Pass (P) Grade Option FAQ

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The schools within the University have each established the minimum letter grade that qualifies for the special Pass (P) grade option for Spring 2020 at the undergraduate and graduate level. See the next FAQ.

If a student requests the P grade but receives a letter grade below the minimum grade threshold for a P established by the school/program offering the class, the student will receive the letter grade. For instance, if the minimum passing grade is defined by the school as a C- and the student earns a D+, the student would retain the D+ despite a request to elect the P grade.

Students may elect this option for any and all eligible courses. Students who started in the spring may not select this option for all eligible classes, as they need a calculable GPA (see the Financial Aid section below).

College of Arts and Sciences (CAS)

The grade minimums for a P in eligible CAS courses mirror USF’s existing Pass/Fail rules: D- for undergraduate courses, C- for graduate courses. 

Some majors will be retaining their own rules for advancement, including for students who opt for a P in a course, requiring a higher than D- grade for advancement to the next level in a course sequence. Students should check with their academic adviser regarding any particular rules in their major or program.

The following College of Arts & Sciences courses are excluded from the P option: 

  • BIOL 310  Genetics
  • BIOL 311  Genetics Lab

Any course that ended on or before March 6th is ineligible for the P option.

School of Education (SOE)

B- is the minimum threshold to pass for doctoral and credential candidates. For Masters programs including the SPED MA and credential the minimum grade to pass will be C-.

The following School of Education courses are excluded from the P option:

  • CPSY 613   Group Counseling Skills 
  • CPSY 614   Career Counseling
  • CPSY 621   PPS Traineeship II
  • CPSY 622   PPS Traineeship III
  • CPSY 623   Trauma and Crisis Counseling
  • CPSY 624   Qual & Quant Research Methods
  • CPSY 631   Theories of Counseling Psychotherapy
  • CPSY 632   Child and Adolescent Development
  • CPSY 634   Ethical/Legal/Prof Issues
  • CPSY 638   Traineeship II
  • CPSY 639   Individual and Family Psychopathology
  • CPSY 640   Relationship Therapy
  • CPSY 642   Counseling Methods
  • CPSY 646   Community Mental Health
  • CPSY 649   Sexuality & Gender Issues
  • CPSY 651   Adult Development & Geropsychology
  • CPSY 677   Counseling Across Cultures
  • CPSY 698   Traineeship IV/V

Any course that ended on or before March 6th is ineligible for the P option.

School of Management (SOM)

The grade minimum for a P in eligible SOM courses mirror USF’s existing Pass/Fail rules: D- for undergraduate courses.

For accounting majors, students with grades lower than a C- in their accounting courses will be advised by the Accounting Department Chair.

For graduate courses in the SOM, the minimum passing grade will be a C- . The one exception will be OD 690, OD Culminating Project, which will require a minimum of B- to pass. 

The following School of Management courses are excluded from the P option:

  • OD 690  OD Culminating Project (CRN 20137 and 20139)

Any course that ended on or before March 6th is ineligible for the P option.

School of Nursing and Health Professions (SONHP)

The BSN and the ME-MSN programs are unable to make their clinical prerequisite courses, Statistics, Rhetoric & Composition, and Sociology courses eligible for the pass (“P”) grading option. For all other general education cores, students may elect to take the pass (“P”) grading option if the course is deemed eligible for this option by CAS.

For all graduate programs in the SONHP, students must earn a B- as the minimum threshold to pass a course graded as a letter grade. Not all courses in the graduate programs will be eligible to convert a passing letter grade to a “P”.

In the Graduate Nursing Department (RN-MSN and DNP programs), all of the courses will be exempt and therefore, not eligible for the pass (“P”) grading option.

In the Health Professions Department (MPH, MSBH, MSHI, and Clinical Psychology PsyD programs), the courses that are exempt and therefore not eligible for the pass (“P”) option are as follows:

  • MPH and MSBH program courses that are already offered with the grading option of satisfactory (“S”) and unsatisfactory (“U”):
    • BH 626 Behavioral Health Fieldwork I
    • MPH 641 Public Health Fieldwork Internship
    • MPH 642 Public Health Capstone Seminar 
  • MSHI program courses that are already offered with the grading option of satisfactory (“S”) and unsatisfactory (“U”): 
    • HS 650 Capstone Project in Health Informatics
    • HS 651 Project in Health Informatics
  • Clinical Psychology PsyD program courses that are already offered with the grading option of satisfactory (“S”) and unsatisfactory (“U”): 
    • PSYD 707 Clinical Dissertation Proposal Seminar
    • PSYD 740 Practicum 2B
    • PSYD 760 Practicum 3B
    • PSYD 780 Practicum 4B
    • PSYD 782 Externship Placement B
    • PSYD 788 Clinical Dissertation Seminar
    • PSYD 789 Full Time Clinical Internship

Any course that ended on or before March 6th is ineligible for the P option.

For CAS

  • BIOL 310  Genetics
  • BIOL 311  Genetics Lab

Any course that ended on or before March 6th is ineligible for the P option.

For SOE

  • CPSY 613   Group Counseling Skills 
  • CPSY 614   Career Counseling
  • CPSY 621   PPS Traineeship II
  • CPSY 622   PPS Traineeship III
  • CPSY 623   Trauma and Crisis Counseling
  • CPSY 624   Qual & Quant Research Methods
  • CPSY 631   Theories of Counseling Psychotherapy
  • CPSY 632   Child and Adolescent Development
  • CPSY 634   Ethical/Legal/Prof Issues
  • CPSY 638   Traineeship II
  • CPSY 639   Individual and Family Psychopathology
  • CPSY 640   Relationship Therapy
  • CPSY 642   Counseling Methods
  • CPSY 646   Community Mental Health
  • CPSY 649   Sexuality & Gender Issues
  • CPSY 651   Adult Development & Geropsychology
  • CPSY 677   Counseling Across Cultures
  • CPSY 698   Traineeship IV/V

Any course that ended on or before March 6th is ineligible for the P option.

For SOM

  • OD 690  OD Culminating Project (CRN 20137 and 20139)

Any course that ended on or before March 6th is ineligible for the P option.

For SONHP

BSN and ME-MSN programs’ courses that are clinical prerequisite courses, Statistics, Rhetoric & Composition, and Sociology courses are exempt from this policy and therefore, not eligible for the Pass (P) grading option. For all other general education core courses, students may elect to take the P grading option if the course is deemed eligible for this option by CAS.

The RN-MSN and all of the DNP degree program courses are exempt from this policy.

MPH and MSBH program courses that are already offered with the grading option of satisfactory (“S”) and unsatisfactory (“U”) are exempt:

  • BH 626 Behavioral Health Fieldwork I
  • MPH 641 Public Health Fieldwork Internship
  • MPH 642 Public Health Capstone Seminar 

MSHI program courses that are already offered with the grading option of satisfactory (“S”) and unsatisfactory (“U”) are exempt: 

  • HS 650 Capstone Project in Health Informatics
  • HS 651 Project in Health Informatics

Clinical Psychology PsyD program courses that are already offered with the grading option of satisfactory (“S”) and unsatisfactory (“U”) are exempt: 

  • PSYD 707 Clinical Dissertation Proposal Seminar
  • PSYD 740 Practicum 2B
  • PSYD 760 Practicum 3B
  • PSYD 780 Practicum 4B
  • PSYD 782 Externship Placement B
  • PSYD 788 Clinical Dissertation Seminar
  • PSYD 789 Full Time Clinical Internship

Dean’s List and Academic Probation policies apply.

Pass (P) grades do not affect a student's GPA. However, if a student fails a course it will affect their GPA.

Taking a class for a Pass rather than a letter grade can impact a student's financial aid. For example, students who are not making Satisfactory Academic Progress must meet certain minimum GPA requirements and students who started in spring need to have a calculable GPA. However, a student can file an appeal if their GPA falls below the eligibility requirement for federal financial aid. See https://myusf.usfca.edu/financial-aid/financial-aid-appeals  for the financial aid appeals process. Contact Jay Ward, Assistant Director Financial Aid, at  jward6@usfca.edu with any questions or  Financialaid@usfca.edu for further information. Make one-on-one appointments here: https://myusfca-sfs.10to8.com/

The VA will accept the Pass grade as satisfactory progress for payment of tuition and housing benefits. For questions, please email veterans@usfca.edu or contact Assistant University Registrar Lara Kleine at (415) 422-2789.

According to the NCAA, conversion to a Pass (P) grade due to the COVID-19 pandemic does not impact an institution's ability to use credit hours earned when certifying a student-athlete's continuing academic eligibility. Specifically, there are no NCAA limitations or restrictions on the use of Pass/Fail courses to meet progress-toward-degree minimums. Electing a P grade will not affect students’ GPA and thus will not affect student-athletes’ continuing academic eligibility. Additionally, athletes’ financial aid will not be affected by electing the Pass (P) grade option beyond the existing financial aid rules (see above). Please note that these NCAA policies are specific to the COVID-19 pandemic. For questions about eligibility, please contact Jim Campbell, Associate Athletic Director, at jcampbell6@usfca.edu.

BSN and ME-MSN: In accordance with the how student performance is evaluated in the BSN and ME-MSN programs, the Board of Registered Nursing accepts letter grades (C- or better required) as the required grading outcome for clinical prerequisite courses, Statistics, Rhetoric & Composition, and Sociology. For all other general education cores, students may elect to take the Pass grading option. 

MPH and the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) Examination: Students in the Behavioral Health Concentration in the MPH program who intend to take the CHES examination must achieve the minimum level of performance of a grade of B- or above in order to successfully pass their program course work and to meet eligibility requirements for the CHES exam. Students will be able to elect for the pass option only in eligible courses.

PsyD:  In accordance with the American Psychological Association’s Commission on Accreditation, the minimum levels of achievement (MLA) in the program’s established outcome measures must be consistent with the Standards of Accreditation (SoA). The SoA’s require that the MLAs be established for all outcome assessments and that these levels reflect the current standards for the profession. In the Clinical Psychology PsyD Program, all students must attain the MLA of satisfactory, 80% or higher, or a grade of B- or above on all assessments of Profession-Wide Competency (PWC) and Discipline Specific Knowledge (DSK). These levels of achievement in the program do reflect the current standards for the profession.

Marriage and Family Therapy and School Counseling Programs will be on the School of Education’s list of courses exempted from the Pass option.  While the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) is accepting a P option for credential candidates, program faculty are concerned about the portability of the credential for SCP and licensure for MFTs as well as the implications for hiring. The Board of Behavioral Sciences, the licensure body for Marriage and Family Therapy, has not released guidance regarding grades, and their communication has been focused on how telehealth can be utilised for clinical hours.

Eligibility for USF Honors and Awards may be affected by choosing the Pass option in one or more courses. To be considered for University Honors (Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude, Summa Cum Laude), an undergraduate student must have completed at least 60 units of academic coursework graded “A” through “F” at USF and meet GPA requirement (3.5 or above); the same rules apply for Valedictorian consideration (with GPA of 3.85 or above based on the last term completed). To be eligible for the Dean’s Honor roll, a student must be enrolled full-time for 12 unit hours or more of course work graded “A” through “F” and meet GPA requirements (3.5 or above). For questions about honors in a particular major, please consult with your academic advisor. For questions about school-specific honors, contact your school's undergraduate office. For questions about University Honors (Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude, Summa Cum Laude), please contact the Graduation Center at gradcenter@usfca.edu.

Students may elect a Pass (P) grade for eligible classes via an electronic form that will be available to students starting May 22. 2020 (the day after grades are posted) through May 28, 2020. The link to the electronic form will be posted in all students' Student Hub Task Center, on the Registrar's webpage and on the Pass (P) Grade Option Policy webpage. The form will only be available after grades are posted so that students can view the letter grade they received before electing the Pass (P) grade.

When a student clicks on the link to the electronic form while logged into myUSF, the form will open and be populated with all of the student's classes, marked as either eligible or ineligible for the Pass (P) option. Please note that an otherwise eligible class will show up on the “ineligible” list until the student’s letter grade for that class has been posted. A grade of "Incomplete" (I), "In-progress" (IP), "Not Reported" (NR) or "Auditor" (AU) are not letter grades. Students are encouraged to wait until grades for all eligible courses are listed before selecting the Pass option and submitting the form, as students will not be able to return to the form or submit an additional form after submitting. However, students should submit the form by the deadline, even if grades have not been provided for all eligible courses.

If a student's instructor is late in submitting a grade in an eligible class and a student wants to exercise the pass option in that class, the student should contact the below, according to their college/school, to get approval to make a late change and to complete the grade change form.

CAS Undergraduate and Graduate Students:
Marvella Luey at lueym@usfca.edu

SOE:
Cheryl Jones-Walker at cejoneswalker@usfca.edu

SOM:
Undergraduate Students: Deanna Pachinger at pachinger@usfca.edu
Graduate Students: Linda Henderson at hendersonli@usfca.edu

SONHP:
Health Professions Dept (MPH, MSBH, MSHI, PsyD): Megan O’Banion at mgobanion@usfca.edu
Undergraduate Nursing Dept: Susan Prion at prions@usfca.edu
Graduate Nursing Dept: Alexa Curtis at accurtis@usfca.edu 

It is strongly recommended that students consult with their faculty/academic adviser and review the Pass (P) Grade Option FAQs before making this choice.