Pass/No Credit Policy for Undergraduate Courses

In many courses, it is possible to obtain credit for the course without receiving a letter grade. If students decide to receive a grade based on this system, they will receive “Pass (P)” instead of A, B, C, or D and will receive “No Credit (NC)” instead of F. Students requesting grading according to this system must satisfy all requirements regarding attendance, assignments, and examinations set by the instructor. Course requirements and standards are the same as in the letter grading system, but P/NC grades are not counted when a student’s GPA is calculated by Hunter College. Students can choose whether they want to take a course for a letter grade or P/NC, but certain restrictions apply.

Restrictions for Pass/No Credit Grades:

1.    Departments or programs may restrict a student’s choice in opting for Pass/No Credit. Some programs of study prohibit the use of Pass/No Credit grades in major courses. This applies especially to programs of study leading to outside certification or post-graduate study. Students should check with their departmental advisers for specific policies. On the other hand, there are some courses in which letter grades are not assigned. Departments or majors that restrict student choice of the P/NC option must have this policy approved by the Senate.

2.    Pass/No Credit grades are not allowed for students on academic probation.

3.    A maximum of four courses (including repeated courses) taken at Hunter College may be assigned a Pass/No Credit grade (and/or the discontinued designation of Credit/No Credit) on the Hunter College transcript, excluding any courses with mandatory P/NC (CR/NC) grading.

4.    The grade of P shall be used to replace the academic grades of A, B, C and D. The grade of NC shall be used to replace the academic grade of F. It shall not be used to replace the grade of WU.

5.    If (as a result of a student’s request) a P/NC grade (and/or the discontinued designation of Credit/No Credit) is given where it is not an allowed grade according to existing college, departmental, or major regulations, it will be converted by the Registrar’s office to the underlying grade entered by the instructor.

6.    If, after requesting P/NC grading (and/or the discontinued designation of Credit/No Credit), a student receives an INC, the P/NC grade is applied when and only when the instructor changes the INC (or FIN) to a letter grade. A student’s request for P/NC grading (and/or the discontinued designation of Credit/No Credit) will remain in place until a letter grade is earned.

Alert

Other colleges, graduate and professional schools, services, and employers may not favor Pass/No Credit grades. They may convert “Pass” to “D” and “No Credit” to “F” for their purposes. Such decisions are made by other institutions. Before opting for P/NC grades, students should consult with advisors in the Office of Advising, in their academic program(s), and in the Office of Financial Aid. They should also check the policies of external financial-aid agencies.

How To Opt For Pass/No Credit

In order to select P/NC for a course, a student must complete a form available from the Office of the Registrar. The student must submit the form to the Office of the Registrar by 11:59 PM (Eastern Time) one calendar day prior to the last day of classes as indicated in the Hunter College academic calendar (also one day prior to the deadline to officially withdraw from a class with a grade of W). Notification of the student’s P/NC choice will be sent to the course instructor by the Office of the Registrar. Students may not elect the P/NC grading option after these deadlines and there are no appeals allowed for late election.

Please note, once a student chooses a P/NC grade for a course, that choice is final and irrevocable. The form is not valid if the student’s election of the P/NC grading option violates college-wide, departmental, or program-specific restrictions. 

For information on whether a specific program or major restricts the use of the P/NC option, please read the program description of the program or major of interest in the catalog or check with departmental or program advisers.

NOTE: In the Spring and Fall semesters of 2020, some of the above policies were temporarily suspended by CUNY due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Selection of the CR/NC grading option for courses in the Spring and/or Fall 2020 semester do not count against college-wide or program-specific restrictions regarding (1) the number of P/NC (previously CR/NC) uses allowed per semester, (2) the maximum number of uses allowed of the P/NC (previously CR/NC) grading option in total, (3) the selection of the P/NC (previously CR/NC) grading option by students on academic probation and (4) certain other restrictions. Please see here for a complete list of the temporary policies that were in place at these times.