Graduate School: Pass/Fail Grading Option

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Policy Number:
UW-1215
Responsible Office:
Graduate School

University Policy

Rationale/​Purpose:

This policy defines the parameters for use of the pass/fail grading option for graduate students.

Definitions:
Credit Load: The total number of credits in which a student is enrolled for a semester/term. 

 

Grade Point Average (GPA): The total number of grade points earned divided by the number of credit hours attempted. 
Scope:

Graduate students pursuing Master's or PhD degrees in academic programs under the purview of the Graduate School.

Policy:

Pass/fail courses do not satisfy any Graduate School credit, coursework, or degree requirements, and do not fulfill minimum or maximum credits each term. Tuition is charged for pass/fail courses. For these reasons, very few graduate students choose the pass/fail option.

Pass/Fail Grading Option


This policy only applies to students during their graduate careers. It only applies to courses that use the default A-F grading scale and that allow students to choose to take a course on a pass/fail basis.

Instructors are not formally notified when a student elects to take a course on the pass/fail grade basis. At the end of the course, the instructor will enter the final letter grade earned by the student on their grade roster, and the Office of the Registrar will convert the letter grade for a pass/fail student accordingly. A passing grade of S (Satisfactory) will be recorded when a letter grade of A through C is earned and a failing grade of U (Unsatisfactory) will be recorded when a letter grade of D or F is earned. In addition to the S or U grade, the student transcript includes the symbol # for courses taken on a pass/fail basis. S and U grades are not used in computing the student’s grade-point average (GPA), but the grade of U may impact the student’s satisfactory progress.

Student Eligibility and Requirements


The following applies to graduate students who elect the pass/fail option: 

  • Seminars, independent study, and research may not be taken pass/fail. 
  • The pass/fail option is different from the S/U (Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory) grading option.
  • A student must be enrolled in a course to request the pass/fail grade option in My UW Student Center. The deadline to request the pass/fail grade option is available on the Office of the Registrar’s Dates and Deadlines site. Late requests will not be considered.
  • Pass/fail courses do not satisfy any Graduate School credit, coursework, or degree requirements, nor do they fulfill minimum credits required for enrollment each term. 
  • The enrollment system does count all credits in determining maximum credit load. A Credit Overload Request is required if a student’s total credit load exceeds the maximum limit per term, including courses taken on the pass/fail grading option .
  • Tuition is assessed for pass/fail courses.
Related UW-Madison Policies:
Related UW–Madison Documents, Web Pages, or Other Resources:

Policy Administration

Approval Authority:
Dean of the Graduate School
Policy Manager:
Director, Academic Services, Graduate School
Contact:
Associate Director of Admissions -- Katie Bourassa, katie.bourassa@wisc.edu, (608) 262-2433
Revised Dates:

06-30-2023

Retrieved:
07-04-2025 01:50:52