College During COVID: What are the credit/no-credit deadlines for fall semester?
by Denise Runge, Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs |
Today's College During COVID question is: What are the credit/no-credit deadlines for fall semester?
Please read Provost Denise Runge's letter to students for more information about grade options for fall 2020.
Dear UAA Students,
Welcome to our fall semester at UAA. For some of you, this will be your first university experience; for others, this might be your second or third term of College During COVID. Whether this is your first semester at UAA or you are a continuing student, please do not hesitate to reach out to your instructors, advisors, or peers. We all need to support each other, and College During COVID really is just a reminder of that. We are a community at UAA, and we are here to help and support you.
I wish to inform you of some adjustments we will continue to provide in order to offer some flexibility for you this fall.
CREDIT/NO CREDIT GRADE OPTION
You may elect to change the grade option for each of your classes to the Credit/No
Credit basis instead of the letter grade option. A Credit grade earned in fall semester
2020 will count toward elective, pre-requisite, general education, degree, major and/or
minor requirements.
You will have until Dec. 5, the last day of fall semester instruction, to make the decision for your fall 2020 courses. There is a form on the Registrar’s site that you must submit by Dec. 5. For a variety of reasons, including possible adverse impact on your Financial Aid award, if applicable, it is recommended that you make this decision closer to the deadline, and that you consult with your academic advisor and other relevant UAA offices. If you do not wish to change to credit/no credit for your classes, you do not need to take any action.
What do you need to know about the Credit/No Credit Option?
If you choose the Credit/No Credit option for a course and earn a final grade of A,
B, or C, your transcript will show that you received the grade of Credit (CR). A grade
of (CR) will have no negative consequences for Satisfactory Academic Progress or federal
Financial Aid. Be aware that a CR grade will not automatically qualify you as having
met a prerequisite for a future course. This means you will need an override to register
for some courses in future semesters.
If you choose the Credit/No Credit option for a course and earn a final grade of D or F, your transcript will show that you received the grade of No Credit (NC). A grade of (NC) will impact Satisfactory Academic Progress, Financial Aid and VA Educational Benefits eligibility. A letter grade of D, on the other hand, is considered passing and does not have the same effects.
(CR)/(NC) grades do not impact Grade Point Average (GPA) either positively or negatively. If you take a course for grade improvement, a (CR) grade will not count as improving GPA for previous grades in the same course.
In some cases, you may want to receive a letter grade rather than a (CR) grade. For example, if you are applying to graduate or professional school or if letter grades are needed for a certification or licensure. Additionally, there will be a processing delay for a Credit/No Credit grade, which also might affect you.
Finally, please remember that you must have 12 credits of letter grades to be considered eligible for the Dean’s or Chancellor’s list. (CR) grades will not count towards the 12 credit eligibility for these honors.
INCOMPLETE (I) GRADES
It is best for you to drop a course by the add/drop deadline. However, in some cases
you might be well along in your studies when unforeseen circumstances make it impossible
for you to complete a course. Please know you may request an incomplete grade for
the course. While it is not guaranteed, faculty are encouraged to extend this option
when appropriate, and I will ask faculty to work with students to complete an Incomplete
Grade Contract Form, outlining the remaining requirements to receive a grade, as well
as the deadline for the remaining work to be completed. Please be aware that if you
choose this option and you do not complete the coursework within one year, the (I)
grade will become permanent.
FINANCIAL AID IMPLICATIONS
If you are receiving financial aid, you will want to discuss the possible impacts
of the above decisions with the UAA Office of Financial Aid. Each kind of aid has different rules and regulations.
For this reason, I recommend that if you are receiving financial aid of any kind, you check on any financial aid implications before choosing the Credit/No Credit option or withdrawing, and that you wait until closer to the respective deadlines, before choosing either of these options.
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS, MILITARY AND VETERAN STUDENTS, STUDENT ATHLETES
If you are an international student, a student athlete, and/or are receiving military
tuition assistance or VA educational benefits, please be aware that you may be negatively
impacted by withdrawing from a course or by electing a Credit/No Credit grade. If
you are in one of these groups, you should not make any changes to your class schedule
without first checking on how it will impact your eligibility and funding.
Please work with your academic advisor when considering the above decisions. Your advisor can connect you with the appropriate assistance in other offices.
Sincerely,
Denise Runge
Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
College During COVID is a straightforward guide to UAA’s operations during the ongoing pandemic. Look for a new edition in every issue of Seawolf Daily and Seawolf Students.
Access resources, FAQs and more at uaa.alaska.edu/covid19.
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