Newly Announced Fall 2020 Grade Options

Details on CR/GC/NC Options

October 9, 2020

 

To all fall instructors: 

With the unanimous agreement of your school deans, I write to announce a new grading policy for the fall 2020 semester for undergraduate schools.  For undergraduate courses that are not yet complete, undergraduate students will have the option to change from a standard grade in a class to a Credit/General Credit/No Credit (CR/GC/NC) grade. Unlike in the spring, we will make no changes to students’ current grading options in SIS. Students will need to make the switch in SIS from a standard grade to a CR/GC/NC option between Monday, November 2 and Friday, November 6, 2020.  After 11:59 p.m. EST on Friday, November 6, 2020, they will no longer be able to make changes to their grading options.

This policy applies only to undergraduate students. Professional schools with no undergraduate students (Darden, Law, and Medicine) are not affected by this change. The deans of schools with graduate students are considering how they will approach this question, and they will soon announce their decisions to their schools.

The email I sent moments ago to announce this change to undergraduate students is appended below; please read it for the full background on this decision. 

We decided to revisit our grading decision after many exchanges with students, student leaders, and faculty and staff who work most closely with students. They reported high levels of stress, anxiety, and personal and family challenges among our students, and all encouraged the deans and me to consider flexible grading options this semester.  After extensive discussion, we settled on the policy I am announcing today. 

I recognize that this has been a year of rapid and unexpected change, requiring flexibility and tolerance from us all. I ask for your understanding once again in response to this decision, which is made in the best interest of our students. Laura Hawthorne, associate vice provost and University registrar, will follow up within the next week to share details on how we will implement this change in SIS.  

Finally, we have committed to making a decision about offering CR/GC/NC for spring 2021 by mid-December.

My thanks go to the student leaders and the faculty and staff who work closely with our students, for their advocacy on this important topic.

Sincerely,

Liz Magill, Provost
University of Virginia

Dear undergraduate students, 

This summer we announced a return to regular grading for fall 2020 because we believed that the exceptional circumstances last spring that prompted the mid-semester change in grading policy were not likely to recur. For fall 2020, we adopted a series of other academic policy changes intended to provide flexibility and to address some of the difficulties experienced by students as a result of the once-in-a-lifetime challenges the pandemic has created for students and their families.  

With the unanimous agreement of your school deans, I write to announce a new grading policy for the fall 2020 semester for undergraduate schools.  For undergraduate courses that are not yet complete, undergraduate students will have the option to change from a standard grade in a class to a Credit/General Credit/No Credit (CR/GC/NC) grade. Students will need to make the switch in SIS from a standard grade to a CR/GC/NC option between Monday, November 2, and Friday, November 6, 2020.  

We decided to revisit our grading decision after many exchanges with students, student leaders, and faculty and staff who work most closely with students.  They reported high levels of stress, anxiety, and personal and family challenges among large numbers of students, and all encouraged both the deans and me to consider flexible grading options this semester.  

After extensive discussion, we settled on the policy I am announcing today— the ability for undergraduate students to choose a CR/GC/NC grading option in their classes no later than November 6, 2020. While no decision about grading will be welcomed by all, on balance, this solution seemed the most targeted to the legitimate and serious concerns raised by students, faculty, and staff, without changing the grading system in ways that would have additional consequences for students and faculty who are relying on giving or receiving standard grades.  Several details about this policy are important: 

  • Courses taken for CR/GC/NC during fall 2020 will count toward curricular, major, and graduation requirements; however, we cannot be sure how courses taken for CR/GC/NC will be treated by graduate and professional school admissions, licensure requirements, or other similar future endeavors. You should research your options and use your best judgment when deciding how you will receive your grades this semester. 
  • Unlike last spring, we will not make any changes to your current grading options. If you take no action, your classes will remain graded as they are now.
  • Students who wish to opt-in to CR/GC/NC for one or more of their classes will have the opportunity to do so in SIS the week of November 2-6, 2020.  You will have until November 6, 2020, at 11:59 p.m. EST to make this decision in SIS. During that week, students may change their mind for any class up until the deadline.  Students who choose CR/GC/NC will not be able to reverse that decision after 11:59 p.m. EST on November 6, 2020.
  • If you opt into CR/GC/NC grading, a CR grade will be awarded if you meet the class requirements for credit (C or higher), GC will be awarded if you receive a passing grade below a C, and NC will be awarded if you receive a grade of F. CR/GC/NC grades are not factored into your GPA.
  • UVA will include a notation on your transcript for fall 2020 to indicate that the CR/GC/NC option was offered during the COVID-19 crisis.
  • A decision regarding grading options for the spring 2021 semester will be announced in early December. 
  • This policy applies only to undergraduate students. Professional schools with no undergraduate students (Darden, Law, and Medicine) are not affected by this change. The deans of schools with graduate students are considering how they will approach this question, and they will soon announce their decisions to their schools.
  • University Registrar Laura Hawthorne will send you more details soon about what you will need to do in SIS the week of November 2-6, 2020 if you wish to opt in to CR/GC/NC for one or more of your classes.  If you do not take any action, the standard grading option will remain the default option for all of your classes. 

I wish to commend the exceptional student leaders, the concerned faculty, and the tireless staff who worked closely with our students for their insight and their leadership on this important topic.

Sincerely,

Liz Magill, Provost
University of Virginia