2020-2021 Pass/No Credit Grading Option

In consideration of the unpredictable circumstances and associated challenges created by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Brandon University Senate has decided to implement a Pass/No Credit grading option for the Fall 2020 and Winter 2021 terms, similar to what was put in place for the Winter 2020 term.

How Does Pass/No Credit Grading Work?

Pass/No Credit grading is a compassionate grading policy that gives you the opportunity to choose, on a course-by-course basis once final grades have been posted, to convert final letter grades received to a Pass (P) or No Credit (NCR).

  • Pass – You can request conversion of a letter grade to Pass (P) if you met the minimum passing requirements for the course. A P grade allows you to keep credit for the course, but courses with a P grade do not count in any GPA calculations.
  • No Credit – You can request conversion of a letter grade to No Credit (NCR) if you did not meet the minimum passing requirements for the course. NCR functions a lot like Voluntary Withdrawal (VW) in that you do not receive credit for the course, but the course also does not count against you in any GPA calculations.

How Do I Convert a Letter Grade to Pass/No Credit?

Once you have received your final grades (view your grades in the online Student Information portal) and have decided you wish to convert at least one course to Pass/No Credit, please send a message requesting a grade conversion from your BU email account to registrar@brandonu.ca. Your email must include the following information:

  • Your name and BU student ID number
  • The course number and title of the course(s) for which you want to convert the grade(s)
  • Statement that you are requesting a grade conversion option to Pass and/or No Credit

Deadlines

You must submit your Pass/No Credit grade conversion requests within the following timeframes:

  • Fall 2020 courses: AFTER you receive your final course grades, but BEFORE 11:59pm Wednesday, January 20, 2021
  • Winter 2021 and Fall/Winter Both-Term courses: AFTER you receive your final course grades, but BEFORE 11:59pm Wednesday, May 19, 2021

Is Pass/No Credit Grading Right For Me?

There are a few important things to keep in mind as you decide whether to request Pass/No Credit grade conversion:

  1. Courses with a Pass (P) grade will count as a course towards major, minor, and degree completion requirements for students in most, but not all, programs.
    1. If you are in a professional program or a program that can lead to licensure with a professional body, a Pass grade may not be acceptable for meeting regulatory requirements. Be sure to consult with the Chair of your program before requesting a grade conversion.
    2. If you are hoping to apply for admission to a graduate or professional program at BU or at another institution, Pass grades on required prerequisite courses may not be accepted. Please be sure to inquire directly with the program/institution to which you will be applying to determine any impacts of grade conversion.
    3. If a course you are considering converting requires a specific minimum grade to meet degree graduation or course prerequisite requirements, please consult with the appropriate department to determine whether or not a Pass grade will satisfy requirements in this case.
    4. Courses with a Pass grade will be excluded from all GPA calculations. Your major, minor, and degree GPAs will be calculated using only those courses for which you received a letter grade.
  2. There is no tuition reimbursement for courses that are converted to No Credit (NCR). NCR is an academic concession only so that students may choose to avoid academic penalty associated with a failing grade in light of the unusual circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
  3. Pass/No Credit grade conversions are permanent. After having converted a letter grade to P/NCR, you cannot subsequently request to have it reconverted back to the original letter grade.

Voluntary Withdrawal (VW)

Please remember the Voluntary Withdrawal (VW) deadlines:

  • Fall 2020 term courses — Monday, November 23, 2020
  • Winter 2021 term courses — Monday, March 22, 2021
  • Both-term courses — Monday, March 8, 2021.

If you determine it is best not to continue in a course at this time, you must officially withdraw by the deadline in order to avoid academic penalty. If you stop participating in a class but do not formally withdraw, you will receive a grade in the course that will count towards your GPA, so it is important to go through the withdrawal steps!

You can withdraw from courses using the online registration system until 11:59 p.m. on the date of the deadline. If you have any challenges using the online system to withdraw, please contact Financial & Registration Services (finreg@brandonu.ca) for assistance.

Courses from which you withdraw will stay on your transcript, but you will not receive a grade for them. The notation VW (Voluntary Withdrawal) will appear on your transcript instead.