Guidance from Student Affairs on S/U

April 7, 2020

Dear Santa Fe College Student,

In order to encourage persistence and success during the COVID-19 pandemic, Santa Fe College is offering you the option of selecting S/U (satisfactory or unsatisfactory) grades instead of letter grades for eligible courses you complete during the B, C and D terms of the Spring 2020 semester. Faculty will assign letter grades as normal, according to their course grading policy, and assignment of letter grades will be the default option. However, you may choose the S/U option instead of letter grades on a course-by-course basis.

You will be able to choose the S/U grading option for D term classes from April 6-April 10 (the final week of instruction for the D term) and for B and C term classes from April 6-24. You will not be able to switch back to the traditional grading option after the deadlines, and you will not be able to appeal your decision. Courses assigned an S or U will have a transcript notation indicating these grades were awarded during the special circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The grade of S will indicate that you have completed the essential requirements of a course, resulting in the award of credit for the course. Additionally, if the course satisfies a graduation requirement, general education requirement, prerequisite requirement for another course, or pre-professional requirement, that requirement is considered fulfilled. However, the grade of S will have no impact on overall GPA. Conversely, a grade of U will indicate that the course was not completed and no credit was awarded, but there will be no impact on GPA. In the vast majority of cases, grades of C or better will be equivalent to an S, and grades of D+ or worse will translate into a U.

An S/U option might be a good option if:

• You are struggling with the transition to online learning
• You do not need to boost your GPA to get into a major
• You have a special circumstance that prevents you from performing to your typical standards

An S/U option might not be a good option if:

• You feel your current course grade will raise your GPA
• You are looking to boost your GPA to get into a restricted major or minor
• You are repeating a course where you are looking to replace a D+ or lower, or a WD

Additional considerations:

• If you have been admitted to a limited-access health sciences program, career or professional program, or baccalaureate program, please be advised that you should seek guidance from your program advisor regarding whether there is any advantage to an S/U option.
• If you are considering graduate school or transferring schools, be sure to speak to your advisor about the impact of choosing the S/U grading option.

We encourage you to carefully review a list of special considerations before making your decision. Connect with your Academic Advisor to discuss your goals and proposed course of action before making your final decision. If you decide that the S/U option is advisable, you can access this option on a course-by-course basis by going to your My Schedule screen in eSantaFe and selecting any course. Again, please let your advisor know if you need additional information before making this important decision.

Go Saints!