Pass/fail is a grading option in which a student receives a passing grade (and credit) or a failing grade, without a traditional letter grade that affects the GPA.
How it works
The student elects the pass/fail option by the published deadline. The instructor reports a pass or fail rather than a letter grade. The registrar posts the result and excludes a pass from the GPA while still awarding credits. The aid office treats the credits as attempted and, if passed, completed for pace calculations. Degree-audit systems apply the institution’s limit on the number of pass/fail credits allowed.
Example: a student takes a 3-credit elective as pass/fail and earns a pass. The credits count toward the 120 required for graduation and toward SAP pace, but the GPA is unchanged. A second student who fails the same course receives no credits and may have the failure included in the GPA if institutional policy requires it.
How it differs
A letter grade affects both GPA and credits. An incomplete is temporary. Auditing awards neither credit nor a pass/fail result. Credit by examination may use a similar pass/fail transcript notation but is not a course enrollment.
Common errors
Assuming every pass/fail grade is excluded from the GPA (failures may be included). Exceeding the institutional limit on pass/fail credits and later discovering they do not count toward the degree. Expecting a pass grade to satisfy a program that requires a letter grade of C or higher.
References
- 1. Institutional pass/fail policiesGPA treatment
- 2. Common grading practicesEffect on SAP
Pass/fail is a grading option in which a student receives a passing grade (and credit) or a failing grade, without a traditional letter grade that affects the GPA.