S/U Grading Advisers and Instructors

Spring 2020 S/U Grading Policy – Information For Instructors And Advisers

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ursinus College has instituted a policy for the Spring 2020 semester which allows students to opt into an S/U grading scheme for any or all courses they are currently enrolled in. Under this policy, students may opt in without adviser approval; however, we strongly encourage students to discuss their decision with advisers and instructors. Included below are (a) the key points of the policy, (b) important questions to discuss with students who are considering opting in, and (c) a FAQ for students.

Key points of the S/U policy – for instructors

The goal of this policy is to protect students whose academic performance may suffer significantly due to the stress and disruption caused by the pandemic.
For Spring 2020 only, an “S” (Satisfactory) grade should be awarded to any opted-in student whose work would have earned any passing grade, i.e., D- or better. A “U” (Unsatisfactory) grade should be awarded to students who would ordinarily have earned an F.
Instructors will enter grades of S or U for students who have opted into the S/U scheme. Students who have opted in will have the grade of “S” pre-entered, and instructors will change the grade to a “U” where necessary.
Instructors should continue to grade all students normally for the remainder of the semester and to maintain those records. Transcripts for this semester will have an addendum about this semester’s exceptional situation. At the end of the semester, instructors will be asked only to indicate, where applicable, that a given S grade corresponded to a grade lower than C for that student.

Key points of the S/U policy – for advisers

Students do not need advisers’ permission to opt in, but they are encouraged to discuss their decision with their adviser and instructors. Students will opt-in via an online form, beginning on April 13.
Students must opt in by April 29. No opt-ins or opt-outs will be permitted after this date without a formal appeal to the Academic Standards and Discipline Committee.
A grade of S will not affect a student’s GPA, positively or negatively, but course credits will count normally towards satisfying core, major, and graduation requirements.
A grade of U is equivalent to an F; it will be calculated into a student’s GPA as a zero, and the student will earn no credit towards graduation for the course.

Talking to your advisees about the S/U grading option

Here are the main questions a student should consider before opting for the S/U grading scheme:

For some students, yes. For high-achieving students who are worried about slightly lower than usual grades, it may not be that significant. Encourage students to use an online GPA calculator to figure out how much any one course will impact their cumulative GPA. It may be less than they think.
On the other hand, choosing the S/U option may backfire for some marginal students. A student who expects three C’s and an F, and who opts for the S/U scheme in all four courses, would end up with a semester GPA of zero. If the same student chose letter grading for all four courses, their semester GPA would be 1.5.
Encourage students to determine as accurately as possible what their expected course grade is, as close to the April 29 deadline as possible, in order to make an informed decision.

This semester’s situation is unprecedented, and we cannot say with full confidence how this option will affect graduate school applications. However, many institutions have instituted either mandatory or optional pass/fail grading schemes this semester, and several prestigious medical schools have announced a policy of not penalizing students who have taken pass/fail options during the pandemic. It seems very unlikely that students’ chances of a successful graduate school or transfer application will be harmed by choosing this option.
That said, if a student is considering whether to opt for S/U grading in one of several courses, and one of those courses is a pre-med requirement or similar, it may be wise to take the S/U option in one of the other courses.

Grade prerequisites

If your student is enrolled in one of the following courses:

ACCT-140
ECON-101, 102, 150
STAT-141Q
CS-173, 174 or
MATH-110, 111, 112

they should check the prerequisites for any future courses they are likely to take in ECON, FIN, CS, or MATH. Some higher-level courses require that students have earned a C- or better in one or more of the courses identified above. For example, a student who is enrolled in CS-173 and who plans to take CS-174 will need to earn a C- or better. Before choosing the S/U option, a student in this situation should discuss this decision with someone from the relevant department(s).

Academic probation

If your student is currently on academic probation and anticipates earning sufficiently high grades to return to good standing, they should opt for letter grades. (A student needs to bring both their cumulative and semester GPA above 2.0 to remove Ac Pro status.)