Pass/Fail Grading Option FAQ

No, students enrolled in courses to satisfy Foundations, Breadths or Proficiencies must take the course for a grade in order to satisfy a Common Curriculum requirement.

No, students enrolled in courses to satisfy major or minor requirements must take the course for a grade in order to satisfy the requirement.

It is a perfect solution for a true free elective course.

A student must earn a C- or better. C- is determined by the faculty based on what was communicated in the syllabus.

No.

Yes, but the second attempt cannot be taken Pass/Fail.  It must be taken as a regularly graded course.

No.

Yes, a 3-credit course with a “Pass” would count towards the 12-credit hour requirement.  The student must still have a minimum overall SMU GPA of 2.5.

Medical schools (and other health profession programs) vary in their policies. Because each graduate health profession program (medical, dental, etc.) establishes its own set of requirements, there is no one correct answer. However, most graduate health profession programs do not accept grades earned a Pass/P.  For questions about the impact of a Pass/P grade, students are encouraged to speak with academic or faculty advisors.

It is not advised to take courses Pass/Fail if they can be taken for a grade. However, law school admissions officers do generally consider more than just GPA when looking at a student’s academic records, including patterns of grades, difficulty of courses taken, and preparation for law school.

One course.

Yes.

All pre-requisites must be taken for a letter grade, unless student receives Dept. consent to continue to the next course in the sequence.

No. Any course counting toward a major/minor, in any capacity, must be taken for a letter grade.

The grade of P is not calculated in the GPA, although the credit hours are included in the total number of hours earned. The grade of F is calculated in the GPA. This means if you are in danger of losing financial aid eligibility because of minimum GPA requirements, the Pass/Fail can only hurt your GPA further. You should consult with your financial aid counselor to further discuss any ramifications on your financial aid.

It depends on the course and your unique circumstances. All student athletes must meet with their assigned ADSA counselor before switching a course to Pass/Fail in order to verify that you will continue to meet NCAA and SMU eligibility requirements.

Students on an F1/J1 Visa should speak with an ISSS advisor prior to petitioning to have a course graded with the Pass/Fail option.

You should check with the activity in question to understand what academic requirements, if any, are needed to stay eligible for participation.

Yes, you may petition for one of these courses to be graded on a pass/fail basis. The deadline to complete the Undergraduate Pass/Fail Option Declaration form to petition for a course taken on an SMU Abroad summer program is the payment deadline for the program; for Jan Term classes, the deadline is no later than the second day of Jan Term classes. Forms are available in the schools’ records offices.

Additional information can be found here in the SMU Course Catalogue. 

No, faculty are not required to allow a student to take their course Pass/Fail. However, we encourage all faculty who receive these requests from students to give serious consideration to the request as the Pass/Fail grading option is meant to be a valid support for students.

Yes, all assignments must be completed.

Yes.

No, students may not petition for Pass/Fail grading after the deadline has passed.

All pre-requisites must be taken for a letter grade, unless student receives Dept. consent to continue to the next course in the sequence.

All student athletes must meet with their assigned ADSA counselor before switching a course to Pass/Fail in order to verify that they will continue to meet NCAA and SMU eligibility requirements. Encourage your student to speak with their ADSA counselor to gain clarification on whether or not taking your course Pass/Fail is right for them. 

Students on an F1/J1 Visa should speak with an ISSS advisor prior to petitioning to have a course graded with the Pass/Fail option. Encourage your student to speak with their ISSS advisor to gain clarification on whether or not taking your course Pass/Fail is right for them.