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Coronavirus

Message from campus leaders on emergency grading accommodation

Beginning March 23, the University will expand the pass/fail grade option to undergraduate students. Undergraduate students can elect the pass/fail option on undergraduate courses registered in the spring 2020 semester.

A student walks near the Old Well in front of flowers.

Dear Carolina Community,

Next week, we will begin an unprecedented and, until a few weeks ago, almost unimaginable undertaking: the launch of remote instruction for more than 95% of our classes to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Over the past week, we have been inspired by the enthusiasm and imagination that so many faculty and teaching staff have brought to this endeavor, and we are grateful for your continued commitment to fulfilling the University’s core mission of teaching and learning during these difficult times.

Our faculty continue to show great compassion for their students, and that has never been more evident than the past week as we contemplate the challenges all of you are now facing in this new reality. We all understand the uncertainty and anxiety that moving to a remote teaching format may cause our students, and we want to offer as much flexibility as possible to support the academic goals of our community. With that in mind, we write today to share an Emergency Grading Accommodation regarding grading for this semester. Among the key changes: beginning March 23, we will expand the pass/fail grade option to undergraduate students. Undergraduate students can elect the pass/fail option on undergraduate courses registered in the spring 2020 semester. Students, including undergraduates, enrolled in professional schools or programs in the Graduate School will follow the decisions of their professional school or of the Graduate School about which courses, if any, are eligible for the pass/fail declaration. Consideration for professional and graduate students will be made by their respective deans by March 27.

We are making these changes in consultation with our deans, registrar, and the Faculty Executive Committee.

  • Courses graded as pass/fail under this exception will count towards applicable curricular, major, continuation, and graduation requirements.
  • A grade of pass will not count toward a student’s GPA but will count toward earned semester hours.
  • Students will have until August 7, 2020 to elect to put a course on or take a course off of pass/fail for the Spring 2020 semester.
  • The Dean’s list recognition for the spring semester will be suspended.
  • A note will be added to all academic transcripts indicating the major disruption this pandemic has caused to the academic experience.

Further, for undergraduate students unable to complete their work because they are adversely affected by COVID-19, we will create a new grade of ‘CV’ as an alternative to the Incomplete (‘IN’) grade. Students with ‘CV’ grade designations will have an additional three months beyond the ‘IN’ guidelines to complete their work.

We are making all of these modifications understanding the extraordinary circumstances COVID-19 has created for us all. Even with these changes, we know our students may face unexpected challenges. We are working to create a Student Success Hub so they can access the resources they need and will share those details as soon as possible.

In the meantime, we are grateful for the determination of our faculty and students to adapt and finish the next six weeks strong.

Sincerely,

Kevin M. Guskiewicz
Chancellor

Robert A. Blouin
Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost