UMD Offers All Undergraduate Classes as Pass/Fail

All undergraduate classes at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD) will be pass/fail (P/F) for the spring 2020 semester unless the student chooses to receive a letter grade, Senior Vice President and Provost Mary Ann Rankin said in a letter Thursday.  

The decision comes after the COVID-19 outbreak led the university to cancel in-person classes. Students can still choose to get a letter grade and will have until the last day of the spring semester to make that choice. Rankin said UMD is making a new website to designate that choice. 

Choosing P/F for classes this semester will not jeopardize financial aid eligibility. However, students should talk to their academic advisors about effects on graduate school admission, scholarships and other opportunities. 

A pass does not change grade point average (GPA), but a fail does. Rankin said there will be a note on student transcripts about “unusual circumstances” this spring semester. 

Due to COVID-19’s impact on #UMD's academic calendar & ability to hold in-person classes, all spring 2020 undergraduate courses will be graded pass/fail unless the student elects otherwise. See details in Senior VP & Provost Mary Ann Rankin’s letter today: https://t.co/uRvb2Geeen pic.twitter.com/w7KZhxJUX2

— Univ. of Maryland (@UofMaryland) March 26, 2020

About Maryam Shahzad

Maryam is a reporter with Montgomery Community Media. She graduated from the University of Maryland in 2019 with a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism. Previously, she was an intern with MCM. She can be reached at mshahzad@mymcmedia.org or on Twitter @maryam_mcm.

View all posts by Maryam Shahzad