Pass/Fail Option

Pass/Fail Option

Students who have officially achieved a Second Year status (Sophomores) and who were classified as fulltime during the preceding academic year and have maintained a cumulative grade point average of 2.00 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 (for example, 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 summer semester) 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 for a given semester, 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 (for example, 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 nine credit hours, six in the summer, in courses numbered 1000 or above that are graded A-F exclusively).
  • A student who earns a grade of U in a Pass/Fail course is not eligible for Presidential Scholar or Dean’s List distinctions for the semester in which the grade is assigned and is additionally not eligible to graduate with First Honor Graduate status.
     

Procedures

  • Students should complete the Pass/Fail Option Request form online, print and sign the form, and then take it to their  academic advisor.  Before submitting the form, students are expected to already be registered for the course in the standard grade mode.
  • If approved, the advisor will submit the form to the Office of the Registrar.
  • Students 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 an advisor and sent to the Office of the Registrar, the Registrar's Office will assign the student to a new section of the same course with a pass/fail option available to the 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, students may not change the grade mode and will not receive a letter grade under any circumstances.