Summer 2021 Policy Modifications
After careful consideration, the Faculty of the College of Letters and Science, through their Executive Committee, have decided to extend the policy modifications related to P/NP grades through Summer 2021.
Please note that switching a course or courses to P/NP may not be the best action in all circumstances. We recommend exploring L&S’s website:Options if You are Struggling in Your Courses for other strategies, such as dropping a course or taking an incomplete in a course to focus on your remaining courses. Your Undergraduate Major Adviser and L&S College Advisers can help you work through your options.
Policy modifications on late drops and late grading option changes are not necessary for Summer 2021 because limits to the number of Late Changes of Class Schedule only apply during Fall and Spring semesters. That means, for any summer, if you use a Summer Late Change of Class Schedule petition during a UC Berkeley Summer Session, this does not count toward your limit of late changes. Please see the Late Changes of Class Schedule FAQ section for more information.
The policy modifications on this page are only applicable for Summer 2021 only.
Summary of Modifications
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L&S College Requirements: Reading & Composition, Quantitative Reasoning, and Foreign Language, which typically must be satisfied with a letter grade, can be satisfied with a Passed (P) grade during Fall 2020, Spring 2021, and Summer 2021 if a student elects to take the course for P/NP. Note: This does not include Entry Level Writing. College Writing R1A must be taken for a letter grade and completed with a C or better to fulfill the Entry Level Writing requirement. Fill out the “APR Correction Request Form” for your APR to be updated.
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Requirements within all College majors and minors may be met by courses that are taken P/NP during the Fall 2020, Spring 2021, and Summer 2021 terms. Some departments may have set limitations on passed credit. Visit the department website or consult with your major adviser(s) for more information.
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Prerequisites for entry into all L&S majors may possibly be met by courses taken P/NP during the Fall 2020, Spring 2021, and Summer 2021 terms. See item 4, below.
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Departments may create alternative methods for admitting students into their majors. Alternative methods adapted during Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 terms are still in effect for summer 2021; however, some departments may wish to use new or additional determinants for admission into the major for summer 2021. Consult with your intended major adviser for more information.
Deadlines:
Deadlines for Summer Sessions differ for each session.
Grading Option change deadlines: See the Summer Sessions Schedule page and scroll down to the "Enrollment Change Deadline" table.
Late Change of Class Schedule deadlines: Last day of the session at 11:59pm PDT
How to submit:
Grading Option Changes
Before the session's grading option change deadline
You can change your grading option through your CalCentral's Enrollment tile in your "My Academics" tab by the grading option change deadline for each session (see Deadlines section above for link to deadlines). For support on how to make this change, check out the Student Information Systems guide on changing grading options.
After the session's grading option change deadline
Refer to the Late Change of Class Schedule information below.
Late Change of Class Schedule
Refer to the Late Change of Class Schedule page for information on how to submit Late Changes of Class Schedule during Summer Sessions.
Refunds
See the Summer Sessions Refund Policy page for more information.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a P grade satisfy...?
For L&S students, a P grade earned in Summer 2021 will satisfy:
- L&S major and L&S minor requirements*
- Reading and Composition
- Quantitative Reasoning
- Foreign Language
A P grade earned in Summer 2021 will not satisfy:
- Entry Level Writing (as a UC-wide requirement, L&S cannot modify this requirement)
A P grade can always satisfy:
- American History and American Institutions
- American Cultures
- L&S Seven-Course Breadth
* Some majors require particular grades or grade averages in certain classes for admission to the major. Consult with your major department to understand how P grades will impact admission and whether your earned letter grade will used for admission to the major regardless of the grading option on record.
Limits exist to how P grades can be used for the Computer Science major. In Summer 2021, only CS 61A, CS 61B, and CS 70 may be taken for P/NP; however, the letter grade earned in these courses will be used to determine the declaration GPA regardless of the grading option on record. All other Computer Science courses will need to be taken for a letter grade to satisfy major requirements. Please contact Computer Science major advisers for more information.
What does CPN mean on my CalCentral?
EPN and PNP are the usual codes on CalCentral that indicate you are enrolled in a course for the Pass/No Pass grading option.
- EPN stands for "Elective Pass/No Pass." EPN indicates that the course can be taken letter graded or pass/no pass, but that you have selected Pass/No Pass.
- PNP indicates that the course is only offered for P/NP grading and cannot be changed to letter graded.
During Fall 2020, Spring 2021, and Summer 2021 CalCentral needs a code that lets the system understand that EPN courses can be used to count for some requirements that typically only take letter graded course work. CPN is a grading option that will only appear for these terms.
- CPN stands for "College Pass/No Pass." CPN indicates that the course can be taken letter graded or pass/no pass, but that you have selected Pass/No Pass. It is also used by CalCentral to make sure the policy modifications outlined above are able to be implemented in your Academic Progress Report.
These codes are simply to help you know your options with your courses. The transcript will only reflect a P or NP once grades are submitted and will not indicate what grading options were available.
Academic Probation
Summer grades cannot put students on or clear students from academic probation. See our Academic Probation page for more information.
1/3 P/NP Limit and GPA
These requirements have not been modified for Summer 2021 coursework.
Passed (P) grades may account for no more than 1/3 of your total required units for graduation. While Passed grades earned in Spring 2020 did not count toward this limit, Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 will count toward this limit. CalCentral has an estimator tool to help you understand where you are toward this limit.
Also, you must have an overall GPA of at least 2.0 to graduate.
These are not L&S requirements and the College therefore has no authority to modify the P/NP limit or the GPA required to graduate.
If you are nearing graduation and have concerns about either of these requirements, please consult with an L&S College Adviser. See the Degree Requirements page for more information on these requirements.
Repeats
These requirements have not been modified for Summer 2021 coursework.
If you earned a D+ or lower in a course and are retaking the course for grade replacement, you must earn a letter grade in the second attempt of the course for the grade to be considered for replacement. Other restrictions apply to repeats. See our Course Repeats page for more details.
This is not an L&S policy and the College therefore has no authority to modify repeat rules.
Transfer Credit
- Reading and Composition
- Quantitative Reasoning
- Foreign Language
- Major/Minor Requirements normally satisfied with letter grades
How will it "look" if I take a lot of P/NP?
Law school
Taking too many P/NP grades, or taking P/NP in your junior or senior year can impact a student's chances of admission into law school. While law schools made an exception for Spring 2020, this exception has not been extended to other semesters. Refer to our Pre-Professional Graduate Programs advising services for more support.
Other SCHOOLs
While many professional and graduate schools adjusted their standards for Spring 2020 to be more lenient toward passed grades, it is unclear at how taking a large number of P/NP grades over Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 will be viewed by admissions for these programs and preferences may differ across programs. Please consult with admissions offices for the programs you are considering. You may also check in with the Career Center to see if they have guidance.
Other programs
If you are applying to a competitive program or major while in undergrad, you will need to contact that program or major for more information on how patterns of P/NP grades will be viewed.