Pass/Fail date approaching
With the deadline for taking a class pass/fail quickly approaching, some students may be considering changing from the traditional letter grades.
The Utah State general catalog refers to this as the P/D/D+/F option. A pass grade indicates that the class was passed with a C- or better.
Becki Broadbent, an academic adviser in the Advising Center, said the pass/fail option appeals to some students because it won’t affect their grade point average.
“About the only time I would suggest it is when it is a general education requirement and it’s not going toward their major,” Broadbent said.
There is a limit to how many classes can be taken pass/fail because a P grade does not earn quality hours. Of the 120 credits that must be earned to graduate, 100 of those must have a C- or better.
Hilary Gibbons, a senior majoring in FCHD, said she is considering changing her biology class to pass/fail.
“It’s one of my generals and I know I am not going to do as well as I would like,” Gibbons said. “I don’t want this class to mess up my GPA, especially this far into college.”
It’s like having a way out, to make your load easier, said Thomas Fullmer, who works in the Registrar’s Office.
Students are required to fill out a form that must be signed by their adviser before changing to the pass/fail option. This is done to make sure that the decision doesn’t come back to haunt a student down the road, as many departments do not allow pass/fail grades in classes required for a major.
The general catalog states that many professional or graduate schools may not accept P grades. Broadbent said that some graduate schools consider a pass to be a C while others simply see it as a pass.
Many P/F courses are seminars or research credit or forms of projects and creative activity, said Laurens Smith, interim dean of graduate studies.
He said the presence of these kinds of efforts on a transcript benefits the student when they apply to graduate programs because it reflects experiences important for graduate study.
As a graduate student the general catalog states that the pass/fail option can only be taken in specific instances, such as seminars or research credit.
The deadline for changing to the pass/fail option is March 9. Forms can be picked up at the Registrar’s Office.
They must be signed by an adviser, something Broadbent recommends getting done early to avoid the made rush.
ashleykarras@cc.usu.edu