Academic Options Eased, Expanded for Spring
Truman administrators and faculty recognize the increased difficulty, stress and uncertainty these extraordinary circumstances pertaining to the COVID-19 virus are likely causing students. Patience and understanding are appreciated as the University has shifted face-to-face learning to alternative means, adapted advising and tutoring, and worked out other logistics related to student life and learning. Truman cares about its students, and in an effort to ease the transitions that are necessary at this time, the University will provide the following opportunities to students during the spring, 2020 semester:
• Extend the final drop date (with a W) for individual courses to the last day of classes, May 1.
• Allow students to convert any course to Pass/Fail grading until 8 a.m. May 14, the day after semester grades are posted.
• Allow all courses graded as Pass/Fail to be used to fulfill degree and program requirements if a grade of P (pass) is earned; however, individual programs such as Nursing and some graduate programs may choose to require a C or better for fulfillment of degree requirements and will notify their students if this is the case.
• Allow a grade of P (pass) to be sufficient for degree progress and to fulfill prerequisites. In the case where a grade of C or better is required for prerequisite fulfillment, a student may select Pass/Fail grading but will not fulfill the prerequisite if the recorded grade is a D unless approval is granted by the department chair.
• Inclusion on the President’s and Vice President for Academic Affairs’ Lists based on recorded grades prior to the Pass/Fail conversion.
• For the 2020-2021 academic year, commit to taking a flexible, understanding approach to academic standards appeals, standard academic progress appeals (federal financial aid), and scholarship renewal appeals (Truman financial aid).
Below is a list of questions students might have regarding these opportunities, and others will likely arise. These questions will be posted on trualert.truman.edu and will be frequently updated.
FAQs for Students Regarding Spring 2020 Grading Policies
How do I change a course to Pass/Fail grading?
A tool in TruView is being created to make these changes. Students will be notified when this option is available. You will have the option to select/deselect the Pass/Fail option until 8 a.m. May 14.
How does the Pass/Fail grading process work?
Faculty will record the letter grade earned. The Registrar’s Office will convert it to Pass if the recorded grade is a D or higher or to Fail if the recorded grade is an F. The recorded grade will be used for prerequisite fulfillment if a course requires a prerequisite of a grade of C or better. The recorded grade will be used for determining the President’s and Vice President for Academic Affairs’ Lists.
What will show on my transcript?
If you select to drop your course before the last day of classes, you will receive a “W” on your transcript for this course. If you select Pass/Fail grading, your transcript will display a “P” if you earn a letter grade of D or higher. A grade of “Fail” in Pass/Fail grading will display an “F” on your transcript. If you choose Credit/No Credit grading, a letter grade of D or better earns Credit (Y appears on the transcript); a letter grade of F does not earn credit (Z appears on the transcript).
How do the different options impact my GPA?
If you select to drop a course, the “W” will not impact your GPA. If you select Pass/Fail grading, the grade of a “P” (Pass) will not impact your GPA. A grade of “F” (Fail in Pass/Fail grading) will be calculated into your GPA as scoring zero (0) honor points for that course, behaving in the same way as an “F” issued under an A-F grading scheme. If you choose the Credit/No Credit grading option, neither Credit grades (Y appears on the transcript) nor No Credit grades (Z appears on the transcript) affect your GPA.
What is the difference between the new Pass/Fail grading option and Credit/No Credit grading that we can select any semester?
In both options, if you earn a letter grade of D or better you get a Pass or Credit grade and neither option counts towards your GPA. In the case of a letter grade of an F, a “Fail” counts as zero (0) honor points and will count against your GPA while a “No Credit” Z grade does not impact your GPA. As outlined above for this semester, any courses that you choose the Pass/Fail grading option and earn a “Pass” will fulfill degree and program requirements, count as sufficient degree progress, and fulfill most prerequisites. This means you will receive full credit for those courses. (A few degree programs will not permit this option and will notify their students separately.) Maintaining sufficient degree progress is important for some scholarships and financial aid; the Pass/Fail option allows you to keep all of the financial aid that has been awarded to you for the current semester. Credit/No Credit grading can only apply to “free electives” and cannot count towards many degree requirements – see FAQ for What is the Credit/No Credit Policy. There is a limit of the number of Credit/No Credit courses you can claim in a semester and over the course of your college career. Credit/No Credit courses cannot be repeated. Credit/No Credit courses do not count for sufficient degree progress and in your full-time load for some scholarships and financial aid, which may mean you will be required to return those forms of aid. The Credit/No Credit option is available for students to select until March 27. No fee will be assessed for the change to Credit/No Credit. For most students looking for an option other than the standard A-F grading scheme, the Pass/Fail grading option will be a better choice than Credit/No Credit. However, your faculty advisor or a CAE advisor (advise@truman.edu) can help you make this decision if you are unsure.
Does dropping my course or selecting Pass/Fail grading impact my financial aid?
Dropping below full-time hours (12 credit hours) may impact your financial aid. Selecting Pass/Fail grading does not impact your financial aid. Credit/No Credit grades can impact Veteran Affairs aid and have other limitations on degree progress and courses that it can apply to.
How might converting my classes to Pass/Fail impact my plans to attend graduate or professional school?
An advisor (faculty advisor or CAE advisor) can help you answer this question. However, many universities are implementing similar policies for the Spring 2020 semester.
Who can I talk to about what makes the most sense for me?
You can contact the Center for Academic Excellence (CAE) at advise@truman.edu or by phone 660.785.7403. Your faculty advisor can also serve as a resource. Email is a good way to contact your advisor to find out their office hours and the best way to communicate with them.
Will my professor know if I select Pass/Fail grading?
No, your professor will enter the letter grade you earned in the course. The conversion to a Pass/Fail grade will occur in the Registrar’s office after letter grades have been entered.
Will there be a fee to change to Pass/Fail?
Fees are not assessed for choosing Pass/Fail.
Do ordinary fees apply right now for dropping a course or for changing to credit/no credit?
Fees will not be assessed for dropping beginning March 23 through May 1 or for changing to Credit/No Credit through March 27.
What if I have changed a course to Credit/No Credit grading and would like to select Pass/Fail grading?
Pass/Fail grading will override Credit/No Credit grading if you have selected both options for your courses. You are also welcome to contact the Registrar’s Office at registrar@truman.edu to remove the Credit/No Credit grading.
Can I change a first-block course to Pass/Fail grading?
No, this option is only available for courses that are currently in session (Full-term Spring courses and Second-block Spring courses).
What is the Credit/No Credit Policy?
CREDIT/NO CREDIT – To provide students the opportunity to broaden their experiences, Truman allows students to enroll in a limited number of classes on a Credit/No Credit basis. Forms are available in the Registrar’s Office. The following Credit/No Credit guidelines apply.
Does dropping my course or selecting Pass/Fail grading impact my financial aid?
Dropping below full-time hours (12 credit hours) may impact your financial aid. Selecting Pass/Fail grading does not impact your financial aid. Credit/No Credit grades can impact Veteran Affairs aid and have other limitations on degree progress and courses that it can apply to.
How might converting my classes to Pass/Fail impact my plans to attend graduate or professional school?
An advisor (faculty advisor or CAE advisor) can help you answer this question. However, many universities are implementing similar policies for the Spring 2020 semester.
Who can I talk to about what makes the most sense for me?
You can contact the Center for Academic Excellence (CAE) at advise@truman.edu or by phone 660.785.7403. Your faculty advisor can also serve as a resource. Email is a good way to contact your advisor to find out their office hours and the best way to communicate with them.
Will my professor know if I select Pass/Fail grading?
No, your professor will enter the letter grade you earned in the course. The conversion to a Pass/Fail grade will occur in the Registrar’s office after letter grades have been entered.
Will there be a fee to change to Pass/Fail?
Fees are not assessed for choosing Pass/Fail.
Do ordinary fees apply right now for dropping a course or for changing to credit/no credit?
Fees will not be assessed for dropping beginning March 23 through May 1 or for changing to Credit/No Credit through March 27.
What if I have changed a course to Credit/No Credit grading and would like to select Pass/Fail grading?
Pass/Fail grading will override Credit/No Credit grading if you have selected both options for your courses. You are also welcome to contact the Registrar’s Office at registrar@truman.edu to remove the Credit/No Credit grading.
Can I change a first-block course to Pass/Fail grading?
No, this option is only available for courses that are currently in session (Full-term Spring courses and Second-block Spring courses).
What is the Credit/No Credit Policy?
CREDIT/NO CREDIT – To provide students the opportunity to broaden their experiences, Truman allows students to enroll in a limited number of classes on a Credit/No Credit basis. Forms are available in the Registrar’s Office. The following Credit/No Credit guidelines apply.
1. A student may complete “free elective” classes using the Credit/No Credit grading option. “Free electives” are those courses that are not used to fulfill requirements in the Liberal Studies Program, in the student’s major program (including required support), in the additional foreign language component for the BA, in the additional science component for the BS, minor requirements, departmental honors requirements, or honors scholar requirements. A student may not elect the Credit/No Credit grading option in courses that cannot be used as “free electives” (COMM 170, ENG 190, MATH 156, MATH 157, MATH 186, and STAT 190). Required English courses for international students may not be taken as Credit/No Credit.
2. A student may complete a course that is being used to fulfill the writing-enhanced requirement, the Missouri Statute requirement, the 63 required credits of LAS coursework, the 40 required credits of 300+ level undergraduate coursework, and/or the cumulative credit requirement using the Credit/No Credit grading option if that course is not being used to fulfill any other requirements in the student’s program.
3. Credit standing is achieved by a “D” grade or above, while failing a course results in No Credit.
4. A student may take up to five (5) credits per semester as Credit/No Credit. Seniors may request a waiver to take two courses (up to 8 credits) in a single semester. The request must be submitted in writing to appeals@truman.edu.
5. Up to 12 credits of Credit/No Credit may be counted toward graduation.
6. A student may change to or from a Credit/No Credit grading system by the last day allowed to drop the course.
7. With a Credit standing, the student receives credit for the course, and recognition of passing the course appears on the student’s transcript.
8. With a No Credit standing, the student does not receive credit for the course though the student’s transcript shows that the student attempted, yet no credit was received, for the course.
9. Courses taken under the Credit/No Credit grading option do not affect the student’s grade point average.
10. Courses taken under the Credit/No Credit grading option cannot be repeated.
11. During the semester, the student, the student’s advisor, the instructor, and the Registrar’s Office know that the student is taking the course on a Credit/No Credit basis.
All students should consult their advisors prior to deciding to take any course Credit/No Credit. Pre-Education students are advised that professional education courses cannot be taken Credit/No Credit. Students planning to pursue the MAE degree should contact the Certification Office in the Department of Education for specific information. Courses taken Credit/No Credit do not fulfill requirements for load considerations by the Veterans Administration if the final grade assigned is No Credit.
