Credit/No Credit Grade Option

Opting in for Credit / No Credit Grades for Spring 2020

Opt-In Process begins May 13

At the end of the Spring semester 2020, University of Memphis students will have a choice of opting-in to receive grades of Credit (CR), CR* for undergraduate students or No-Credit (NC), or retaining the letter grades they have earned.

• Faculty will enter letter grades on the regularly scheduled date.
• Opting-in is optional and will be the student’s decision after considering all factors carefully.
• The choice of the grading type (letter grades or CR/CR*/NC) will apply to ALL courses this semester (i.e. not individual courses).
• TN eCampus courses are included in this process and grades will be converted should a student opt-in.
• Undergraduate students may choose to keep their earned letter grades or choose the credit/no credit option below:
  • CR (A through C-)
  • CR* (D+ or D)
  • NC (F)
• Graduate students may choose to keep their earned letter grades or choose the credit/no credit option below:
  • CR (A through B-)
  • NC (C+ through F)
• The CR/CR*/NC does not change your overall GPA from the previous semester but does award hours earned (no hours awarded for NC).
• Students on academic warning or probation will be given a “hold harmless” semester with the CR/CR*/NC grades.
• Academic scholarships and the HOPE scholarship will not be harmed by the CR/CR*/NC grades. Satisfactory Academic Progress students should consult the Financial Aid Office. https://www.memphis.edu/financialaid/covid19faq.php 
• Students should consult with their academic advisor and the Financial Aid Office to understand the best option.
• The dates where students can opt in will be from May 13 to May 19. The opt-in form will be available in the myMemphis portal and at https://umwa.memphis.edu/forms/index.php/grade_select on May 13.
• The Registrar’s Office will post an opt-in form for submission during that period.
• The grades of CR/CR*/NC will not be reversed or changed later.

Things to consider before choosing to opt-in for Credit/No Credit Grades:

Graduation: Students who are planning to graduate this summer or fall need to recognize that a CR/CR*/NC option will not raise or lower their GPA. Students using the C/NC option will need to have entered the graduation semester with the required graduation GPA. Depending on the results, the letter grade option may raise the GPA.

Improving GPA/Course Repeats: A CR/CR* grade will not improve a GPA, and a NC will not hurt a GPA. In the case of a repeat, the CR grade will remove the impact of the original grade on the GPA. (It is advisable to discuss with Financial Aid how CR/NC and repeats work with scholarships such as Hope, Lottery, and other aid programs.)

Academic Standing: Students who are on academic warning or probation should consult with their CARES advisor. Go to Academic Standing

Financial Aid & Scholarships.  The Student Financial Aid & Scholarship Offices have contacted students who may be impacted by the CR/NC option and will provide additional guidance once final grades have posted. If you have additional questions, send an email to financialaid@memphis.edu or scholarships@memphis.edu.

Helpful information regarding Financial Aid and Covid-19 can be found at https://www.memphis.edu/financialaid/covid19faq.php

The Financial Aid website is https://www.memphis.edu/financialaid/. The Scholarships Office website is https://www.memphis.edu/scholarships/.

Graduate School, Professional Schools, and Law School: Students who plan to apply for these programs should contact the Admissions Offices of these programs in order to determine what impact CR/NC grading will have for their admissions application prior to the decision. Since almost all schools will be adopting credit/no credit or pass/fail policies this semester, we do not anticipate that taking advantage of the CR/NC option will normally have any impact on admission decisions.

Athletes: Athletes should contact Fernandez West for up-to-date information on NCAA requirements and grading.

The Process: 

• Instructors will enter standard grades during the regular grading window (May 1-May 11).
• The Registrar’s Office will lock grades (“roll to academic history”) at the regular scheduled time.
• A message will go out to students to review their grades in Banner.
• Students can opt-in to CR/CR*/NC by coming to this website and completing an electronic form. (The opt-in form will be available in the myMemphis portal and at https://umwa.memphis.edu/forms/index.php/grade_select on May 13.)
• Opt-in window closes May 19.
• Grades will be converted to CR/CR*/NC by the Registrar’s Office for those who opted-in.
• Academic standing will be posted based on GPA (based on letter grades or CR/CR*/NC grades).