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College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences

CFAES

AU20 Grading Options

Autumn 2020 Expanded Grading Options

On Thursday, September 17, the University Senate voted to expand the use of the pass/non-pass (PA/NP) grading choice to include General Education courses, and to extend the deadline for choosing this option for most classes until Friday, November 20 (there is an earlier deadline, October 2, for first-term (7-week) classes only). The College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) is focused on student success and the integrity of the student educational experience, and has carefully considered the use of PA/NP in the majors and minors of the college. The following decision is based on the current state of COVID-19 at the university; and the college will monitor carefully the situation to determine if additional action is needed.

  • The College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences will not extend the PA/NP option beyond GE courses and free electives to courses that are part of undergraduate majors, minors or other programs in the college.*
  • The use of Pass/No Pass for General Education courses does include GE courses that are part of the undergraduate majors, minors or other programs within the college. PA/NP may also be used for the AGRCOMM 3130/COMM2110 requirement in the majors as well as for remedial coursework in Mathematics or English.**
  • Students may not use PA/NP for any major or minor course electives.
  • Students with a cumulative GPA of less than 2.0 are required to meet with their advisor before electing PA/NP. This revision was approved in November of 2020; previously, students with a cumulative GPA of <2.0 were not eligible for PA/NP. This does not apply to new first term or transfer students without an OSU GPA; these students are permitted to elect PA/NP where appropriate.
  • Courses taken Pass/Non-Pass during Autumn 2020 semester will count toward the limit of 20 credit hours that each student may take Pass/Non-Pass during their undergraduate career. Courses taken PA/NP in SP 2020 do not count towards the 20-hour limit. 
  • Students are responsible for knowing the deadlines associated with PA/NP for first-session (7W1), second-session (7W2), and full-semester courses.
  • Once selected, the PA/NP option will not be reversed. Students are encouraged to wait to make their decision until they have a good sense of their academic performance in the class, because PA/NP cannot be reversed due to better than expected class performance. 
  • Students may drop a class for which they had previously elected the PA/NP option, so long they do so before the drop deadline (November 20th). 

Students must consult with their academic advisor before electing the PA/NP option because there may be unintended consequences that impact future applications to Graduate or Professional school, veterans and military tuition benefits, financial aid and scholarship eligibility, credit-hour requirements for the Dean's list/Latin honors, access to courses requiring a minimum grade in a prerequisite course, success in future coursework, applications to graduate, etc.

PA/NP grades do not factor into GPA calculations, so such a grade cannot lower or raise a student’s GPA.

The CFAES is focused on assisting students who are negatively affected by COVID-19. If you are in need of academic support or have questions about how to connect with university resources, please reach out to your academic advisor or to one of the College Academic Counselors (contact CFAES-academics@osu.edu; 614-292-1734). If you are experiencing stress or anxiety, David Wirt, wirt.9@osu.edu, is the CFAES embedded mental health counselor. He is available for new consultations and to establish routine care. To Schedule with David, please call 614-292-5766. Students should mention their affiliation with CFAES when setting up a phone screening.  

*This determination applies to CFAES majors and minors. If a student has a second major or a minor in another college, refer to that college’s decision on AU20 PA/NP for its programs here.

**Remedial courses include: MATH 1050, MATH 1075, ENGL 1109, EDUTL 1901 (ESL), EDUTL 1902 (ESL)

Undergraduate students must request a Pass/No Pass option using the online form. Each applicable course must be selected; the form will only accept one student submission. 

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