The deadline for undergraduates to apply for Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grading is quickly approaching on March 23.
Students are allowed to register for grading on an S/U basis for one course in the Trinity College of Arts and Sciences during each semester or summer session, according to the Trinity website.
A notation of Satisfactory corresponds to a letter grade of C- or higher, while Unsatisfactory corresponds to a D+, D, D-, or F. Courses taken S/U do not impact a student’s GPA.
During their time at Duke, a student can voluntarily choose pass/fail grading for up to four classes. This limit only applies to classes that are initially taught on a graded basis, and doesn’t include classes taken from Spring 2020-Fall 2021.
The deadline to apply for S/U grading coincides with the last day to withdraw from a class with a W, which usually falls around four weeks before the last day of classes.
To apply for pass/fail, students must send a Declaration of the S/U Grading Basis form to their academic dean by 5 p.m. on the course withdrawal deadline. If approved the academic dean will then send the form to the Office of the University Registrar.
If a student opts for S/U grading, this course will contribute to the general education requirements and towards the 34 course credits required to graduate. However, this course will not count towards major, minor, or certificate requirements.
This grading change is not reversible, so an S grade in a course cannot later be converted into a letter grade, and the course cannot be retaken. Not all courses allow S/U grading, and instructors may designate their course as letter-grade-only on Dukehub.
This policy does not apply to graduate level courses, numbered 500 or higher, which need instructor consent to be graded pass/fail.
To be eligible for the Dean's List, students must be enrolled in at least three graded courses. Receiving a U in any class removes a student from Dean’s List consideration.
Pratt students can also utilize this policy for any Trinity-originated courses they’re enrolled in. They cannot take any engineering requirements graded S/U.
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Anisha Reddy is a Trinity junior and a senior editor of The Chronicle's 118th volume.