In recognition of the disruptive, stressful, and unconventional way in which the spring 2020 semester has unfolded, Boston University adopted a special set of grading policies for undergraduate, graduate, and non-degree students for the spring 2020 semester. Students will have the option to designate any, all, or none of their courses taken in spring 2020 as “Credit-No Credit” classes. Students can also choose to retain their letter grade for any or all their courses. Below details facts about the policy, exceptions, as well as information about how the CR-NC election process works. Graduate Schools and Colleges will communicate their CR-NC grading policy procedures and advising practices, as the thresholds for graduate schools are school-specific. The undergraduate policy is uniform.
Quick Facts
Faculty will grade as they normally do and will not be assigning the CR-NC grades. You will have the option to select CR-NC once a grade is posted and the grading tool opens on the Student Link.
Students who are graduating in May will have access to the CR-NC grading tool on the Student Link from 12:00 AM on May 13 to 11:59 PM on May 19.
Students who are not graduating in May will have access to the CR-NC grading tool from 12:00 AM on May 13 to 11:59 PM on June 30.
You may choose the option to change the letter grade to CR-NC status and back throughout the election period.
The grade designation in place when the election period closes is your final grade for the semester and is irrevocable.
Undergraduate students may receive CR for undergraduate courses or graduate-level courses, with a grade of D or above.
An undergraduate student who earns CR for a course will satisfy major, minor, gateway, and Hub requirements.
Incomplete grades from a former semester that are resolved in spring 2020
Students will have an opportunity to select CR-NC for courses registered in spring 2020 and graded incomplete in spring 2020 once they resolve the grade, so long as the course does not have another exception associated with it.
W grades
J grades resolved in spring that are linked to courses in a past semester
Classes already graded from the first half of spring
Audits (AU)
Students assessed a grading penalty for academic misconduct must petition their School or College to be able to elect CR-NC.
Neither CR nor NC will affect the semester GPI or the overall GPA. There is an updated GPA estimator available to help you understand the impact of your choices from a GPA perspective.
Graduating students may purchase a transcript from Parchment, the transcript vendor, as soon as they see the official graduation displayed on their transcript on the Student Link.
If you have any questions about diploma delivery, visit the diploma webpage or your school or college commencement coordinator for assistance.
CR-NC Student Link Tool
The grading tool is a new function that will allow students to select the CR-NC option by clicking the ‘Request CR-NC’ button next to your course and grade. In most cases, you will see your choice reflected immediately by refreshing your transcript preview on the Student Link. CR or NC will populate on the transcript exactly where a grade would have been. The former grade does not show.
A small number of course choices will be sent for review because they serve multiple student populations that have different grading rules. If one of your courses needs to be reviewed, you will see a pop-up message indicating that the grade will be reviewed. You will be emailed when a decision is made on your CR-NC grade request. A staff or faculty member will be reviewing grades, and the turnaround time is several days.
The tool will determine by your status as an undergraduate student (denoted by U1, U2, U3, U4, etc.) or graduate student (G1, G2, G3, etc.) which set of rules you follow.
Example of a fictitious student on the Student Link
Your transcript will be final when all changes you selected are made. If you are graduating, do not order a transcript until your graduation displays on your transcript. At that time, you may order a transcript from Parchment, the transcript vendor, through the Student Link as needed. The official spring 2020 graduation date is May 17th, 2020.
You are advised not to order a transcript before your transcript is finalized.
Example of CR-NC on a fictitious transcript
Graduate and Professional Specific Guidance
Graduate and professional students in all schools and colleges, except for the three listed below, and including those enrolled in online and off-campus programs, will have the option to elect Credit-No Credit for their classes this semester. Schools and colleges with graduate and professional programs have set their own thresholds for the minimum letter grade required to receive “Credit”.
Schools that have their own registrar and unique disciplinary and accreditation constraints:
The Goldman School of Dental Medicine
The School of Law
The School of Medicine
Deans should communicate their respective graduate and professional guidance and clarify what letter grade is required to receive credit in specific courses and programs. If you have not received any communications, please check in with your school for school-specific policies, or for the minimum grade for CR requirements.
Minimum grades for CR in a specific program will apply to all classes.
Graduate programs will allow CR grades to apply for degree credit.
The grading tool will automatically apply graduate rules to a graduate student, and students must abide by the specific thresholds of their schools/colleges.
Specific Student Population Guidance
Students in pre-professional programs and others aspiring to specific career paths are encouraged to seek assistance when deciding to change a letter grade to CR-NC.
Boston University Academy
Boston University Academy (BUA) Students enrolled in Boston University courses may take advantage of the CR-NC option, but will be excluded from accessing the grading tool on the Student Link. Please contact Ellen Evans (erevans@bu.edu), Director of Student Support and Assistant Director of College Counseling, for further advice and instruction.
Study Abroad
Students who participated in BU Study Abroad programs in spring 2020 are eligible to select credit/no credit with the exception of classes that ended by March 13. Please note that for some programs, grades are posted later than the Charles River Campus, and the process for requesting credit/no credit may be different—details to follow. Please contact Study Abroad staff (abroad@bu.edu) with any questions.
Students Who Receive VA Funding
Students who receive funding from the Veterans’ Administration are encouraged to consult with Stephen Coffey (stcoffey@bu.edu), Veterans’ Services Coordinator, if they have any questions about how the CR-NC policy applies.
4+1 students
BA/MPH and BS/MPH students must meet the B- minimum letter grade for the MPH core courses, PH717, PH718, PH719, and PH720. These courses will be reviewed by the SPH Registrar.
SAR BS-DPT students
Students in the BS/DPT must achieve a grade of C or better in the following courses. They may elect CR-NC, and their choices will be sent to the Sargent College Associate Dean and the Program Director for review and approval.
SARHS369 Gross Anatomy
SARPT512 Cardiopulmonary and Vascular systems II
SARPT522 Musculoskeletal systems II
SARHP532 Clinical Medicine II
SARPT551 Neuroscience for Physical Therapy students
SARPT565 Integrated Clinical Experience II
SARPT720 Educational Theory and Practice-PT
Students enrolled in SARHS369 in spring who are not in the BS-DPT program may elect CR-NC for SARHS369 if they choose to do so. The course will be reviewed by the advising staff and faculty at Sargent College.
SAR MS-SLP students
MS-SLP students will need to achieve a B- or higher in the following classes:
SH740 Introduction to Clinical Practicum
SH741 CLNCL PRC SPC
SH742 CLNCL PRC SPC
SH743 CLNCL PRC SPC
SH744 PRCT: DIAGNSTCS
SPH Degree Program Required Courses
Required courses with minimum grades in all SPH degree programs will be reviewed by the SPH Registrar. Students must achieve the minimum grade in these courses.
