Pass/Fail Policy for Spring 2020 Semester

The Provost and Faculty Senate Executive Committee approve a one-term exception for spring 2020 to waive specific stipulations in the current Pass/Fail Grade policy with the following conditions:

  1. The student is enrolled in a Kent State course in the spring 2020 semester that was in session on Monday, March 9, 2020, or later.
  2. The student did not withdraw from the course prior to Tuesday, March 10, 2020. Students who withdrew on or after Tuesday, March 10, 2020, are eligible to request re-enrollment into the course up until Wednesday, April 1, 2020 (11:59 PM).
  3. The student has not earned a SF (Stopped Attending-Fail) or NF (Never Attended-Fail) grade in the course.
  4. The student has initiated the request for the Pass/Fail grade and received approval.
  5. Approval of the student’s request is made by the student’s program area, even if the course is not administrated by that program area. Example: The nursing program will review a nursing student’s request for a Pass/Fail grade in a chemistry course. See list of program restrictions for the pass/fail grade.
  6. The student meets the deadline to request the Pass/Fail grade – Monday, May 18, 2020 (11:59 PM) – which is five calendar days after grades are posted to the student’s academic record.
  7. For undergraduate courses (numbered 00000-49999), the Pass grade will be given for letter grade D and higher; the Fail grade will be given for letter grades F.
  8. For graduate courses (numbered 50000-89999), the Pass grade will be given for letter grade C and higher; the Fail grade will be given for letter grades C-, D+, D, F.

Stipulations in the current Pass/Fail Grade policy are waived for the spring 2020 semester for students who meet the conditions outlined above. Therefore, the following are allowed for spring 2020 semester:

  • Students may request a Pass/Fail grade to meet requirements in their major, minor, concentration or certificate or to meet college general requirements for their degree.
  • Students may request a Pass/Fail grade to meet a Kent Core requirement.
  • Students may request a Pass/Fail grade for a course that is a program requirement or a course prerequisite for a future program or course with a minimum grade restriction.
  • Students may request a Pass/Fail grade for a course approved for retroactive credit.
  • Students may request a Pass/Fail grade to complete a developmental level course (i.e., courses numbered 00000-09999).
  • Students may request a Pass/Fail grade for a graduate-level course (i.e., courses numbered 50000-89999).
  • Students may request a Pass/Fail grade if they are on academic probation (i.e., below a 2.000 overall GPA after their most recent graded term).
  • Transfer students admitted on academic probation to Kent State in the spring 2020 semester may request a Pass/Fail grade.
  • Students may request a Pass/Fail grade for more than one course in spring 2020 semester.
  • Courses taken for Pass/Fail grade in spring 2020 semester do not count in the maximum overall 12 credit-hour limit for Pass/Fail.

The minimum C grade stipulation in the Writing Intensive Course Requirement is waived for the spring 2020 semester for students who meet the conditions outlined above. Therefore, the following is in effect for spring 2020 semester:

  • Students who are approved for Pass/Fail for a WIC-designated course must pass the course for the requirement to be completed.

The following stipulations in the current Pass/Fail Grade Policy are not waived and still apply to all students:

  • Students may not request a Pass/Fail grade for a course that is graded Satisfactory/ Unsatisfactory (S/U).
  • Instructors are not informed of a student’s request for the Pass/Fail grade.
  • The instructor submits the regular letter grade for the student, which will be converted to Pass/Fail for the student’s GPA, academic transcript and degree audit.
  • The Pass/Fail grade will not be converted back to a regular grade after being requested and awarded.
  • Pass/Fail grades are not used in the computing of any Kent State GPA, including major GPA, overall GPA and Latin Honors GPA.

View the list of programs that are not allowing Pass/Fail for specific courses.

View the Pass/Fail FAQs