Pass/Fail

The policy regarding electing Pass/Fail can be found in the Bulletin.

There are two ways to take a course Pass/Fail at BU.

Some courses are designated Pass/Fail and may only be taken this way. For example, a course that accompanies an internship may be designated Pass/Fail, or a PDP, or an FY 101 course.

For some courses, you may elect to take them Pass/Fail. In that case, you would receive a P* (rather than a P) or an F* (rather than an F). The asterisk indicates that you elected this form of grading for the course.

There are a number of restrictions on electing P*/F*, and you should talk with your advisor before choosing this option.

If a student elects to take a course P*/F*, the course may not be used to fulfill major or minor requirements. So, if there’s a possibility that you might change majors or add a minor in that area, you might want to take the course for a letter grade.

In addition, Study Abroad courses and Directed Study or Directed Research courses may not be elected P*/F*. And you may not use a P* to fulfill a college requirement (such as the CAS Second Language Requirement).

To elect to take a course P*/F*, you must submit a signed Pass/Fail Course Designation Form to your school by the withdraw with a “W” date for the course.