Barnard College will extend deadlines for P/D/F grading and the ability to withdraw from a class for the Spring 2021 semester.

Barnard College has decided to extend the Pass/D/Fail grading and class withdrawal deadlines for the Spring 2021 semester, according to an email sent out to students today. 

Students have until February 22 for Spring A courses and April 15 for Spring B and Spring full-term courses to request Pass/D/Fail grading or withdraw from a course. The decision to extend the Pass/D/Fail and withdrawal deadlines comes after Columbia’s other three undergraduate schools enacted similar modifications. Barnard cited the “stressful nature of the academic year” as the impetus for these changes.

Although courses taken Pass/D/Fail this year will not count towards the 23-credit Pass/D/Fail limit (or 22-credit limit for transfers), students may not Pass/D/Fail any class counting for major or minor credit. Additionally, any senior graduating in June 2021 or October 2021 wishing to Pass/D/Fail a course can only uncover their grade “if the student is enrolled in 12 or more credits during the summer 2021 semester,” according to the email. If graduating seniors wish to pursue this option, they must email the Registrar’s Office between June 7 and 18, 2021 (rather than requesting online) to uncover the grade.

The email can be found in its entirety below. 

Email sent out by Vice Provost Saskia Hamilton and Dean Christina Kuan Tsu: 

Dear Students,

We are writing to you with an update to Barnard’s 2020-2021 exception to the P/D/F policy, which was first announced in advance of the Fall 2020 semester. In recognition of the stressful nature of this academic year, we are extending the deadline to request P/D/F grading and the ability to withdraw from classes currently in session (Spring A, Spring B, and full term classes); the new deadlines are February 22 for Spring A courses; April 15 for Spring full-term and Spring B courses. The procedures for electing a P/D/F from a class are delineated on the Registrar’s website. The application to withdraw from a course can be found here.

As a reminder, the policy exception first announced during the summer of 2020 permits students to take an unlimited number of courses satisfying general education requirements or electives as P/D/F during the academic year 2020-2021. Courses taken P/D/F during this academic year will not count toward a student’s 23-credit P/D/F limit (22 credits for transfer students). Any course may be taken P/D/F, except those courses counting for major or minor credit.

Important information for seniors:

For seniors who will graduate in June 2021 or October 2021, spring 2021 P/D/F grades can only be uncovered if the student is enrolled in 12 or more credits during the summer 2021 semester.  (In this case, the summer 2021 semester — rather than spring 2021 — is the student’s final full-time semester.)  To request this option, June and October graduates should email the Registrar’s Office at registrar@barnard.edu between June 7 and 18, 2021 (they will not be able to uncover spring grades using the regular p/d/f tool online) to uncover the grade.

Wishing you a restful spring break and a successful remainder to the semester.

Sincerely,

Vice Provost Saskia Hamilton and Dean Christina Kuan Tsu

Barnard via Bwog Archives