Pass/No Credit Grading Option for BU Students
By: Maria Garcia Manzano, AEIC of The Quill
With the end of the fall semester upon us, the approaching exam dates are beginning to stress BU students. It is important to remember however, that Brandon University has taken precautionary measures to alleviate some of the stress that this year has caused. This year the stress caused by exam dates will be amplified due to the unprecedented times the world is facing as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore, in anticipation of these stressful times the BU Senate has decided that once again students will be given the opportunity to take the Pass/No credit option. This option will also be given at the end of the winter term as a way to ease unnecessary stress caused by the situation we find ourselves in.
What exactly is the Pass/No credit option? This is what BU has called a “compassionate grading policy” (Brandon University Registrar’s office) that will allow students to choose whether they wish to convert their final letter grade into a Pass/No credit instead; depending on the grade you receive on each course, you will be able to decide if you wish for that mark to appear on your transcript. Students will be able to first see their final letter grade and then decide on a course by course basis whether they prefer to take a simple Pass/No credit. Requesting a ‘Pass’ conversion means that you have met the minimum requirements for passing the course and can therefore receive the credited hours -- receiving a P grade does not count towards your GPA. While a ‘No credit’ grade means that you did not meet the minimum requirements to pass the course, however your GPA will not reflect a failing mark. The No credit options functions the same way as the Voluntary Withdrawal option and you will not receive those credit hours toward your degree.
It may be tempting to take the Pass/No credit option however, there are some downsides to this policy. The main one being that, if the course you are wanting to use the Pass/No credit option for is a pre-requisite course in which you need to obtain a certain grade in order to enroll into the next level course, you will not be able to use the Pass/No credit option. Furthermore, in case you are interested in applying to a professional or graduate program you should inquire about their admission policies as it pertains to Pass/No credit grades. Another aspect that is worth mentioning in regard to this grading policy is that if you chose to employ it, there will be no tuition reimbursements if you choose to use the No Credit option – although this applies if you fail a course anyways.
In order to take advantage of this grading policy you must email: registrar@brandonu.ca with your name and student number, and a list of the courses you wish to apply the Pass/No credit grade option to. For the fall semester this must be done no later than January, 20, 2021 in order to have your grades converted.