Quinnipiac opts pass/fail for Spring 2020

Brooke Reilly
April 2, 2020

Quinnipiac University released policy information of a pass/fail option for Spring 2020 courses. Interim Executive Vice President and Provost Jennifer Brown sent an email to students on Thursday, April 2 with details.

According to Faculty Senate Vice Chair Margarita Diaz, the faculty senate voted unanimously to approve the policy in a 16-0 vote on Tuesday, March 31.

“Quinnipiac faculty and staff recognize the many challenges and changes imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Brown said. “With support of a unanimous vote of the Faculty Senate, the university has decided to adopt an optional pass/fail grade policy for eligible courses as students continue their academics online for the remainder of the spring semester.”

Students must request a Pass Grade Request Form using the form on the Registrar’s Office MyQ site. The request is irreversible, so they will be processed after final semester grades are posted allowing students to make their decisions with “complete information about their academic performance in the course.”

As long as the course is eligible, students can choose to use this grading policy for as many classes as they would like for the Spring 2020 semester.

A minimum grade of a C- is required for students to receive a “pass” grade; however, some exceptions will be made varying by program.

“Course eligibility for pass/fail has been determined on the basis of accreditation requirements, academic program progression policies, and industry standards,” Brown said. “In addition, undergraduate students in certain programs are not eligible to take specific courses pass/fail, even if the course itself is eligible for pass/fail”

Courses that are required for students on pre-dental and pre-medical tracks are not eligible for pass/fail due to school program requirements. The pre-dental and pre-medical required courses can be found in its designated catalog. 

The MAT program has different requirements as well.

“Per the Connecticut State Department of Education’s general education grade requirements for MAT students, undergraduate students in the MAT program must receive letter grades in these courses: EN 101, MA 110, MA 140, HS 132, HS 210, HS 131, PS 101, PS 236, fine arts (3 credits), science (3-4 credits). MAT secondary education students also must receive letter grades in their respective disciplinary focus areas: Spanish, Math, Biology, History, English,” Brown said.

All undergraduate courses in the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Business and School of Communications are eligible for the pass/fail option. 

The policy differs by course for the School of Engineering, School of Education and School of Health Sciences. Advisors must give approval to students in professional programs prior to submitting their requests. School of Nursing courses are not eligible.

This does not apply to the School of Law or the School of Medicine, as they will have their own grading systems. Other graduate course eligibility varies by program.

According to the FAQs page, “course eligibility for pass/fail has been determined on the basis of accreditation requirements, academic program progression policies and industry standards.”

“Pass” grades do not raise or lower a GPA, so this does not affect eligibility for merit scholarships; however, the renewal of these scholarships will still be determined by letter grades in the Spring 2020 semester. The minimum GPA requirement for undergraduate merit scholarships is 3.0, so students must maintain this. The minimum GPA for graduate students varies by program. Financial aid eligibility will not be affected.

Full-time students must complete at least 14 credits, with at least 12 being a letter grade of A through C in a semester to be eligible for dean’s list and must get at least a 3.5 GPA and no grade lower than a C. Part-time students must complete at least six credits with the same GPA requirement.

Students are encouraged to speak with their advisors before submitting the request form, as some majors, progression in the major or progression in a dual degree program may have certain requirements that students must complete. Brown also recommends that students follow the checklist on the form to help them decide whether or not they should submit a request.

Students interested in opting a course or courses to this policy must submit a completed Pass Grade Request Form to [email protected] by Monday, May 18 at 5 p.m.