The health and safety of Relay's faculty, staff, and graduate students continue to be our top priority as we have successfully shifted our in-person classrooms to online instruction. As the novel COVID-19 continues to have ever-shifting outcomes in our campus community, we are committed to being flexible to best support student needs. We recognize the stress and anxiety that students may be facing as you continue to prioritize teaching and learning and in response, Relay will be offering an optional Pass/Fail grading policy for all courses offered this Spring 2020 term.
All courses are eligible, and students may choose to take some or all courses Pass/Fail, but there are considerations that students should take into account:
This policy is applicable to students at the following campuses during the Spring 2020 term only:
- Relay Chicago
- Relay Connecticut
- Relay Denver
- Relay Delaware
- Relay DC
- Relay Indianapolis
- Relay Louisiana - New Orleans and Baton Rouge
- Relay Memphis
- Relay Nashville
- Relay Newark
- Relay New York
- Relay Online <this is applicable to students enrolled in the Relay Online campus as their home campus; this does not apply to students enrolled in a campus where Pass/Fail is not being offered at this time>
- Relay Texas - Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio
Students who have not yet matriculated (i.e., non-matrics) can opt into Pass/Fail for some spring 2020 courses but cannot opt into Pass/Fail for all courses in Spring 2020. Non-matrics are still required to earn a minimum term GPA of 2.7 and pass all courses to remain enrolled in Relay. As such, non-matrics are highly encouraged to consult with their advisor to help decide for which courses, if any, they would like to opt into Pass/Fail while still meeting the matriculation requirement.
To earn a “Pass” in a course, students must earn a minimum score of a 70% (C-) or higher in the course. Any score below a 70% is a “Fail.” Grades of “Pass” or “Fail” do not affect a student’s cumulative or term GPA; however, earning a grade of “Fail” does impact a student’s academic standing and could have implications regarding financial aid eligibility, their ability to remain enrolled, and/or complete their program. Academic standing during the spring 2020 term will be determined as follows:
- Academic Honors: 3.5 term GPA and all passes
- To earn Academic Honors, students must have at least one Spring 2020 course in which they receive a letter grade; students who opt into all courses for Pass/Fail are not eligible for Academic Honors
- Good Standing: All Passes and/or a 2.7 term GPA and all Passes
- Probation: Less than a 2.7 and/or at least one Fail
- Dismissal: Less than a 1.0 term GPA and/or all Fails and/or double term probation (i.e., a student was on probation in spring 2020 and has not earned a GPA high enough to be in good standing for summer 2020 term)
To opt-it to a course or courses being graded as Pass/Fail, students must:
- Meet with their advisor to review their current academic progress and complete the GPA predictor tool to determine the impact on academic standing and your cumulative GPA before submitting their P/F request form
- Request the option to select Pass/Fail for specific courses by submitting the Pass/Fail(P/F) request form to the Registrar’s Office by June 15, 2020.
Please note, a grade of Pass or Fail will appear on the transcript if a student opts in for a course or courses; the numerical grade will still appear on Canvas.
The student will be notified by the Registrar’s Office to confirm their request to opt-in to Pass/Fail for a course or courses. Requests for a grade(s) of “Pass” are irreversible. Therefore, requests are due by June 15, 2020, to ensure students have been able to complete and submit all coursework for the spring 2020 term and to make an informed decision about their grades and impacts on their academic standing.
To learn more details about the Pass/Fail Option, please follow this link for frequently asked questions about this policy. If you have additional questions, please feel free to sign up for office hours here or email support@relay.edu.