For Faculty and Staff:
Modified Grading Policy for Spring Semester

April 2, 2020 @ 2:21 p.m.

Dear CU Denver Faculty and Staff:

We know that you are committed to helping our students continue to pursue their educational goals during these challenging times. We have heard your concerns–and those of our students–about the need for flexibility in grading due to our unique circumstances this spring, and are writing today about a temporary grading option that will give students the maximum opportunity for success.

For the spring 2020 semester, students may choose between standard letter grades or the CU Denver Spring 2020 Modified Grading Policy option.  

The new policy is below.

University of Colorado Denver Campus Spring 2020 Modified Grading Policy
CU Denver students may request a grade change to Pass Plus (P+)/Pass (P)/No Pass (NP) for any undergraduate or graduate course taken in Spring Semester 2020.

• All undergraduate and graduate courses on the CU Denver campus are eligible for Pass Plus/Pass/No Pass grade designations for Spring Semester 2020.
• Students can request a grade change to Pass Plus/Pass/No Pass; the deadline is extended to June 5. Any grade change request must be submitted to the student’s advisor (or program directors for some graduate programs) by 5 p.m. on June 5, 2020.
• The deadline for a student to request a Withdrawal (W) has been extended to the last day of the term, May 16, 2020.
• Pass Plus (P+) is defined as a grade of C- or higher. Pass (P) is defined as a grade of D+, D, or D-. No Pass (NP) is defined as lower than D-. None of these options will impact GPA calculations.
• Faculty will submit letter grades as outlined in the syllabus. The student’s permanent record will show both the original letter grade and the modified P+/P/NP grade. The modified grade will appear on the transcript.
• In order to request a grade change, students must work with their advisors (or program directors for some graduate programs). Advisors will remind students to confer with the appropriate resources regarding potential academic and financial impacts of the requested grade change(s), including possible implications for veterans’ benefits, satisfactory academic progress for financial aid purposes, scholarship eligibility, prerequisite and major requirements, competitiveness of graduate program applications, or other important considerations.
• Published prerequisites and graduation requirements remain in effect. If a student’s letter grade is below the required standard to satisfy a prerequisite or graduation requirement, the grade of “P+” or “P” will remain on the transcript, but the prerequisite will not be fulfilled. However, schools/colleges may make exceptions to these requirements. 
• Grades of “P+” or “P” in spring semester 2020 will not be counted against any existing “P” credit limits.
• Students can still follow grade appeal processes, and other policies remain in force.

You can read more, including FAQs, on the CU Denver Spring 2020 Modified Grading Policy webpage.

We hope that these changes in grading policies will help our students successfully complete the semester and remain on the path toward their goals. Thank you to those of you who provided feedback in developing this temporary policy.

We’ve asked a lot of you, and you’ve stepped up. We are grateful for your extraordinary responsiveness as we navigate these challenging times.

Roderick Nairn, PhD
Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs