General P/NP Grade Information

Passed/Not Passed (P/NP) grades are not included in the computation of university grade-point averages. Courses graded P, however, are acceptable for unit and appropriate degree credit. P grades will be assigned only for coursework equivalent to a C or better on the letter-grade basis. NP grades will be assigned for work equivalent to a C- or below. No unit or degree credit is given for courses graded NP. Undergraduate courses may be offered exclusively on a P/NP basis with the prior approval of the appropriate faculty committees. Such courses are specially identified in GOLD. Students on academic probation as well as those in good standing may take such courses without special approval. Students may elect the P/NP grading option in any number of courses (see GOLD to determine which courses allow the P/NP grading option) during a particular term provided that:

  • They are in good academic standing (i.e., not on Academic Review or Dean’s Review) though students not in good standing may enroll in courses offered only on P/NP basis. 
  • The course is open to all qualified students on this basis and is so advertised in GOLD. 
  • The course is not required or accepted for the student’s major or minor. Courses in the major or minor, whether lower- or upper division, or outside of the major department, must be taken for a letter grade. (With the prior approval of appropriate faculty committees, a department may specify that certain major or minor courses may be taken P/NP. Courses for which such approval has been granted are identified in the department entries in the General Catalog.)
  • At the time of graduation at least two-thirds of their units earned in residence at UCSB have been earned on a letter-grade basis. (Students who complete more than 180 units at UCSB must complete at least 120 letter-graded units in residence.) There is no limit on the number of courses which may be taken P/NP by eligible students during a single quarter. 
  • They have not been restricted or prohibited from the use of the P/NP option due to an excessive number of NP grades earned. Students with more than eight units of NP grades in one quarter or with more than 20 units of NP grades in all terms of university enrollment combined may be so restricted. In the case of repeated courses in which the initial grade was NP, the original NP will not be included in this 20-unit total.

 

P/NP Policies & Deadlines

For courses that allow “optional grading” (letter grade or Passed/Not Passed), students in regular academic standing are eligible to select the P/NP option from the time they first enroll in the course through the last day of instruction each quarter (the last day of week 10). During their first three quarters as UCSB students, students eligible to use P/NP grading may retroactively change the grading option to P/NP for a course that allows optional grading if they earned a C- or lower in the course through the end of the subsequent quarter. Please consult with a Letters and Science Advisor if you have questions about retroactively changing the grading option for a course. 

P/NP for Major and Minor Courses

Students who take major or minor courses in excess of minimum major or minor requirements may elect the P/NP option for those courses. Such courses will not be accepted in satisfaction of requirements for the major or minor. Students who plan to apply to graduate or professional schools should use P/NP grading sparingly as it provides less information for admissions committees to review.

NOTE: Pre-law students should be aware that the Law School Data Assembly Service (LSDAS) will calculate a NP grade as an F when considering applicants for admission into their programs.