Extraordinary Circumstances Quarter Late Grading Option Change Request

The Provost’s Office has not designated Autumn 2021 as an Extraordinary Circumstances Quarter as we have returned to campus for in-person instruction.

UW-Seattle students
UW-Bothell students
UW-Tacoma students

NO. This request form is to be submitted only if you want to change a grading mode from S/NS to numerical or numerical to S/NS.

It applies to undergraduate and graduate students. Professional school students should confer with their school registrar to understand how the policy applies to their programs.

The global pandemic’s impact on course delivery mode caused the University to move from in-person to 100% remote delivery courses on March 9, 2020, and enough of the quarter had been completed that students had an option to finish out their coursework. Students entered Spring 2020 knowing that all classes would be delivered 100% remote delivery and had the option to change to S/NS grading from numeric or from numeric to S/NS in MyUW by the end of the seventh week.

These changes also do not apply to Winter 2020 because making changes to the Scholastic Regulations required a legislative process that began in Spring Quarter that required a full vote of the faculty. The Faculty Senate proposed and voted on Class B legislation during Spring Quarter and the Scholastic Regulations Chapter 110, Section 6, e was added on May 29, 2020, allowing for students to follow the new policy for any extraordinary circumstances quarter.

An extraordinary circumstances quarter is one that has had extenuating circumstances that globally or by individual campus have had an impact on grading and student success.

According to Scholastic Regulations Chapter 110, Section 6, e

• f. Under campus-wide extraordinary circumstances, the campus registrar, in consultation with the appropriate campus faculty body, may waive the restrictions in Sections a through c above so that undergraduates students may opt for S/NS grading for elective or required courses without a maximum credit limitation. S/NS grading for campus-wide extraordinary circumstances deemed quarters will meet graduation and degree requirements. Temporary modifications to the S/NS policies will be clearly communicated to the campus community by the campus registrar.

The University has deemed Spring, Summer, Autumn 2020 and Winter, Spring, Summer 2021, and Winter 2022 as extraordinary circumstances quarters. If additional quarters are added, that information will be posted on this webpage.

No, there is no limit. Students may request changes to their grading option for an extraordinary circumstances quarter as many times as they like until their degree has been posted.

When you take a course S/NS, your grade is converted to an S if you earn at least a 2.0 (undergraduate students) or a 2.7 (graduate students). Your grade is converted to an NS if your grade is below 2.0 (undergraduate students) or below a 2.7 (graduate students). If you earn an NS, you do not receive credit for the course

Yes.

Yes. If you do not want it to count toward your graduation and major requirements you may request that your advisers work with the Office of the University Registrar to not have it count toward your degree or major requirements.

No.

Students may only register for up to 20 credits of S/NS through Personal Services on MyUW. Exceptions may be granted by sending a request to petition@uw.edu.

S and NS grades do not affect your grade-point average. Your GPA will be calculated on the basis of numerically graded courses only.

The S/NS policy, whether for extraordinary circumstances or non-circumstances quarter is related to graduation and degree requirements. There is no connection to this policy and departmental admissions policies. Check with departmental staff to see how a grade of S/NS will impact your admissibility to a UW academic program/major.

Yes, if you earn an S which is the same as a 2.0. It is also safest to consult with the department offering the course to verify how choosing the S/NS option will impact the pre-requisite applicability for a specific course.

It shouldn’t, but it is best to check with your adviser for your major.

Switching from numeric grading to S/NS could have a positive impact on your academic standing. If you have been dropped with an Academic Drop or placed on Academic Warning, and you switch to S/NS, your academic standing can be manually reassessed.

Yes. There have not been any changes to the 60 numerically graded credit requirement for baccalaureate honors, so you would still need 60 numerically graded credits to qualify for baccalaureate honors according to Scholastic Regulations Chapter 110, Section 3. Honors Awards.

Yes. There have not been any changes to the 12 numerically graded credit requirements for Quarterly Dean’s List honors. Likewise, the requirements for Annual Dean’s List have not changed. Details are available at Scholastic Regulations Chapter 110, Section 3. Honors Awards.

Each student’s financial aid situation is unique, please check with your Office of Student Financial Aid advising team for this answer for you.

Yes.

Does “Global Public Health Emergency Impacted” indicate what quarters are Extraordinary Circumstances Quarters?

The transcript comment of Global Public Health Emergency Impacted Enrollment is posted on the transcript every quarter between Winter 2020 and Summer 2021, and between Winter 2022 and Summer 2022, but it does not mean these are the Extraordinary Circumstances’ quarters (Spring 2020-Summer 2021, Winter 2022). The reason for this comment is for people in the future to remember when the pandemic had its greatest impact on students and the UW, as a whole.

Contact the corresponding campus registrar team.