Pass/Fail and Audit Option

Pass/Fail Option

School of Arts and Sciences
Jepson School of Leadership Studies
(excluding leadership studies courses)
(not available to business students)

An arts and sciences or leadership studies student who has completed at least 18 units of academic work may opt for one normally standard-graded course per semester to be graded on a pass/fail basis or if more than one course not more than one unit of total credit. The resulting credit may only be used to count as total credit toward a degree, and cannot be used to satisfy any general education requirement or any major or minor requirement. No Jepson School of Leadership Studies or Robins School of Business courses may be taken for pass/fail grading except those in the Department of Economics. No more than four student-opted pass/fail courses are acceptable for degree credit.

Note: Some courses are only available as pass/fail courses, such as internships, student teaching, and some research courses. The restrictions stated above do not apply to such courses.
The level of performance necessary to earn a pass grade in a student-opted pass/fail course is D- or better. A passing grade will be recorded as P on the permanent record. The credit will be added into credit earned toward graduation and will not affect the grade point average. A failing grade will be recorded as F on the permanent record. The credit will affect the grade point average.

To opt for pass/fail grading, a permission form must be obtained from and returned with appropriate signatures to the Office of the University Registrar by the end of the 10th day of classes. Summer terms have abbreviated periods for changing classes to pass/fail or audit, so please consult the summer academic calendar for those dates. The student must first register for the course and then file the permission form. Once the form is submitted to the University Registrar, the decision may not be reversed.

Auditing Courses

Auditing a course means that the course instruction is undertaken but not for credit or a grade. With the approval of the student's academic advisor, dean, and the instructor of the course, a student may declare a course to be taken on an audit basis. A permission form must be obtained from and returned with appropriate signatures to the Office of the University Registrar by the end of the 10th day of classes. The student must first register for the course and then file the permission form. The regular rate of tuition is charged, and the audit course is counted as a part of the student's semester load. However, audited coursework does not count toward the required, full time enrollment status for financial aid purposes. If you are receiving financial aid and plan to audit a course, you are encouraged to check with the Office of Financial Aid before submitting the permission form to determine the impact, if any, on your financial aid eligibility. Once the form is submitted to the University Registrar, the decision may not be reversed. An audited course cannot subsequently be taken for credit unless approved by the appropriate dean.