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Office of the Provost

Student Policies and Resources

Contact Information

For news items, please contact Mike Emery, Senior Director, at memery@central.uh.edu.

Interim Graduate Grade Policy

Spring 2021 Semester 

Due to the unique and unprecedented challenges associated with the winter storm and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Houston is implementing an interim policy for graduate grades.

  1. The Interim Graduate Grade Policy applies to all graduate students in courses offered during Spring 2021 Sessions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. The policy will be reviewed for continuation through future terms if necessary.
  2. Many professional programs have complex issues associated with the proposed grading modification due to accreditation, licensure, or state-by-state regulatory organizations. Professional students in the Law Center, Colleges of Pharmacy, Nursing and Medicine are exempt from this policy. Other professional programs may request exemption from the policy with permission from the Dean of the Academic College and from the Dean of the Graduate School. Professional students should check with their program for further assistance and guidance.
  3. All graduate courses for the applicable sessions will be graded according to their current grading scheme.
    1. If the current grading scheme is Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U):
      • Grades of Unsatisfactory (U) will automatically convert to No Credit Reported COVID-19 (NCR).
      • Grades of Satisfactory (S) are awarded course credit while no course credit will be awarded for a grade of No Credit Reported COVID-19 (NCR).
    2. If the current grading scheme is Letter Grade:
      • Students have the option to choose either a Letter Grade or a Satisfactory/No Credit Reported COVID-19 (S/NCR) grading scheme on a course-by-course basis.
      • Under the Satisfactory/No Credit Reported COVID-19 (S/NCR) grading scheme, grades of C- and higher are considered Satisfactory (S) and are awarded course credit. No course credit will be awarded for a grade of No Credit Reported COVID-19 (NCR).
      • Details regarding the process through which students choose their grading options will be communicated by the Office of the University Registrar.
  1. Satisfactory (S) and No Credit Reported COVID-19 (NCR) grades are not factored into term or cumulative GPA.
  2. While departments and colleges are encouraged to consider Satisfactory (S) grades as adequate completion of prerequisite, qualifying/comprehensive exam and degree GPA requirements, programs that are bound by license or certification regulations pertaining to minimum grade standards may enforce those minimum standards. 
  3. The students’ official transcript will record only the grading scheme that the student chose to reveal. Students are free to request a change in their transcript, showing the assigned letter grade at any time via formal request to the Office of the University Registrar.
  4. In the event that a program, department, or college enforces prerequisite or minimum GPA standard policy, a student may still choose a Satisfactory (S) grade for official reporting.  The letter grade assigned by the instructor remains part of the student record and can be accessed at the program level, even when Satisfactory (S) is the reported grade. 
  5. Students are strongly encouraged to contact their academic advisor to discuss questions regarding the impact of their grade option choice on academic matters. The Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid should be consulted to discuss the impact of their grade option choice on financial aid matters.
  6. The deadline for completing course requirements associated with Incomplete grades due in Spring 2021 is extended to June 11, 2021. Students should contact their instructors to discuss plans for completing course requirements by that date.
  7. Grades received as the result of academic honesty sanctions will be handled consistent with the University of Houston Graduate Academic Honesty Policy.

Fall 2020 Semester 

Please note that starting the Fall 2020 semester, courses return to the standard grading policy.

The Interim Graduate Grade Policy was in effect only for the Spring 2020 and Summer 2020 semesters.

The standard grading policies for graduates may be found in the Graduate Catalog.

Spring and Summer 2020 sessions

Due to the unique and unprecedented challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of Houston is implementing an interim policy for graduate grades.

  1. The Interim Graduate Grade Policy applies to all graduate students in courses offered during Spring 2020 Sessions 1, 4, 5, and 6 as well as the 2020 Summer Sessions. The policy will be reviewed for continuation through future terms if necessary.

  2. Many professional programs have complex issues associated with the proposed grading modification due to accreditation, licensure, or state-by-state regulatory organizations. Professional students in the Law Center, Colleges of Pharmacy and Nursing are exempt from this policy. Other professional programs may request exemption from the policy with permission from the Dean of the Academic College and from the Dean of the Graduate School. Professional students should check with their program for further assistance and guidance.

  3. All graduate courses for the applicable sessions will be graded according to their current grading scheme.

    If the current grading scheme is Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U):

    i. Grades of Unsatisfactory (U) will automatically convert to No Credit Reported COVID19 (NCR).

    ii. Grades of Satisfactory (S) are awarded course credit while no course credit will be awarded for a grade of No Credit Reported COVID-19 (NCR).

    b. If the current grading scheme is Letter Grade:

    i. Students have the option to choose either a Letter Grade or a Satisfactory/No Credit Reported COVID-19 (S/NCR) grading scheme on a course-by-course basis.

    ii. Under the Satisfactory/No Credit Reported COVID-19 (S/NCR) grading scheme, grades of C- and higher are considered Satisfactory (S) and are awarded course credit. No course credit will be awarded for a grade of No Credit Reported COVID-19 (NCR)

    iii. Details regarding the process through which students choose their grading options will be communicated by the Office of the University Registrar by April 27, 2020.

  4. The deadline for students to choose their grading option is 5:00 pm on May 18, 2020.

  5. Satisfactory (S) and No Credit Reported COVID-19 (NCR) grades are not factored into term or cumulative GPA.

  6. Students are strongly encouraged to contact their academic advisor to discuss questions regarding the impact of their grade option choice on academic matters. The Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid should be consulted to discuss the impact of their grade option choice on financial aid matters.

  7. The deadline for completing course requirements associated with Incomplete grades due in spring 2020 is extended to August 10, 2020. Students should contact their instructors to discuss plans for completing course requirements by that date. The incomplete deadline extension will be reviewed for continuation through future terms if necessary.

  8. Grades received as the result of academic honesty sanctions will be handled consistent with the University of Houston Graduate Academic Honesty Policy.