Dear AU Students, 

Thanks to our many discussions with you these past several weeks, we know that you are grappling with the many impacts of COVID-19—in your personal lives, in your communities, and in your academic work. You have told us that navigating these challenges has become increasingly taxing, that “Zoom fatigue” is real, and that you are feeling increased anxiety about your academic success.   

We hear you and want to help release some of those pressures. To that end, and with the concurrence of the Faculty Senate, we have decided to extend a partial Pass/Fail option to most American University students during both the Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 semesters. This partial option would allow: 

• Most undergraduate students to convert one additional course from an A-F grade to a Pass/Fail grade (or vice versa) after each semester is complete and final grades have been posted;
• Most graduate students to convert one course from an A-F grade to a Pass/Fail grade after each semester is complete and final grades have been posted.

Undergraduate and graduate students will be able to exercise this option during a set 5-day period after grades post. Once this window is closed, you will no longer be able to execute a grade type change. For Fall 2020 grades, this period will occur in early January. (The University Registrar will provide an electronic form.) 

This decision to allow students to elect the grade type change after the grade has been posted will allow you to make this decision with full information about your progress. We hope that this flexibility will give you ample time to consider the pros and cons of electing a grade type change and urge you to consult with advisors and faculty in making your decision. They will help you weigh the impact of one or more P/F grades on your immediate academic profile and progress, as well as on career opportunities in your field of study (e.g., in applications to graduate/professional schools and future jobs). 

Please see below for additional, important details on these new temporary policies. We hope that these Pass/Fail options provide you relief as you navigate your courses during this difficult time and urge you to carefully consider the impact of this opportunity for you, personally. 

Peter Starr
Acting Provost and Chief Academic Officer

Jessica Waters
Dean of Undergraduate Education and Vice Provost for Academic Student Services

Wendy Boland
Dean of Graduate Studies

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Undergraduate Students:

During both the Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 semesters, undergraduate students may exercise the option for Pass/Fail grades in two courses per semester.

• Per current regulations, one of these P/F grades may be for an elective course.
• With the policy change, you may also elect a grade type change for one additional elective/major/minor/Gen Ed/Core course.
• Both of these grade type changes can be made after the grade for the course has been entered (using a grade type change form that will be available to you after the semester ends, in the beginning of January).
• If you have already opted for Pass/Fail in a course this semester it will count as one of the two permitted Pass/Fail courses for the Fall semester. You will not be able to select the second course until after final grades have posted. 

Some students may have unique circumstances (including, but not limited to, requirements related to the International Accelerator Program, federal aid or scholarship regulations, and probation or progression standards) that will impact their ability to move a course to Pass/Fail. We strongly encourage you to consult with your financial aid advisor and academic advisor to explore these issues.

We also want to remind you of a prior policy change that provides additional flexibility. In recognition of the challenges students may face this year, the Faculty Senate has approved changes to the previously named “Freshman Forgiveness Policy,” now entitled the “Course Repetition and Grade Replacement Policy.” In addition to the deliberate name change to remove gendered language, the expanded policy allows undergraduate students to retake any two AU courses (over the course of their time at AU) in which they have earned a C- or lower for a grade replacement at any point during their undergraduate career at AU (the previous policy limited grade replacement to courses taken in the first 30 credits). The policy has also been expanded to permit transfer students and part-time degree-seeking students to retake a course for a grade replacement. For complete regulation details, please refer to Regulation 4.4 of the Undergraduate Academic Rules and Regulations.

Please also remember that, if you have personal or medical circumstances that are impacting your academic progress, you can work with your advisor and the Dean of Students Office to review academic options.

Graduate Students:

During both the Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 semesters, most graduate students may convert one course from an A-F grade to a Pass/Fail grade after each semester is complete and final grades have been posted. For graduate students in an online program that is comprised of 4 terms or a Fall I and Fall II semester, students will be able to select one course across the two relevant terms (for Fall 2020 either Fall I & II or T3 & T4) to convert to a P in the period designated in January.

This option is not available to students at the Washington College of Law or in the Master’s Accelerator Program. Furthermore, other students may have unique circumstances (including, but not limited to, federal aid or scholarship regulations, and probation or progression standards) that will impact their ability to move a course to Pass/Fail. We strongly encourage you to consult with your academic advisor to explore these issues.

While the majority of graduate courses will convert a C grade to a P, several courses, such as many graduate capstone courses, explicitly require a grade higher than a C. These courses will continue to require that higher grade in order to receive a P.

Please also remember that, if you have personal or medical circumstances that are impacting your academic progress, you can work with your advisor and the Dean of Students Office to review academic options.