Pass/Fail Policy

Students who have officially achieved Second Year status (sophomores) and who were classified as full-time during the preceding academic year and who maintain a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 may enroll in courses taught on a pass/fail basis in accordance with these conditions:

  • Pass/Fail courses may be taken as general electives. Courses taken to satisfy core curriculum requirements, courses required for the major and/or minor, area of emphasis or certificate program, courses that satisfy college-wide or institutional requirements (e.g., the Diversity Requirement, the Environmental Literacy Requirement) and other required courses may not be taken as Pass/Fail.
  • During the semester they enroll in a Pass/Fail course, students must also take a minimum of 12 additional hours (6 semester hours during the summer) of graded (A – F) course work at UGA.
  • This policy applies only to courses that are normally graded on an A – F basis.
  • No more than three Pass/Fail courses may be counted towards an undergraduate degree. Courses taken on a Pass/Fail basis beyond this limit will earn institutional credit but will not count toward graduation.
  • Once the drop/add period is over, a student who has registered for a course on the Pass/Fail option may not for any reason change to A – F grading, or vice versa.
  • Students enrolled in a course on a Pass/Fail basis must meet all normal course requirements (e.g., attendance, reports, papers, projects, examinations, labs, etc.) and will be graded in the usual way.
  • Pass/Fail courses will not be included in determining the course load required to avoid dismissal (the requirement that students carry a course load of 9 credit hours [6 in the summer] in courses numbered 1000 or above that are graded A – F exclusively).
  • A student who earns a “U” in a Pass/Fail course is not eligible for Presidential Scholar or Dean’s List in the term in which the grade is assigned and also is not eligible to graduate with First Honor Graduate status.
     

Procedures

  • Complete the Pass/Fail Option Request form online, print and sign the form, and then take it to your academic advisor.  Before submitting the form, students are expected to already be registered for the course in the standard grade mode.
  • If approved, your advisor will submit the form to the Office of the Registrar.
  • You are still subject to the same prerequisites and requirements for a Pass/Fail course as students enrolled in the course under the standard grading system.
  • If the Pass/Fail Option Request form is approved by your advisor and sent to the Office of the Registrar, we will assign you to a new section of the same course with a pass/fail option available to your instructor when grade rolls open.
  • If a student needs to revert to the standard grade mode, the Office of the Registrar must be notified before the end of the drop/add deadline. After the drop/add deadline, you may not change the grade mode and you may not receive a letter grade under any circumstances.