Withdrawal deadline is extended (April 10) and information on grading options for spring and summer 2020

by John Stalvey, UAA Interim Provost  |   

Dear UAA Students,

UAA faculty and staff are working hard so that you can successfully complete your spring 2020 coursework. I know the unprecedented change of moving most courses to alternative delivery took us all by surprise. I encourage you to work with your instructors to try the new delivery methods, and I have extended the withdrawal deadline to April 10 to help you do so.

To provide you flexibility, UAA will implement the following options for spring and summer 2020 semesters.

Credit/No Credit grade option
You may elect to change the grade option for each of your classes to the Credit/No Credit basis instead of the letter grade option. A Credit grade earned in spring or summer semester 2020 will count toward elective, pre-requisite, general education, degree, major and/or minor requirements.

You will have until April 27, the last day of spring semester instruction, to make the decision for your spring 2020 courses. There is a form on the Registrar’s site that you must submit by April 27. For a variety of reasons, including possible adverse impact on your Financial Aid award, if applicable, it is recommended that you make this decision closer to the deadline, and that you consult with your academic advisor and other relevant UAA offices. If you do not wish to change to credit/no credit for your classes, you do not need to take any action. Check out the Credit/No Credit Handout for more information.

What do you need to know about the Credit/No Credit option?
If you choose the Credit/No Credit option for a course and earn a final grade of A, B or C, your transcript will show that you received the grade of Credit (CR). A grade of (CR) will have no negative consequences for Satisfactory Academic Progress or federal Financial Aid. Be aware that a CR grade will not automatically qualify you as having met a prerequisite for a future course. This means you will need an override to register for some courses in future semesters.

If you choose the Credit/No Credit option for a course and earn a final grade of D or F, your transcript will show that you received the grade of No Credit (NC). A grade of (NC) will impact Satisfactory Academic Progress, Financial Aid and VA Educational Benefits eligibility. A letter grade of D, on the other hand, is considered passing and does not have the same effects.

(CR)/(NC) grades do not impact Grade Point Average (GPA) either positively or negatively. If you take a course for grade improvement, a (CR) grade will not count as improving GPA for previous grades in the same course.

In some cases, you may want to receive a letter grade rather than a (CR) grade. For example, if you are applying to graduate or professional school or if letter grades are needed for a certification or licensure. Additionally, there will be a processing delay for a Credit/No Credit grade, which also might affect you.

Finally, please remember that you must have 12 credits of letter grades to be considered eligible for the Dean’s or Chancellor’s list.  (CR) grades will not count towards the 12 credit eligibility for these honors.

Incomplete (I) grades
If a course cannot be converted to alternate delivery, or if you do not have the ability to complete the course due to the change to alternate delivery, you may request an incomplete grade for the course. Faculty are encouraged to extend this option, and I will ask faculty to work with students to complete an Incomplete Grade Contract Form, outlining the remaining requirements to receive a grade, as well as the deadline for the remaining work to be completed. Please be aware that if you choose this option and you do not complete the coursework within one year, the (I) grade will become permanent. 

Extension of the withdrawal deadline
I encourage you to try the new delivery methods of your courses, and have, therefore, extended the withdrawal deadline to allow you to try the courses in this new format.

The new withdrawal deadline is April 10.

Financial aid implications
If you are receiving financial aid, you will want to discuss the possible impacts of the above decisions with the UAA Office of Financial Aid. Each kind of aid has different rules and regulations.

For this reason, I recommend that if you are receiving financial aid of any kind, you check on any financial aid implications before choosing the Credit/No Credit option or withdrawing, and that you wait until closer to the respective deadlines, before choosing either of these options.

International students, military and veteran students, student athletes
If you are an international student, a student athlete, and/or are receiving military tuition assistance or VA educational benefits, please be aware that you may be negatively impacted by withdrawing from a course or by electing a Credit/No Credit grade. If you are in one of these groups, you should not make any changes to your class schedule without first checking on how it will impact your eligibility and funding.

Please work with your academic advisor when considering the above decisions. Your advisor can connect you with the appropriate assistance in other offices.

Sincerely,
John Stalvey
Interim Provost

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