<p>At the end of each 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:</p>
<ul>
<li>Substitute an "S" for earned grades "A" to "C" indicating students have <em>Satisfactory</em> performance in the course.</li>
<li>Substitute "P" for earned grades "C-" to "D-" indicating students have <em>Passed</em> the course.</li>
<li>Substitute a "U" for earned grade of "F" indicating student performance was <em>Unsatisfactory</em> for the course.</li>
</ul>
<p>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.</p>
<p>The alternate grading <strong>option will be available <em>after</em> the end of the Summer and Fall 2020 Semesters</strong>. Do not contact the Registration and Records Office until that time. Students will receive an email reminder about the option after final grades are entered.</p>
<p>After the end of each semester, you may choose to select S/P/U for some or all of their grades for that 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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p><strong>Things to Consider Before Choosing the S/P/U Option</strong></p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>Following are reasons you might choose to keep your earned letter grades instead of selecting S/P/U:</p>
<ul>
<li>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.</li>
<li>You may need the GPA boost from your semester earned grades to meet MCC's 2.0 GPA requirement for graduation.</li>
<li>You may need the GPA boost from your semester earned grades to demonstrate satisfactory academic progress (SAP).</li>
<li>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.</li>
<li>Some MCC accredited health care 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).</li>
<li>Some MCC programs leading to licensure/certification might also impose restrictions on acceptable grading structures.</li>
</ul>
<p>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.</p>
<p>Please continue to monitor your email for more information about how to select this grading option. </p>
<p>Andrea C. Wade, Ph.D.<br />
Provost and Vice President, Academic Services</p>
Student Tribune
Alternate Grading Option
Due to the continued impact of the COVID-19 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 Summer and Fall 2020 and Intersession 2021 semesters. You can select this alternative grading based on your unique needs and circumstances and the deadline for requesting a grade change for the summer and fall 2020 semesters is March 1, 2021; the deadline for requesting a grade change for Intersession 2021 is April 1, 2021.
At the end of each 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 Summer and Fall 2020 Semesters. Do not contact the Registration and Records Office until that time. Students will receive an email reminder about the option after final grades are entered.
After the end of each semester, you may choose to select S/P/U for some or all of their grades for that 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 semester earned grades to meet MCC's 2.0 GPA requirement for graduation.
- You may need the GPA boost from your semester 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 health care 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
Wade, Andrea
Academic Services
06/29/2020