The following changes to the College's pass/fail policy were instituted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and apply to the spring 2020 semester only.
 

Any course could be taken pass/fail, including courses fulfilling Major, Minor and General Education Requirements. Pass/fail courses from spring 2020 that were used in majors and minors will remain pass/fail—there is no option to uncover the grade.

Any passing grade (A+ to D) for a course taken pass/fail confers a credit toward graduation but is g.p.a. neutral. A failing grade of F counts toward the g.p.a. as with any other course.

There was no limit to the number of pass/fail courses students could take during spring 2020. These courses did not count against the total limit of eight pass/fail courses students in the College are permitted take. 

The spring 2020 deadline to change a course’s grade type (from pass/fail to a letter grade or from a letter grade to pass/fail) was Wednesday, April 29th.

• Before 11:59 PM on April 13th, students could change the grade type in Penn InTouch.
• From April 14th to the 29th, students were required to submit a Petition for Change of Grading Option.
• Some courses offered by Penn schools other than the School of Arts and Sciences (e.g., Penn Law) required that the student contact the appropriate school or department directly.

Special Cases

Study Abroad: The expanded pass/fail option applied to undergraduate students on Penn-sponsored study abroad programs. The last day to change an abroad course to pass/fail was the last day of classes for the student’s program. Students were required to contact their College study abroad advisor to make this request.

Graduate Courses/Submatriculation: Any spring 2020 course that counted for credit on the undergraduate transcript, including courses also counting toward a graduate degree, can be used to fulfill requirements in the College even if taken pass/fail. Submatriculants were advised to check with their graduate program before committing to changing a course’s grade type to pass/fail. 

Applications to Graduate Schools: The interpretation of pass/fail grades by other institutions as part of their application evaluation processes will vary. Students were strongly advised to consult the website of the Career Services office and to connect with one of their staff.

Latin Honors/Dean’s List: Latin honors will be calculated as always, immediately following a student’s graduation using the grade point average that appears on the official transcript. The University suspended the awarding of Dean’s List for the 2019-2020 academic year. Students with questions regarding how pass/fail affects honors in their major should contact their major advisor in the relevant department or program.

Transcripts: A notation has been placed on every undergraduate’s transcript to recognize and honor the extraordinary disruption to the spring 2020 term and the changes in academic policies. 

Two-semester Courses: A grade of S or U is typically awarded for the fall of a two-semester course pending the award of a letter grade for the entire course at the end of the spring semester. If the spring 2020 portion of the course is taken pass/fail, the letter grade earned for the fall semester will replace the “S” or “U” in the fall semester. The spring semester will show as P or F. It is possible that individual departments may still consider the grade covered by the P when determining eligibility for departmental honors.