assigned the grade of I.
Yes, you will have the ability to use grade replacement to replace a grade received -- P/N or a standard letter grade -- earned during the 2020-2021 academic year.  In accordance with the University of North Carolina System policy, grade replacements made during Fall 2020 or Spring 2021 will not count towards the maximum allowable in the grading policy.   

You will NOT be able to change your course grade in these cases:  

  • courses for which Pass/No Credit is the current grading mode;
  • courses at the graduate level;
  • courses from which you withdrew; 
  • courses for which have not yet been graded;
  • courses for which you have been found responsible and given a grade penalty for an academic integrity violation; and
  • you have exhausted your eligible elections for the term or academic year.

Courses selected for Pass/No Credit in 2020-2021 will be excluded from semester and cumulative GPA calculations.  If you are on academic probation or special probation whose cumulative GPA remains below 2.0 at the end of the semester will be suspended from the University unless your GPA for that semester is at least 2.3, in which case you would remain on probation.   If you were in good standing prior to the semester whose cumulative GPA fell below 2.0 this semester will be placed on Academic Probation.  While we are confident that you can rebound, we encourage you to reach out to your advisor if you need assistance.  

If you received a UNC Charlotte institutional scholarship that requires you to maintain a minimum GPA in order for the award to renew, you must earn the minimum required GPA. The Scholarship Offer and Acceptance Form you signed when initially accepting your scholarship offer indicates if your award is renewable, and includes any terms or conditions you must meet to remain eligible in future years. Your grades are reviewed at the end of each academic semester and/or year, depending on the administering department, to determine if you will remain eligible to receive your scholarship the following semester or academic year.

Courses selected for Pass/No Credit will have no impact on your semester GPA or overall cumulative GPA. If you do not meet the minimum required GPA, you will be placed on scholarship probation for one academic year. You will still receive your scholarship for the probation year. After the probation year, your grades will be reviewed and if your GPA is not at the minimum required level, your scholarship may be withdrawn.

By August 1, 2020, you were notified by email if your scholarship for the 2020-2021 academic year will be renewed or withdrawn.  If you are offered a renewal scholarship for the 2021-2022 academic year, you must accept the scholarship offer in the NinerScholars Portal in order for payment to process to your student account.

If you are a Levine Scholar, you should contact the Levine Scholars Program Office directly for information specific to renewal of your scholarship.  Recipients of the Crown, Freeman, Johnson, Martin, or Albert Engineering Scholarships should contact the Honors College directly for specific renewal information.

If you were awarded a scholarship by an organization outside UNC Charlotte, which contains a GPA requirement for renewal, you should contact the awarding organization with any questions.

No.  The exception here only applies to undergraduate students in undergraduate courses.  This change does not apply to undergraduate students enrolled in graduate courses or to graduate students.  Graduate students should continue to follow the grading policies for pass/unsatisfactory in the Graduate Catalog.