COVID-19 Grading Policies

In Fall 2020 and Spring 2021, students may elect S/U grading for up to two courses each semester. The pre-existing policy allowed for one S/U course each semester up to a total of 10 credit hours that may be contributed to satisfy one’s degree requirements. We are adding the option of designating a second class to be S/U in both the fall, 2020 and spring, 2021 semesters. These additional S/U hours will not count toward the existing maximum of 10 allowable S/U credits and may be used to satisfy the 120-129 credits required for all bachelor’s degrees. Otherwise, the same constraints apply to these S/U courses – the S/U option may not be used to satisfy the writing, foreign language, quantitative or formal reasoning, and laboratory components of the NTC Core Curriculum, nor may it be used to satisfy major or minor requirements. Finally, no letter grade will be recorded for a course designated as S/U, so it will not be possible to recover a letter grade at a later date.

For Fall 2020, you will not have to request permission from an advisor to take a course S/U, but you are responsible for understanding the limits on uses of courses graded S/U and the potential consequences of designating a course to be S/U. We encourage you to consult with your academic advisor if you have any questions.

Do I need to meet with my academic advisor before changing a Fall 2020 course to S/U?
No, but it is important that you fully understand the policy before making changes to your academic record. This is not a decision that can be changed. It is final, so be certain you fully understand the ramifications of your decision. Once you click “submit” on the form, the grade mode will be updated and cannot be undone. If you are unsure you should reach out to your advisor before making the change.

I want to change one of my courses to S/U this fall. How do I do it?
You may make the change to S/U on a tab called, “S/U Grade Type Change”, on the schedule of classes. This option will be available on the schedule of classes on November 30, 2020. If the option is made available before November 30, 2020, students will be notified when it is available. The deadline to select an S/U grade type for fall 2020 courses is December 4th.

Can I wait to see what my final grade is before switching to S/U?
No. The deadline to change to S/U for fall is December 4th, which is before the due date for final grades.

I switched a course to S/U, but ended up getting a better grade than I expected. Can I switch back and have the letter grade appear on my transcript?
No. The S/U grade will appear on your transcript.

If I retake a course next year, will I be charged tuition for the course again?
Yes. Tuition is charged based on the number of credit hours attempted, not on credit hours earned. A course that is repeated is not discounted.

I took a course S/U last fall. Can I still choose that option for two classes this fall and two more in spring?
The S/U 10 credit hour limit still stands; however, one course in fall and one course in spring can be excluded from that count.

Can I select S/U for a course that’s a major requirement?
The “S/U Grade Type Change” form on the schedule of classes will allow you to select almost any course that you are registered for in the Fall 2020 or Spring 2021 term with an S/U grade type; however, that course can no longer be used to fulfill the requirements for your major, so understanding the consequences of this decision is crucial. The same is true for courses that satisfy the writing, foreign language, quantitative or formal reasoning, and laboratory components of the NTC Core Curriculum. If you elect S/U grading any courses that fall into those categories, they will no longer fulfill those core curricular requirements.

I am using VA education benefits in the Spring 2020 semester. How would electing the S/U grading type impact me?
The Department of Veteran Affairs defines a non-punitive grade as a grade that does not count as earned credit and is not calculated into the grade point average. If a student elects the new S/U grading option and completes a course with a grade of U, this will be considered a non-punitive grade and must be reported to VA. You may be required to repay any funds received for this course.

The following is a summary of how your VA benefits would be impacted when/if certain grades are earned:

Grade	Counted in Earned Credits	Counted in GPA	VA Repayment Required
S	Yes	No	No
U	No	No	Yes

If you have questions about your specific circumstance, please contact the Education Call Center at: 1-888-442-4551 between 8 AM and 7 PM Eastern Time, Monday-Friday.

Is the S/U grading option available for athletes?
Yes, as an athlete, you must receive clearance from your athletics advisor before you can access the “S/U Grade Type Change” form on the Schedule of Classes. It is important that your athletics advisor assist you in the selection of which courses you should consider with this grading option and maintain your athletic eligibility.

Who do I contact if I have further questions about the grading options for the Fall 2020 semester?
Please email registrar@tulane.edu with any questions regarding grading options for Fall 2020.

To the Tulane Faculty, Staff and Undergraduate Students, I write to you today with an important update about our grading policies for this semester and some impending deadlines. In light of these extraordinary circumstances, the deans of our ten schools and colleges, with the endorsement of the University Senate's Committee on Educational Policy, have enacted a temporary grading policy with the goal of both supporting student learning and giving students the flexibility to respond to their own individual circumstances. At this time, we recognize that not every student is in an environment that is conducive to learning, and we do not want to see their academic progress impeded because of the current circumstances. We also know that many students are taking key classes for which receiving a letter grade certifying their mastery of the material will be important.

The key point of the new policy is that for this semester, students will have access to a new grading scheme P (Pass) / MP (Minimal Pass) / U (Unsatisfactory), with pass indicating a letter grade C- or above, MP a letter grade of D- to D+ and U a grade of F. Students can take as many of their current classes P/MP/U as they like, including courses in their major or minor and courses that meet their core requirements. Academic credit will be offered for grades of P or MP, but none of these grades, whether P, MP or U, will be entered into the student's GPA. If any course must be completed with a grad of C- or better to satisfy a prerequisite or graduation requirement, then in this scheme it must be completed with a grade of P.

Students can still take any or all of their classes for a traditional letter grade. The deadline for selecting your grading scheme for each course will be May 11 for graduating students and May 21 for all other undergraduates, after you will have received your final grades for the semester. Unless you take an action, the course will be graded according to whatever scheme is in place today. I strongly encourage all students to take your courses for a letter grade if at all possible, and try your absolute best through the completion of the semester and the finals, and then, 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 to P/MP/U at that time. Instructions on how to select this new grading scheme will be released to students as soon as it is available.

Faculty will not be informed about which students have selected P/MP/U and will report a letter grade for all students, which will be replaced on the transcript by P/MP/U for those students selecting this scheme. Students cannot change this transcripted designation after the deadline, but upon request the Registrar will certify the corresponding letter grade if necessary for graduate admission or any other academic or professional opportunity.

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

Attached you will see the formal statement of the policy which has a few more details. Further questions should be addressed to our Registrar, Colette Raphel, registrar@tulane.edu. Some of our academic schools will be enacting similar temporary grading policies for their graduate and professional programs. Please consult with the appropriate school for details about any specific such program.

All best wishes for a safe, healthy, productive remainder of the semester.
Robin

Temporary grading option for undergraduate students, Spring, 2020

In light of the extraordinary circumstances facing our community, the following temporary policy will apply to Spring 2020 grading options for undergraduate students.

We are introducing a new grade option: P (Pass)/ MP (Minimal Pass) / U (Unsatisfactory). For students who choose this option, the student will receive P for work at the C‐ level or better; MP for work between D+ to D‐; and U for work at the F level. 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 into the GPA whether it is P, MP or U. In cases in which a course must be passed with a letter grade of C‐ or better to satisfy a prerequisite or graduation requirement, the course will satisfy the requirement with a grade of P. There is no cap on the number of courses and credit hours that can be taken P/MP/U during this spring semester and applied to degree requirements. Undergraduate students may choose the P/MP/U grading option for any course, including core curriculum requirements and courses in the major and minor.

Note that the S/U option also remains in place, with the standard restrictions (Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory Option).

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 such 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, but we will not use any Spring 2020 term course data in Quality of Work or SOPA Academic Progress calculations, or for any GPA-related eligibility requirements for Tulane programs (such as the honors program or study abroad eligibility) or any Tulane merit or need-based financial aid.

Dear Students,

Thanks to the many of you who reached out to share your opinions and suggestions on the question of our grading policy for Spring 2020. As I’ve stated previously, your comments were uniformly constructive and thoughtful, and they’ve been genuinely helpful to our deliberations. As your comments have made clear, there are numerous legitimate, even compelling interests at stake, implicating scholarships, employment prospects, opportunities for journal membership, and more. And the decision has been made more complex by the fact that the equities point in more than one direction.

With the benefit of your input, and after extensive consultation, I am writing to share the Law School’s grading policy for Spring 2020:

Mandatory Pass/Fail: In light of the extraordinary and as yet not fully determined impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Law School is suspending its normal grading policy and substituting a policy requiring all students to be graded on a mandatory Pass/Fail system for the Spring 2020 semester. This means that students in all classes would receive a grade of High Pass, Pass, or Fail for their Spring 2020 coursework, whether based on an examination, a paper, or performance of skills in an experiential course.

The designation of “High Pass” (HP) is intended to denote exceptional performance and will be capped at 15% of grades in any course subject to the Law School’s mandatory curve. The cap may be waived with the approval of the Vice Dean for Academic Affairs based on a written explanation by the professor of the justification. The cap does not apply to courses that are not subject to the Law School’s mandatory curve.

A grade of “Pass” denotes successful completion of the course with credit. There is no cap on the number of “Pass” grades that may be assigned in any course. Grades of “HP” and “P” are not factored into a student’s GPA.

A grade of “Fail,” as in the Law School’s regular grading policy, indicates that the student failed the course and will receive no academic credit. A grade of “F” will be factored into a student’s cumulative GPA.

Grades in Year-Long Courses: First-year students enrolled in Legal Research and Writing will receive a single grade of “HP,” “P” or “F” for the academic year. Students enrolled in year-long clinics or other courses may be assigned a regular letter grade (A, B, C, D, F) for their work in the Fall 2019 semester; their work in the Spring 2020 semester will be graded under the mandatory P/F system described above.

Determinations of Class Rank: No class rank will be assigned to 1L students at the conclusion of this academic year. Upper-class students will be continue to be ranked, as now, on the basis of their cumulative GPA.

Effect on Scholarship Retention and Recovery: Determinations of whether students holding merit-based scholarships have attained the cumulative GPA targets necessary to retain or recover their scholarships, ordinarily conducted in May, will be deferred until January 2021, so that Fall 2020 grades may be considered in lieu of Spring 2020 grades. As a result, students holding such scholarships will automatically retain them, at their current amounts, for the Fall 2020 semester. Students failing to attain prescribed GPA targets at that point will have their scholarships reduced prospectively beginning with the Spring 2021 semester. Rising 3L students (current 2Ls) who have previously had their scholarships reduced on the basis of 1L grades and who attain the GPA targets qualifying them to recover their original scholarships will have their original scholarships restored in January 2021 retroactively to cover the entire 2020-2021 academic year.

Effect on Honors & Journals: For 1Ls, we anticipate that adjustments will be made to the usual selection mechanisms for participation in journals in light of this policy. For 3Ls, we will reevaluate the usual GPA cut-offs for determining Latin honors at graduation (i.e., summa cum laude, magna cum laude, cum laude) to address any risk that the exceptional circumstances of this semester would have caused a graduate to narrowly miss the mark for honors.

Exclusions: This grading policy DOES NOT APPLY to the mini courses which were completed earlier in the semester and already have grades posted (MINI6420-01, MINI6450-01, MINI6610-01), nor to any courses for the online Master of Jurisprudence program (EMPL courses). Those will remain with the standard grade type. It also does not include the dissertation research (LAWS9990-01 and GDEV9990-01) for the doctoral candidates (SJD and PhD). Those courses will remain with the research designation.

* * * * *

In light of the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the switch to a mandatory Pass/Fail grading policy for the Spring 2020 semester, we are implementing further adjustments to our usual academic policies for this semester only, as outlined below:

1) Extending the Deadline to Withdraw from Courses
Section II.L of the Student Handbook permits students to withdraw from certain upper-class courses without a “W” notation on their transcripts as late as the fourth week in the semester, with permission from the Assistant Dean of Students. For the Spring 2020 semester only, we will extend that deadline until Monday, April 13 (the first class day after Spring Break). This will give students an opportunity to reassess their course loads in light of their new circumstances, including any challenges they may now face in completing academic requirements. (This extended deadline does not apply to 1L courses or those upper-level courses not covered by section II.L of the Handbook.)

2) Remote Exam Format & Administration
Remote administration of exams this semester will require an adjustment in previously scheduled exam times and format. With students now scattered across the globe, giving a timed exam in the originally scheduled time block would effectively require students to take exams at vastly different hours of the day and night, including for some in the middle of the night.

Therefore, this semester exams will continue to be administered on the day on which they were originally scheduled, but students will not be required to start and complete the exam at the specific hours originally assigned. Faculty may still elect to limit the time allowed for students to complete the exam to the originally scheduled time (e.g., three hours for a three-credit course). But students will be permitted to start the exam at any hour on the scheduled day and the allotted time for the exam will begin to run from the moment they first access the exam. The exam software will monitor the time and will automatically end the exam when the student reaches the allotted time indicated for that particular examination.

For professors who have previously announced or are planning to give take-home exams, we will by default give students an extended window of time (e.g., eight hours) during which to complete this exam. This will allow all students an equal opportunity to start and complete the exam within the 24-hour period allocated for the exam without regard to the time zone in which they are located. This will also give students the ability to schedule down time between take-home exams. Of course, recognizing that students may have multiple take-home exams this semester, professors have been advised to design their exams to be capable of completion within a regularly scheduled in-class exam time (e.g., three hours), no matter how much time students are allowed. We have also encouraged faculty to consider imposing word limits on exam answers, particularly for take-home exams.

Faculty have also been strongly counseled to reexamine their exam format in light of the disparate conditions under which students will be taking the exam. We anticipate that most, if not all, faculty will choose to use open-book, essay-format exams. Faculty will communicate to their students the revised plans for their exam format so that students may plan accordingly.

If you have questions about the exam format announced by faculty in your classes, please approach your professor first with any clarifying questions. Of course, Dean Gaunt will continue to serve as a resource for any students with questions about accommodations. And students who need to reschedule examinations due to exam conflicts may contact Academic Services at lawacademicservices@tulane.edu.

Thank you once again for all your patience and understanding as we’ve navigated the adjustments necessitated by our extraordinary times. I hope you and your families are well.

Be well,
David Meyer

David D. Meyer
Dean and Mitchell Franklin Professor of Law
Tulane University Law School
6329 Freret Street
New Orleans, Louisiana 70118
(504) 865-5937
meyer@tulane.edu

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 option. 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

Graduate students may elect to take their spring semester courses P/MP/U. Instructors will not be informed of their election and will report a letter grade for each student. Such election must be made no later than May 11, 2020, regardless of graduation status.

a) For the purposes of graduate education, a “P” is defined as anything between A and B; “MP” as B-; and U is anything below that
b) Departments will accept without prejudice a grade of “P” as earning credit, and advancing toward degree
c) Departments will accept a “MP” as earning credit, but equivalent to a probationary degree
d) A “U” grade earns no credit

Milestone events (e.g., qualifying exams, dissertation defenses, etc.): graduate students may elect without prejudice to delay spring semester milestone events until the fall semester.  They may do so by informing their DGS of their election, and cc Ann Schumacher, Assistant Dean of Graduate Programs in the School of Liberal Arts

Maximum time to degree is automatically extended an additional year for any Ph.D. student beyond course work. For students who are currently in course work, and who finish the semester (whether or not they take advantage of the temporary grading policy above), maximum time to degree remains 7 years.

Thank you,
Brian
------------
Brian T. Edwards
Dean, School of Liberal Arts
Tulane University
New Orleans, LA

Temporary Grading Policy for Graduate Students

In line with temporary adjustments to Tulane’s undergraduate grading policy, we are also introducing a temporary new option for graduate students: P (Pass)/ U (Unsatisfactory). For students who choose this option, the student will receive P for work at the B- level or better, and U for work at the C+ level or below. A student electing this option earns full academic credit for the course with P, but not if they receive a U. The grades for such courses will not be included into the GPA whether it is P or U. In cases in which a course must be passed with a letter grade of B- or better to satisfy SoPA graduate-level academic progress requirements, a P in the course will satisfy the requirement.

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

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 will be May 11, 2020 for graduating students, and May 21, 2020 for non-graduating students.

Faculty will not be informed about which students have selected P/U and will report a letter grade for all students, which will be replaced on the transcript by P/U for those students selecting this scheme. Students cannot change this transcripted designation after the deadline, but upon request the Registrar will certify the corresponding letter grade if necessary.

Dear Students,

As Provost Forman announced in his email dated March 23, 2020, the University adopted new temporary grading options for the Spring 2020 semester. The various school policies can be found at https://registrar.tulane.edu/covid-19-grading-policy.

The tool you will use to elect these changes for eligible courses is now available and accessible through the Schedule of Classes by performing the following:

1) Log into the Schedule of Classes

2) Click on the “Change Grade Scheme” tab

3) Select the P/MP/U grading scheme for any eligible courses for which you wish to elect the new grade scheme.

NOTE: This grading scheme is not available for the following courses:

• Courses that are non-graded
• Courses graded with a research-grade of Research, such as masters and dissertation courses
• Year-long courses
• Courses for which you previously elected an audit grade scheme
• Spring 2020 courses which ended before March 23, 2020
• Law courses
• Grad Business courses
• Grad Social Work courses
• Grad Science and Engineering courses

4) Be sure to press the SUBMIT button at the bottom of the page to save your selections.

Faculty will not be informed which students have selected P/MP/U. Faculty will report a letter grade for all courses with a regular grade option or will report an S or U grade for all courses with an S/U option. The grade issued by the faculty member will be replaced on the transcript by P/MP/U for those students selecting this scheme. Students cannot change this transcripted designation after the P/MP/U grading scheme deadline. If necessary, however, the Registrar’s office will certify the corresponding letter grade for graduate admission or any other academic or professional opportunity that a student may need.

The deadline for selecting the P/MP/U grading scheme is May 11, 2020, for all graduating students and all students taking Public Health or Liberal Arts courses at the graduate level.

The deadline for all other students is May 21, 2020.

If you have any questions, please contact us at registrar@tulane.edu or (504) 865-5231.

Office of the University Registrar
Tulane University
110 Gibson Hall
New Orleans, LA 70118
registrar@tulane.edu