Additional FAQs
Pass/Fail Grading Conversion in Spring 2020 FAQs
Undergraduate students enrolled for courses numbered 4999 and below.
No. A student may decide with each class individually whether to convert assigned grades from Spring 2020 to a Pass/Fail basis.
Assigned grades of A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, and C- will all be eligible for conversion to a "Pass" on a Pass/Fail basis.
Assigned grades of D+, D, D-, and F will all be eligible for conversion to a "Fail" on a Pass/Fail basis.
The Pass/Fail grade, whether "Pass" or "Fail," will not be calculated in the student's GPA.
The earned credit will be retained, and the assigned grade will not be factored into the calculation of the GPA.
The earned credit will be forfeited, and the assigned grade will not be factored into the calculation of the GPA.
The F grade will not be factored into the calculation of the GPA.
The University is preparing a BearWeb form that will allow students to elect to convert an assigned grade to Pass/Fail. The form will be available for graduation candidates from 5:00 pm CDT on 5/12 to 5:00 pm CDT on 5/15, and all other undergraduate students from 5:00 pm CDT on 5/13 to 5:00 pm CDT on 5/20. Detailed information for Pass/Fail election submission will be distributed before the window of time that the form is available.
No. Once a student decides to elect to convert an assigned grade to a Pass/Fail basis, it will be irrevocable with no appeal.
Students should consult an academic advisor, dean's office, financial aid officer, or any other campus resource with whom they regularly work on decisions related to registration, add/drop, repeating coursework, or academic forgiveness. Students are responsible for completing their own due diligence to be fully aware of the implications of their decision to convert an assigned grade to Pass/Fail. Taking this step will be especially significant as students consider the impact of converting a course (or courses) to Pass/Fail and its impact on scholarships (athletics or other), other forms of financial aid, veterans' benefits, licensure, graduate/professional school admission, and/or other professional goals.
Yes. The "Pass" will be eligible to satisfy subsequent prerequisites. However, if there is any question or doubt about a student's preparedness for a subsequent course, the student should seek advice from his/her academic advisor and/or the department offering the course.
Yes. This is an exception to normal standards and will only apply to Pass/Fail grades for Spring 2020.
Assuming the repeated course is otherwise eligible for academic forgiveness, the previous earned grade will be excluded from the gpa calculation without a new grade being included.
Undergraduate degree candidates may do so from May 12, 2020 at 5:00 pm CDT until May 15, 2020 at 5:00 pm CDT All other undergraduate students will have from May 13, 2020 at 5:00 pm CDT until May 20, 2020 at 5:00 pm CDT. There will be no exceptions granted to extend this election window.
The anticipated impact is that this window of opportunity for undergraduate degree candidates will delay degree conferral by approximately three days (compared to previous spring semesters).
No. Assigned incomplete and missing grades at the end of the Spring 2020 semester will not be eligible to be converted to a Pass/Fail basis unless the final grade is assigned and the election made during the available window. For missing grades, it is the responsibility of the instructor to ensure all grades are submitted by the University's grading deadlines.
The normal academic action processes will occur after the Pass/Fail conversion window of opportunity has passed. Academic dean's offices will determine whether to apply academic probation, suspension, or dismissal to individual students based on the student's academic record in accordance with the policies articulated in the Undergraduate Catalog.
Dean's list will be recognized for undergraduate students in Spring 2020 using the University's standard criteria. Please note that dean's list recognition does require a student to have a minimum of 12 graded (A-F) credit hours in a term.
The minimum cumulative GPA for Latin Honors is 3.75. Given that threshold, if a student chooses to elect the Pass/Fail grading basis wisely, the opportunity to elect this option should only be advantageous to students.
No. Elected Pass/Fail grades during Spring 2020 will not count toward any standard limits.
Students pursuing these professional goals are eligible to make this choice, but they should do so only after careful consultation with the Prehealth Studies Office or the Pre-Law Office.
No. These Pass/Fail election options and exceptions will only apply for Spring 2020.
No. At the end of the spring 2020 semester, instructors will submit course grades based upon the grading scale in their syllabi as they would do at the end of any other semester.
It depends on the final grade:
Pass - No. A student will not be able to repeat the course unless the course repeat is approved by the appropriate academic dean.
Fail- Yes. A student will be able to repeat the course under the existing Course Repeat Policy.
Yes. Regardless of the Pass/Fail election opportunity, for any course attempt that leads to a letter grade (i.e. A, A-, B+, etc.), a pass or fail, or a "W" withdrawal notation that course will not be able to be repeated at another institution for transfer to Baylor University.
The accepted proposal for Pass/Fail grading conversion in Spring 2020 indicates that in order for a student to earn a grade of C-, the student will need to remain engaged with all course assignments throughout the spring 2020 semester. (In general, students will be expected to complete all course assignments, quizzes, tests, projects, and other assignments required by the instructor.)
Yes. Undergraduate post-baccalaureate students are eligible to elect the Pass/Fail grading conversion option for courses numbered 4999 and below for Spring 2020.
No. Once a student elects to convert an assigned grade to a Pass/Fail basis, then the assigned grade will not appear on the student's transcript.
All students who have added the Pre-Law designation, and during the Spring 2020 semester are still in their first 24 credit hours at Baylor, will have the minimum cumulative GPA requirement for Pre-Law waived for this academic year (2019-20). However, in the event that a student's cumulative GPA does not meet the required 3.20 threshold at the end of the Spring 2021 semester, the student will have the Pre-Law designation removed, in accordance with the normal policies outlined in the undergraduate course catalog.
No. Because the Pass/Fail grading conversion option was made available as a result of the impact of COVID-19 on the academic calendar and instruction that followed Spring Break 2020, classes that ended by March 7, 2020 will not be eligible for the Pass/Fail grading conversion option.
A "Fail" on a Pass/Fail basis may negatively impact VA Education Benefits and those implications vary by benefit chapter. We have provided details of "Fail" implications by benefit chapter below.
More Information: https://registrar.web.baylor.edu/passfail-policy-implications-va-benefits.
Employers typically do not closely analyze each semester's grades. Most often, the transcript may be used to verify that a degree was earned or verify a student's GPA. We anticipate that organizations around the world will view Spring 2020 as a unique semester with unique circumstances that resulted in many universities offering similar opportunities to their students. Please also see the above FAQ's:
A currently enrolled undergraduate student will be able to request a transcript, but Baylor will not fulfill the request during their Pass/Fail election period until they have:
-
Exhausted all Pass/Fail options for the Spring 2020 term.
-
Indicated that they do not intend to make any Pass/Fail elections on the Pass/Fail Options page in BearWeb.