CoC Grading Policy for Fall 2020 and Spring 2021

After carefully considering advice from the campus Faculty Senate and the ASUC Office of Academic Affairs, the College of Chemistry has decided to accept P grades in satisfaction of college, major, and minor requirements for Fall 2020 and Spring 2021. (This does not apply to the UC-wide Entry Level Writing requirement: College Writing R1A must be taken for a letter grade and completed with a C or better to satisfy the requirement.)

The Fall 2020 deadline to change grade options is December 3, 11:59pm. The Fall 2020 late-drop deadline is Wednesday, December 9, 4:45pm. We have waived the one-time late action policy for late drops and late grade option changes.

The Spring 2021 deadline to change grade options is April 29, 11:59 pm. The Spring 2021 late-drop deadline is April 30, 11:59 pm; late drop requests must be submitted to your adviser via petition. The one-time late action policy for late drops and late grade option changes has been waived again for Spring 2021.

Important Related Information

  • The issuing of a P grade signifies that the student has passed the class at minimum C- level work. Bear in mind that the D grade (‘barely passing’) is, in some cases, sufficient to fulfill a requirement; however, under P/NP it will result in an NP, which is not sufficient to fulfill any requirements.

  • P grades may comprise no more than one third of the total required units completed at UC Berkeley toward the 120 overall minimum unit requirement.

  • Your transcript for Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 will include a note explaining the P/NP option.
  • Prerequisites for entry into all CoC majors and minors may be met by courses taken for P/NP during the Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 semesters.
  • Regulations on course repetition will not be modified for Fall 2020 and Spring 2021.

Financial Aid

Courses taken for P/NP are factored into Satisfactory Academic Progress rules. A “P” is considered to be attempted and completed, while an “NP” is considered to be attempted but NOT completed when determining completion rate %.

More information about how P/NP grades impact Satisfactory Academic Progress is available on the Financial Aid website.

Academic Standing

  • CoC students will not be placed automatically on academic probation for taking all courses for P/NP during Fall 2020 or Spring 2021. 

  • Students who choose to take all courses for P/NP, and who receive 50% or more units for NP or I, will be placed on probation.
  • Students who are currently on academic probation or who are subject to dismissal may not take classes for P/NP, unless the course is offered only for P/NP. This rule was waived by the Academic Senate in Spring 2020, but not for Fall 2020 or Spring 2021.

These policy modifications are only applicable for Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 and may not be applied to other semesters.