Helping students decide which option is best for them

Grading Options Flowchart

This decision is complex and will be unique to each student’s circumstances. While selecting CR/NC or W may be useful to preserve students’ GPA, these grades can slow their progress toward degree completion depending on their degree requirements. CR/NC or W grades may also impact their Financial Aid status, plans for graduate school, or status as an International student or student-athlete.

Each student should make their decision carefully and with the help of their academic department, academic advisor, Financial Aid counselor, and other support resources on campus to ensure that they make the best decision for their personal circumstances. Here are some suggestions to help students make the most informed decision possible.

STEP 1 - Collect information for each course

It’s crucial to understand how students’ courses fit into their program of study and what impacts a CR/NC grade might have on their ability to move forward in their program. If the course is needed to fulfill a degree requirement--including a major or minor requirement, General Education requirement, or course prerequisite--students should be sure to speak to the department to find out their options to fulfill that requirement.

1. Program Requirements for your Major, Minor, or Certificate

Students should speak to the department and their academic advisor to find out whether the CR grade can be used toward that program of study. The department may say one of three things:

1. They accept the CR grade.
2. They accept only a standard letter grade.
3. They accept a Special Credit (SC) grade, which is a CR grade of C or higher.

CR grades of C or higher will be converted to a Special Credit (SC) grade by the Office of the Registrar upon departmental request. The SC grade can fulfill a requirement in CatTracks, while a CR grade cannot fulfill requirements in CatTracks due to programming restrictions. The SC grade is what students now receive for special credit that completes requirements but does not enter into GPA calculations. Examples of SC include Advanced Placement (AP) exams and Foreign Language credit by exam or proficiency.

Each academic department can help students to understand the best grade option for their situation. Some impacts to consider may include:

• Some programs and majors are not compatible with CR/NC grades and require a traditional letter grade
• Many majors and minors require a minimum letter grade for specific courses, but CR/NC grades are not letter grades and may not fulfill these requirements. The SC grade may be an option in some cases, which requires a minimum grade of C or better rather than C- or better.
• Some programs have admission requirements, with specific courses that must be completed before being fully accepted in the program. CR/NC grades may not satisfy those requirements.

College and School Information

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For more information based on program of study, select the appropriate college:

2. Core General Education Requirements

Core General Education courses fulfill the following requirements:

• English Composition (EN)
• Quantitative Literacy (QL)
• American Institutions (AI)
• Information Literacy (IL)
• Diversity (DV)

All Core courses except Diversity (DV) courses require a C or higher grade. For this reason, students have the following grading options to fulfill Core requirements:

1. Earn a standard letter grade of C or higher.
2. Earn a standard letter grade of C or higher, then select the CR/NC option by the CR/NC deadline. CR grades of C or higher will be converted to a Special Credit (SC) grade, which will fulfill the requirement in CatTracks. CR grades of C- will not fulfill the requirement.

For Diversity courses, which require a grade of D- or better, students have the options provided below under Breadth General Education Requirements.

3. Breadth General Education Requirements

Breadth General Education courses fulfill the following requirements:

• Humanities (HU)
• Creative Arts (CA)
• Social Science (SS)
• Physical Science (PS)
• Life Science (LS)

All Breadth courses require a D- or higher grade. For this reason, students have the following grading options to fulfill Breadth requirements, as well as to fulfill the Diversity requirement, which has the same minimum grade:

1. Earn a standard letter grade of D- or higher.
2. Earn a standard letter grade of D- or higher, then select the CR/NC option by the CR/NC deadline. For the CR grade to complete a requirement in CatTracks, you will need to contact that department to have an exception applied to your CatTracks degree evaluation.

For more information, contact the appropriate department for the requirement.

4. Prerequisite for a Required Course

Most prerequisite courses require a C or higher grade. Students should check with the department to find out what grade options will fulfill their prerequisite and allow them to move to the next course in the sequence. Most students will have the following grading options to fulfill prerequisites:

1. Earn a standard letter grade of C or higher.
2. Earn a standard letter grade of C or higher, then select the CR/NC option by the deadline. See the Academic Calendar for deadlines. CR grades of C or higher will be converted to a Special Credit (SC) grade, which will fulfill the requirement in CatTracks. CR grades of C- will not fulfill the requirement.

For more information, contact the appropriate department for the requirement.

STEP 2 - Understand the potential consequences

Before making any changes, students should be sure to understand the potential consequences. Students may be tempting to switch to CR/NC out of fear, stress, or confusion, but doing so is risky. There can be very real and negative consequences associated with CR/NC grades, which is why most courses don't use this grading structure and why the University is not moving all courses to CR/NC during these unprecedented circumstances. Potential consequences to share with students include, but are not limited to:

• Financial Aid Eligibility. Are you a recipient of Pell grants, loans, or scholarships? Your eligibility for these forms of financial aid can change with CR/NC grades! See Financial Aid for more information.
• GPA. How is your GPA? Are you just a little shy of the GPA requirement for graduation, program acceptance, or good academic standing? While CR/NC grades don't hurt your GPA, they don't help it either. If you were counting on a GPA bump, that won't happen with CR/NC grading.
• Course Repeats. A CR grade cannot replace a letter grade for a course that has been previously taken.
• Course Transferability. We hope you stay at Weber State, but if you plan to transfer your coursework to another institution, CR/NC grades may only be accepted as elective credit or may not be accepted at all.
• Graduate/Professional School:
  • Do you have plans for graduate or professional school? CR/NC grades may not be accepted, or may make you less competitive! We cannot guarantee how other institutions will treat these grades.
  • If you have been conditionally accepted into a graduate program contingent on completion of a specific course with a minimum letter grade in order to be fully admitted, the CR/NC option may not work for you.
  • For current Weber State graduate students, please check with your graduate program for information about whether or not CR/NC graded courses may be used towards your graduate degree or certificate.
• International Students. International students must have at least 12 credits of enrollment per semester to maintain their visa eligibility with U.S. Immigration. It is not permissible to withdraw from courses if that will result in less than 12 credits total enrollment. Some programs, such as the Saudi Arabian Cultural Mission (SACM) have additional rules. See the International Student and Scholar Center for more information.
• Student Athletes. Student athletes must maintain specific academic standards for NCAA eligibility, including minimum enrollment, minimum GPA, and satisfactory academic progress. Selecting CR/NC or W grades may hurt your academic eligibility. See your athletics advisor for more information.
• Veterans/GI Bill. A NC or W grade will change your rate of pursuit and may create a debt with the VA for Tuition, Monthly Housing Allowance (MHA), and Book Stipend. See Veterans Services for more information.

STEP 3 - Communicate with their instructors

If they don't already know, students should find out how they are doing in their classes. They may be doing better than they think! By staying in regular contact with them, students can better understand how they are performing in your courses and learn ways to improve.

STEP 4 - Make a decision

This is ultimately a very personal and complicated decision for each student. Students should be careful in their decision-making process and understand how their decision will affect their degree progress and the many other factors described above. Students should work with their academic department, advisor, and other support resources available to ensure that they make the best decision for their individual circumstances.

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