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In an effort to maximize our service capabilities, we are collecting service requests via the Registrar Support form instead of email. Once your request is submitted, our staff will work on your request and follow up with you. Thank you for your patience during our transition

Covid-19 Grading Policy for School of Architecture Graduate Students

Students will have access to a new grade option: P (Pass)/ MP (Minimal Pass) / U (Unsatisfactory). For Tulane School of Architecture graduate students who choose this option, the student will receive P for work equal to or above B-; MP for work equal to or between C+ and C‐; and U for work equal to or below D+.

As per the School of Architecture Graduate Student Handbook, a course completed with a grade of D-, D, or D+ is unsatisfactory and therefore must be repeated.

A student electing this option earns academic credit for the course with P or MP, but not if they receive a U. The grade for a course taken P/MP/U will not be included in the GPA whether it is P, MP or U.

There is no cap on the number of courses and credit hours that can be taken as P/MP/U during this spring semester and applied to degree requirements. Students may choose the P/MP/U grading option for any course. 

Note that the S/U option also remains in place, with the standard restrictions.

Students are also free to continue taking any or all of their courses for letter grades. If no further action is taken, they will receive the grading type they have currently designated. 

The deadline for changing grading options among the three possibilities ‐‐ letter grade, S/U, P/MP/U ‐‐ will be May 11, 2020 for graduating students, and May 21, 2020 for non‐graduating students.

Note that your instructor will not be informed of who has chosen the P/MP/U option and will report a letter grade for each student, which will be replaced on the transcript by the Registrar with P/MP/U for students choosing that options. Graduating students will not be allowed to change the transcripted grade type after May 11, 2020 and non-graduating students will not be allowed to change the transcripted grade type after May 21, 2020. However, upon request the Registrar will provide official documentation providing letter grades earned for specific courses in this term if they become necessary for application to graduate programs or other academic or professional opportunities. 

Courses taken for a standard letter grade this semester will be included in the calculation of the GPA. However, we will not use any Spring 2020 term course data in the Quality of Work calculations, or for any GPA-related eligibility requirements for Tulane programs or any Tulane merit or need-based financial aid. 

As a final note, the deadline to withdraw from a class, initially set for this Wednesday, will be postponed until April 8.

I strongly encourage all students to take your courses for a letter grade. I urge you to try your absolute best to complete the semester and your  finals. If you feel that the circumstances in which you find yourself did not allow you to do work that reflects your knowledge and ability, you will have the opportunity to switch  options at that time.

Instructions on how to select this new grading scheme will be released to students as soon as it is available.

Regards,

Kentaro Tsubaki
Associate Dean for Academics
Tulane School of Architecture