Student Tribune

Spring 2020 Semester Alternate Grading Option

On behalf of MCC, thank you for making the transition to fully distance learning in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Your efforts have kept you and your fellow students safe while helping flatten the curve of the virus in our community.

Due to the impact of the pandemic, MCC students will have the option to receive a traditional letter grade or a designation of Satisfactory/Pass/Unsatisfactory for each course taken in the Spring 2020 semester. You can select this alternative grading based on your unique needs and circumstances.

At the end of the semester, your instructors will enter earned letter grades (A through F). These grades will be permanently kept by MCC; however, you will have the option of requesting that a Satisfactory/Pass/Unsatisfactory grade be displayed on your transcript, as follows:

Substitute an "S" for earned grades "A" to "C" indicating students have Satisfactory performance in the course.
Substitute "P" for earned grades "C-" to "D-" indicating students have Passed the course.
Substitute a "U" for earned grade of "F" indicating student performance was Unsatisfactory for the course.

While both "S" and "P" signify earned course credit and are excluded from GPA calculation, S grades may be more likely to be eligible for transfer to another institution. (This would be a decision by the transfer institution.) "U" grades indicate that a student was unsuccessful in the course; no credit would be awarded, and this grade is excluded from GPA calculation.

The alternate grading option will be available after the end of the Spring 2020 Semester. Do not contact the Registration and Records Office until that time. Students will receive a reminder about the option when the request process is finalized.

Between May 20 and August 1, 2020, you may choose to select S/P/U for some or all of their grades for the spring 2020 term. Thereafter, you may request that their original letter grades be reinstated at any point until their graduation date. No changes to the grades as posted on the transcript may be requested after graduation.

If you do not wish to change the display of your letter grades to Satisfactory/Pass/Unsatisfactory, you will not need to take any action.

Things to Consider Before Choosing the S/P/U Option

Considerations include whether changing your grade to an S/P/U might help your GPA or whether changing your grade might cause issues later in your academic career. For example, most students might opt to take a U instead of an F because the U would not hurt their GPA in the way that an "F" would. Students with an "A" average might opt to take an "S" instead of a "C," or students might opt to take a "P" instead of a "D" for the same reason.

Following are reasons you might choose to keep your earned letter grades instead of selecting S/P/U:

Your transfer school may not accept S/P grades for transfer credit. It is very important that you reach out to any potential transfer schools to verify their grade policies for course transfer.
You may need the GPA boost from your spring 2020 earned grades to meet MCC's 2.0 GPA requirement for graduation.
You may need the GPA boost from your spring 2020 earned grades to demonstrate satisfactory academic progress (SAP).
You may need GPA-impacting course grades in order to be competitive for transfer, medical, professional, or graduate school admissions. Check with the specific school you plan to apply to.
Some MCC accredited programs might have limits on the percentage of courses on a college transcript that can be graded Pass/Fail (and might not recognize the S/P/U structure as an alternative grade).
Some MCC programs leading to licensure/certification might also impose restrictions on acceptable grading structures.

For each of the above potential issues, it is very important that you check directly with the program, college, or university to verify their current policy. Please note that many colleges and universities are modifying their current policies in response to the pandemic.

Please continue to monitor your email for more information about how to select this grading option.

Andrea C. Wade, Ph.D.
Provost and Vice President, Academic Services

Lloyd A. Holmes, Ph.D.
Vice President, Student Services

Wade, Andrea
Academic Services
04/20/2020