Pass/No Pass Option Expanded for Forest Grove Undergraduates

In response to COVID-19 and the rapid move to online learning, Spring 2020 Forest Grove undergraduate students have expanded options for “Pass/No Pass” grading. Students may elect to opt into “Pass/No Pass” grading for their Spring 2020 courses. 

• Courses for which “Pass” or “No Pass” is elected by the student will not count toward GPA calculations. 
• “Pass” grades are the equivalent of a “C” grade or higher.
• “No Pass” grades are the equivalent of a “C-” or lower. 
• While there is no limit on the number of courses/credits that students may take as “Pass/No Pass” in Spring 2020, students should be cautious and aware of potential consequences of opting out of letter grading.
• Students in the Bachelor of Vision Science (BAVS) program or other optometry coursework should not elect “Pass/No Pass” grading.

Please note that some Pacific course prerequisites and degree progression standards require a specific grade — for example, a “B” — for progression. The university will allow a Spring 2020 grade of “Pass” to satisfy these requirements. 

• “Pass” grades earned (only) during Spring 2020 will count for any major, minor, general education, prerequisite, or other degree requirement typically requiring a letter grade. A grade of “No Pass” (representing grades of C- D+, D, and D-) will not count toward the degree or any requirements.

Students should be aware that some graduate and professional programs may not accept courses graded on a “Pass/No Pass” basis or may assume a “Pass” grade is equivalent to a “C.” Students should consider their future plans prior to electing “Pass/No Pass” grading.  

Students with outside scholarships (non-Pacific scholarships) with GPA requirements should consult with that scholarship body before electing “Pass/No Pass” grading. Veterans should be aware that the VA will not pay for failed “Pass/No Pass” courses.

Students taking classes to satisfy required core coursework should be aware that a letter grade of C- will satisfy some core requirements but a “No Pass” grade will not. Please check the catalog prior to electing “Pass/No Pass” grading.

Grades that are converted to “Pass/No Pass” cannot be changed back to letter grades at a later date.

Due Dates

• Grades for graduating students are due by Thursday, May 14. This deadline must be met by grading faculty.
• Faculty will make final grades available to students by end of day Friday, May 15.
• Graduating students must submit grade change requests by end of day Monday, May 18.*
• Continuing students must submit grade change requests by end of day Tuesday, May 26.*
• Graduating students will have a degree conferral date of May 16, 2020, but will not be able to access transcripts or degree verification until after May 22, 2020.

* The mechanism for selecting a pass/no pass grade is in progress. We are working to make this option available easily and online. Please watch for updates soon about the process for choosing a pass/no pass grade.