Credit/No Credit Grading and COVID-19

As announced, due to emerging hardships associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and the necessary transition to online course delivery, Marshall University is making changes to its grading system for the Spring 2020 semester. For this semester only, undergraduate students will be able to opt in to receive Credit/No Credit (CR/NC) grades based on final grades submitted by instructors on May 5.

WHO

  • This university-wide policy applies only to undergraduate students taking undergraduate courses. (Some undergraduate courses are excluded from the CR/NC option for accreditation reasons.) Each graduate degree program has developed a customized plan to help graduate students complete the semester. At present, high school students in dual credit courses are not eligible for the CR/NC option.

WHAT

  • CR/NC is an alternative to the traditional A-F grading system. To earn credit hours (“CR”) for a course, you must receive a final letter grade of A, B or C; students who receive a final grade of D or F will earn no credit hours (“NC”). Even if you select the CR/NC grading option, you should expect to continue participation in the course through the end of the term. The final letter grade submitted on May 5 will be used to determine whether Credit or No Credit is awarded.

WHY

  • Please check the Credit/No Credit FAQ below to get your immediate questions answered and to consider different scenarios. You are also strongly encouraged to discuss this with your academic advisor or college office before filling out the online request form. After you submit the form, your advisor will have access to review your choices and may contact you with more guidance.

WHEN

  • The form will be available starting Monday, April 13, at 8 a.m. You have until 5 p.m., Friday, April 24, to make your choices. You may “opt in” for CR/NC grading on a course-by-course basis, but you are permitted to submit the form only once during this two-week window. Once you click submit, you cannot reverse the decision. Therefore, it is important for you to evaluate your current standing in the course, taking into consideration all remaining graded opportunities, before making your decision. You will also need to consider the effect your choices may have on financial aid and scholarships, application to graduate or professional school, and timely graduation.

HOW

  • Access the CR/NC Opt-In Form here. You will then be redirected to the single sign-on page and multi-factor authentication for security purposes. The link will also be available on the Student Tab in myMU, and various student services pages.

Frequently Asked Questions about CR/NC Grading and COVID-19

Please submit new questions about CR/NC Grading for Spring 2020 HERE.

Current Policy: The Credit/No Credit option is part of a long-standing University policy that permits undergraduate students to select a maximum of 18 semester hours on a CR/NC basis (see pp. 95-96 of the 2019-20 Undergraduate Catalog). You must earn a letter grade of C or better to receive a CR grade. Under the current CR/NC policy, you must make the decision on this grading option at the time of registration and cannot make further changes after Schedule Adjustment. Moreover, you are not permitted to use this option for courses in the major.

Pandemic-Related Policy (effective only for Spring 2020): The revised policy is designed to account for pandemic-related hardships that may make it difficult for you to devote the same degree of attention and rigor to courses now accessed through distance delivery. The relaxed policy allows you to opt in now through April 24, 2020, on a course-by-course basis, as well as to choose this grading option for most courses in the major. Some undergraduate courses and majors are excluded from the CR/NC grading option for accreditation reasons. Excluded courses will not be available for you to select on the CR/NC Opt-In Form.

This university-wide policy applies only to undergraduate students taking undergraduate courses. Each graduate degree program has developed a customized plan to help graduate students complete the semester. This review includes an assessment of accreditation standards, licensure requirements, and other factors that may affect the quality of the student’s degree. Each dean will send all graduate students a statement of the college’s policy. Graduate students should work directly with their instructors and program directors to discuss appropriate accommodations in the face of pandemic-related hardships.

If you select CR/NC grading, you should still expect to participate in all course activities and assessments through the end of the semester because the credit evaluation will be based on your final grade average in the course, as reported by your instructor on May 5. To earn CR for a course, you must receive a final letter grade of A, B or C; students who receive a final grade of D or F will earn NC. Students should consult the instructor and the syllabus (including any pandemic-related revisions) in order to determine how final grades will be calculated).

Students whose grades have dropped down to B or C due to pandemic-related hardships will benefit. That’s the value of surrendering a letter grade of C in exchange for a CR. The C would bring down a cumulative GPA of 3.0. But the CR would leave the cumulative GPA of 3.0 untouched. But in either case—C or CR—the student would get the credit hours toward graduation. Students who are also concerned that they may not be able to perform well in classes after the shift to technology-assisted distance teaching may choose CR/NC grading in order to avoid catastrophic impact on the GPA. Finally, because the policy allows students to opt in on a course-by-course basis, students will be able to prioritize their efforts and perhaps focus more squarely on courses more important to the major.

If you are considering this option, you should consult with your advisor and instructors. CR/NC grading may not be appropriate for courses that are required for entrance into professional or graduate schools as the courses will not be reflected in the GPA.

Most pre-requisite courses require a C or better to go to the next level. Because you must earn a final letter grade of C or better in order to receive a CR grade, a CR grade will allow you to go the next level. An NC grade will not.

If you are considering this option, you should consult with your advisor and instructors, especially if you expect to earn a final grade of D. In some cases, taking the D will offer the most benefit (because credit hours will still be awarded, even with some negative impact on GPA). In other cases, opting for CR/NC grading will offer the most benefit (because your GPA will be protected from D or F grades, even if credit hours may be sacrificed).

A grade of NC for VA beneficiaries could result in a reduction of degree applicable (certified) hours as NC grades will not count as credit toward graduation.

You should be cautious in using this alternative grading option if you are planning to graduate in May or this summer. A final letter grade of D counts as credit toward graduation. For students who opt in under this policy, however, a final grade of D will be converted to NC and will not count as credit toward graduation.

If you are on track to get a D in a Core II general education class that is required for graduation, you should not opt in for CR/NC grading. It would be more beneficial to take the D and still earn the credit hours.

Seniors who are D/F repeating a course this semester should NOTE CAREFULLY: If the earlier grade to be replaced is a D, this would raise your cumulative GPA but trigger a reduction in total credits earned when the NC is applied. Please work closely with both your advisor and the Dean’s Office before choosing the CR/NC grading option for any course.

If you elect to receive CR/NC grading for one or more of your courses, the grades of CR or NC will have neither a positive nor negative impact on GPA because there are no quality points associated with either CR or NC. There is one exception: If you are repeating a course for the first time under the D/F repeat rule, a grade of CR or NC will replace the earlier D or F, which will therefore raise your cumulative GPA when the earlier grade is removed from GPA calculations.

As an example, if you are enrolled in five courses (each one worth 3 credit hours) and you elect to take the CR/NC option in two of those courses, your final grades might look like this:

Course 1 (3 credits): A

Course 2 (3 credits): A

Course 3 (3 credits): C

Course 4 (3 credits): CR (converted from a C)

Course 5 (3 credits): NC (converted from a D)

Both your term GPA and cumulative GPA would be computed on the basis of letter grades earned in the first three courses. Courses 4 and 5 would have no effect on GPA. For purposes of credit hour accumulation, however, all five courses would be considered. In this example, you would complete the term with 12 credit hours toward graduation (earning no credit hours in the 5th course) and would have a term GPA of 3.33.

Your overall GPA will not change, and you will continue on Academic Probation next term.

The pros of choosing CR/NC:
If you are on the borderline between C and D territory in a particular course but you’re unsure of the final outcome, the advantage of choosing CR/NC is the possibility of earning a final grade of C and thus receiving a CR (that is, earning credit hours).

The pros of choosing a letter grade:
If you end the term in D territory—and if the credit hours you might earn are more important than any negative impact on your GPA—you should instead take the letter grade. For example, graduating seniors who need the credit hours to graduate would be better off with a D (and credits) than an NC or W (and no credits).

The pros of choosing W:
If you need to scrap the entire semester, a total withdrawal (or selective withdrawal from certain courses) would be a straightforward way to do it, but you should discuss with your advisor first. Withdrawal can affect athletic eligibility, financial aid, and scholarship/grant renewal. Some courses will be exempt from the CR/NC option. Thus, W may be the best option for students who are failing those courses.

  • Pell: CR/NC grading can still have a positive or negative impact on your completion ratio and therefore your SAP status. Courses with a final grade of CR will be considered as completed; courses with a final grade of NC will be considered as not completed.
  • The WV PROMISE scholarship requires a student to complete 30 hours per academic year (fall/spring/summer) for renewal. If you choose CR/NC grading, all courses in which you earn CR will go toward this 30-hour requirement.
  • The WV Higher Education Grant requires a student to complete 24 hours per two semesters (fall/spring), or 12 hours for a one-semester award. Hours earned in the summer do not count toward the 24-hour requirement. If you choose CR/NC grading, all courses in which you earn CR will go toward this 24-hour requirement.
  • MU Merit Scholarships: For currently enrolled freshman students receiving merit scholarships, the renewal GPA will change from a 2.75 overall GPA to a 2.5 overall GPA. For other continuing undergraduate students, the renewal GPA will change from a 3.0 overall GPA to a 2.75 overall GPA. Students will still be required to earn 30 credit hours per academic year, but they will have the summer to make up any deficiencies. If you choose CR/NC grading, all courses in which you earn CR will go toward this 30-hour requirement.

If you are repeating a course under the D/F repeat rule and you opt to receive CR/NC grading, the CR or NC will replace the D/F grade from the previous attempt.

The replacement grade (CR or NC) will still boost your GPA because the original D/F grade is now removed from the GPA calculation.

NOTE CAREFULLY: If the earlier grade to be replaced is a D, this would raise the cumulative GPA but trigger a reduction in total credits earned when the NC is applied. This is especially important to note for graduating seniors.

A grade of NC for VA beneficiaries could result in a reduction of degree-applicable (certified) hours, as NC grades will not count as credit toward graduation.

Choosing the CR/NC option for a particular course means that final grades of A, B, and C (as reported by the instructor) are converted to a CR, while final grades of D and F are converted to a NC. The grade designator “CR” or “NC” will appear on the transcript in place of a letter grade for any courses for which you choose this alternative grading option.