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Dear L&S Students,
The Faculty of the College of Letters and Science, through their Executive Committee, have decided to make changes to how P/NP grades can be used during this semester (Fall 2020) and next semester (Spring 2021). They’ve done this after carefully considering advice from the campus Faculty Senate and the ASUC Office of Academic Affairs. The goal of these changes is to reduce stresses during these tough semesters of pandemic and remote instruction, while still encouraging learning and student progress.
This email lists those changes, plus some extra information.
Please note that switching a course or courses to P/NP may not be the best action in all circumstances. Other strategies, such as dropping a course to focus on the remaining courses or taking an incomplete grade to spread out some work, are highly encouraged, and may be better ways of coping with difficulties while still making progress. Your major and college advisors can help you work through your options. We ask for your patience and understanding as we navigate the implications of these policy changes.
The policy changes are:
1. L&S College requirements: Reading and Composition, Quantitative Reasoning, and Foreign Language requirements normally satisfied with letter grades may be met with a passed (P) grade during the Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 semesters. (Note: This does not include the systemwide Entry Level Writing requirement. College Writing R1A must be taken for a letter grade and completed with a C or better to fulfill the Entry Level Writing requirement.)
2. Requirements within all College majors and minors may be met by courses that are taken P/NP during the Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 semesters.
3. Prerequisites for entry into all L&S majors may be met by courses taken P/NP during the Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 semesters.
4. Departments may create alternative methods for admitting students into their majors. Alternative methods adapted during Spring 2020 may be extended for the Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 semesters, but departments wishing to use new or additional determinants for admission into the major must request review by the Executive Committee before adopting them.
5. L&S students will not be placed on academic probation automatically for taking all of their courses P/NP during Fall 2020 or Spring 2021.
In addition, please note:
a. The issuing of a P grade signifies that the student has passed the class at minimum C- level work. This rule is unchanged.
b. Pass grades may account for no more than one third of the total required units completed at UC Berkeley toward the 120 overall minimum unit requirement. This includes courses taken in the Fall Program for Freshmen, the UC Education Abroad Program, or the UC Berkeley Washington Program (UCDC). This rule is unchanged.
c. At graduation, students must have an overall GPA of at least 2.0.
d. As announced earlier, L&S has suspended the late action policy for dropping course(s) or changing a grading option. Students may drop a course(s) or change their grading option by December 4, 2020. For Spring 2021, L&S will also suspend the late action policy for dropping a course(s) or changing a grading option. L&S will announce the last day to drop course(s) and change a grading option in the spring.
e. Regulations on course repetition will not be modified for Fall 2020 and Spring 2021.
f. Once the L&S grade option change and drop deadline has passed, students cannot make additional changes to their schedule.
g. Students currently on probation should carefully consider their use of P/NP. Passing courses for letter grades is necessary to eventually get off probation, and to get to the 2.0 GPA required to graduate. We strongly recommend that students currently on probation consult with an advisor before changing their grading options.
We are still working through how to implement these policy changes. It might take a week or more to work through how some parts will be processed. Some changes will be done through Cal Central, while we are exploring the opportunity for some other operations to be completed via an online form or petition. It may take a bit of time for capped majors to devise alternative methods for admitting students. We’ll provide more information on all aspects as soon as it becomes available. You can find more information as it becomes available on our Fall 2020 and Spring 2021: Policy Modifications and FAQ webpage.
On a personal note, I would like to thank the faculty, administrators, the Academic Senate, L&S Advising and the ASUC Office of Academic Affairs who have worked long hours to make these much-needed academic policy adjustments happen during this extraordinary semester. Throughout this process, student testimonials voiced concerns and experiences that were crucial to finding solutions and weighing decisions. Thank you all for your patience and support in what has been an unprecedented semester.
Sincerely,
Bob Jacobsen, Dean
L&S Undergraduate Studies
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