Auditorium style classroom with students listening to the professor

COVID-19 Spring 2020 Grading Policy Contingency

Course Drops

As previously announced, the spring 2020 deadline to drop a course has been extended to April 10.

All courses dropped in the spring 2020 semester will be considered “non-academic” and will not count toward the students’ six-drop limit.

Students will receive a grade of “W” for courses dropped in spring 2020.

Selection of Grading for Spring 2020 Courses

For all Spring 2020 courses currently in progress (full 16-week courses and second 8-week courses only) UT Permian Basin is implementing a Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) grade option for all undergraduate and graduate courses.  Students may opt into this grading system for each of their courses.  These grades will be reflected in their final grade and on the official transcript.  Given the provisions of the agreements between UT Permian Basin and our partnering school districts, dual credit students are not eligible for the Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grade option.

During the spring semester, student course work and examinations, etc. will continue to be graded in the traditional format (A, B, C, etc.), and all students will receive a traditional final grade at the end of the semester. 

Students who wish to exercise the S/U option in a course must finalize their decision by May 22, 2020—ten days after faculty grades are posted—and inform the Registrar's Office, the Office of Student Success, and their faculty member of this decision via a link that will be made available.

Students may opt to keep their traditional grade (A, B, C, etc.) that is posted at the end of the spring semester, or they may exercise the S/U option. 

When making these determinations, students should consider the following:

Traditional final grades (A, B, C, D, F.) will be posted on their transcripts and calculated into the student’s grade point average as normal. 

In order to receive a final Satisfactory (S) grade, students must have earned a minimum of a “C-” in the course according to the course syllabus grading policy. 

Both “S” and “U” grades will not be computed into the students’ grade point average.

Student earning an “S” grade will receive the course credit(s), and the S grade will not be computed into grade point average. 

Student earning a “U” grade will not receive the course credit(s), but the U grade will not be computed into grade point average. 

Students who earn a “D” in their class may either: 1) accept that grade, receive the course credit(s), and the grade of “D” will be calculated into their grade point average or 2) take Unsatisfactory option, receive no course credit(s), but the “U” grade will not be computed into their grade point average.

Students receiving an Unsatisfactory for an earned “F” grade will not receive the course credit(s), but the “U” grade will not be computed in the student’s grade point average.

Very Important!

Students who are considering the Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory option must contact their professor, academic adviser and/or their faculty mentor immediately to discuss the impact of selecting the Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory Policy may have on their academic progress and future academic plans.  For example, some programs require the attainment of certain traditional letter grades to progress in the program and/or to be admitted into subsequent required program courses.  Students should not assume that a grade of “S” will meet all program requirements and future course prerequisites.  In order to facilitate this communication, each college and academic program will prepare FAQs and other information to assist students in making informed decisions about how the Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory option may impact their academic progress.

Finally, students who are unsatisfied with any of their final grades may file a grade appeal in accordance with the regular University policy.