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This amended grading policy only applies to ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿-Q students taking spring 2026 semester-length and mini-4 classes either in Qatar, or remotely through ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿’s Pittsburgh campus, as well as students from the Pittsburgh campus taking classes in Qatar during the spring 2026 semester.

For ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿-Q students who took a remote course based on the Pittsburgh campus, you will be able to elect a pass/no pass option for that course if you wish. You will need to complete a Pass/No Pass Approval form and submit that to ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿-Q Associate Dean Dudley Reynolds for the University Registrar’s Office to process. 

For Pittsburgh students studying abroad on the Qatar campus, you will be able to elect a pass/no pass option for that course if you wish. The Registrar’s office will reach out to you with additional information.

These changes are for the spring 2026 semester only and were made due to the impact of the regional war affecting ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿-Q.

Faculty members will continue to record letter grades. For undergraduates who select the pass/no pass final grade, any grade of D or above will be reflected on your record as a P, and any classes for which an R has been assigned will be recorded as an N grade. Courses for which you do not elect a pass/no pass final grade will still reflect the letter grade assigned.

You can see your grades in Student Information Online (SIO). Under the Academic Info tab, choose Grades and QPA. After they have been entered by your course instructors, your grades will be visible.

Because mini-3 courses were completed before the conflict affected our Qatar campus, the pass/no pass special election period is not available for these courses. This option is only available for spring 2026 semester-length and mini-4 courses.

The special pass/no pass election period for ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿-Q will open the day after final grade submission closes for course instructors, and it will remain open for a week from May 7 at 9 a.m. EDT to May 14 at 4 p.m. EDT.

For ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿-Q students taking on-campus classes in Qatar, you will submit your pass/no Pass elections through SIO. Additional information about this process will be shared via email before the special election period begins. 

Please note: For ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿-Q students taking remote classes on the Pittsburgh campus, and for Pittsburgh students studying abroad in Qatar, you will need to complete a Pass/No Pass Approval form and submit that to ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿-Q Associate Dean Dudley Reynolds for the University Registrar’s Office to process.

You may log into SIO multiple times as you make your decisions about each course. However, remember that once you have chosen to switch a course to pass/no pass, the decision is irrevocable.

Any student with a missing or incomplete grade once final grades are submitted will have to wait until the letter grade is assigned to change their course election to pass/no pass. 

Once a letter grade has been assigned, you will be notified of the grade change. You will need to complete a Pass/No Pass Approval form and submit that to ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿-Q Associate Dean Dudley Reynolds for the University Registrar’s Office to process.

If you are anticipating a change of grade, you must decide whether or not to make a pass/no pass election based on the existing grade. Should a final grade be changed, you will need to complete a Pass/No Pass Approval form and submit that to ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿-Q Associate Dean Dudley Reynolds for the University Registrar’s Office to process.

The choice to change a course to the pass/no pass final grade is irrevocable and may not be changed at a later date. No exceptions will be made.

These changes to the pass/no pass policy pertain only to classes which are not already graded as pass/no pass by default.

Yes, the course will count toward all appropriate degree requirements, as if you had taken it for a letter grade.

Courses taken as pass/no pass are not factored into the quality point average, nor are they used in the determination of honors. They do not contribute to your total quality points for the semester, although they do count toward your total units carried for the semester.

Important: Every course you convert to pass/no pass may impact both your semester QPA and/or your cumulative QPA permanently, depending on the value of the letter grade you are converting. If you have questions or concerns about converting your grades, please speak to your advisor.

Semester QPA is used to determine your ongoing academic performance and actions per semester, while the cumulative QPA calculates all of your semester QPAs to demonstrate performance at the end of the program.

From the Undergraduate Catalog: units earned for a course multiplied by the Quality Point Value of the grade given for that course equals the quality points for that course. For example, a 9-unit course assigned a C grade is awarded 18 quality points (9 units x 2 quality points = 18 quality points). Total Quality Points divided by Total Units Factorable equals the Quality Point Average.

To learn more about QPA calculations, refer to the .

If you are considering converting courses to pass/no pass, we encourage you to consider these calculations in order to understand your options and discuss the situation with your academic advisor.

The effect of pass/no pass courses on your QPA depends on the number of factorable units and the grades earned. For example, if your semester QPA is 2.0 before a particular grade is entered, and that grade is entered as a D, the 1 unit awarded for quality points could lower your semester and/or cumulative QPA. If the grade turns out to be an A, however, the 3 units awarded for quality points could raise your semester and/or cumulative QPA. 

Pass/no pass grades are not factored into your QPA, so a P grade cannot raise your QPA as an A grade would.

Classes for which you select the pass/no pass final grade for the spring 2026 semester will not count toward any limits on pass/no pass courses for your degree program.

No, you may select the pass/no pass final grade for any and all of your spring 2026 semester-length or mini-4 courses. 

Undergraduate students will have the option to select pass/no pass grading for any of their courses, even if they are graduate-level.

The ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ graduate program will have to accept the spring 2026 course P grade to count toward the program requirements.

SIO will treat a currently registered spring 2026 course as passing in order to meet the pre-requisite requirement during fall 2026 registration. If you are already registered for the fall 2026 course, you need not do anything.

After final grades are submitted and a P grade is elected, and the course pre-requisite requires a grade of C or better, please see your academic advisor about entering a pre-requisite waiver for the spring 2026 course taken for a P grade. For pre-requisites requiring a D grade or better, a P grade will satisfy the pre-requisite and no further action is needed.

Dean's lists will be created for spring 2026, and will be based upon your graded courses. Note that you must receive letter grades for at least 36 units in order to qualify for the Dean’s List. 

Per normal policy, students with a cumulative QPA of 3.5 or greater at seven semesters would earn University Honors. Only letter grades are factored into QPA calculations for semester eight student considerations.

Please contact the University Registrar’s Office, cmuregistrar@andrew.cmu.edu.