Dear Marshall University students,
Due to the emerging hardships associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and the necessary transition to online course delivery, Marshall University is making changes to its grading system for the spring semester.
For this semester only, undergraduate students will be able to opt in to receive Credit/No Credit (CR/NC) grades based on their final grades as of May 4. CR/NC is an alternative to the traditional A-F grading system.
You must opt in to CR/NC grading no later than 5 p.m. Friday, April 24, and may do so on a course-by-course basis. Instructions for the opt in process are forthcoming.
Some important points to remember include:
- Students who select CR/NC are required to participate in all course activities and assessments through the end of the semester.
- To earn CR for a course, you must receive a final letter grade of A, B or C; students who receive a final grade of D or F will earn NC.
- Only CR grades count as credit toward graduation.
- CR/NC grades will not affect your term or cumulative grade point average either positively or negatively.
You should talk to your academic advisor before making a decision. Please note:
- The CR/NC grading option may not be appropriate for all courses in accredited programs, for courses associated with professional licensure or for courses requiring clinical/practicum clock-hours. Each academic college will administer exceptions to this policy as necessary.
- You may need letter grades in certain prerequisite courses to meet admission requirements for professional graduate programs.
- A final letter grade of D counts as credit toward graduation. For students who opt in under this policy, however, a final grade of D will be converted to NC and will not count as credit toward graduation.
- For undergraduate students who are repeating a course under the D/F repeat rule and who opt to receive CR/NC grading, the CR or NC will replace the D/F grade from the previous attempt. If the earlier grade to be replaced is a D, an NC would trigger a reduction in total credits earned.
We hope this change to our grading policy provides the flexibility you need to feel more comfortable proceeding with your education during this particularly challenging time.
Please remember to check your Marshall e-mail regularly for updates, and thank you again for your patience and understanding.
Sincerely,
Jaime R. Taylor, Ph.D.
Provost/Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs