Monday, April 6 will be the first day students can choose to enroll in the new “A/B/S/U” grading option. In an email early Friday morning, the UNF Registrar’s Office broke down the options for students actively enrolled in the Spring 2020 semester.

Before making any decisions, consult with your academic advisor and program coordinators.

What if I want a traditional letter grade?

You can still receive your A/B/C/D/F if you would like. The new grading option, A/B/S/U, is an opt-in grading system. To stick with a traditional letter grade, you don’t need to do anything at all.

What is A/B/S/U and how do I opt-in?

A/B/S/U is the new grading mode designed to help students navigate their academic future in these uncertain times. In this grading mode, an “A” letter grade earned in a class is still an “A” on your transcript. Same goes for a “B.” The difference is really with letter grades of “C” — in this grading mode, a “C” becomes an “S” for Satisfactory. It will not impact your GPA, and you will still earn the credit. A “U” means Unsatisfactory. You will not earn credit for an Unsatisfactory letter grade, but it will not hurt your GPA.

The window to opt-in for this different grading option opens Monday, April 6 and closes Monday, April 20 — just ahead of finals. You can begin the process by clicking on the yellow tile in MyWings. For more information and instructions, click here.

What if I’m overwhelmed with my course load and maybe just want to withdraw from some classes?

That’s an option too, but you should consult your academic advisor first. Also, keep in mind that there are still resources to help you through your classes: the Writing Center is available through Zoom, and talking with your professors about your struggles never hurts.

However, if the withdraw option is still overly appealing to you, the deadline to withdraw is April 17. There will be no impact to your withdraw limit, according to the UNF Registrar’s email. Graduate students who wish to withdraw are encouraged to seek guidance from their program directors in the case that their program is cohort-based.

What if I just need more time?

Some professors are offering to give Incomplete (I) grades. These grades are temporary until all components of a class can be completed, and has the potential to give you up to a year to finish the course out — however, how much time you have is entirely up to the professor and you can be given much less than a year to complete the course. Incomplete grades are given totally at the discretion of your professor, so you are again encouraged to communicate with them if you are struggling.

How will this impact my transcripts?

For students concerned about how a major change on their transcript might look for the future, the UNF Registrar’s Office also shared that special notations would be made on transcripts to reflect the terms impacted by COVID-19, and that UNF is not alone in the decision to do so. All students will receive the notation on their transcript regardless of major changes to their courseloads.

This article was updated at 5:10 p.m., Friday, April 3.

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