ODESSA, Texas — The University of Texas of the Permian Basin is rolling out some changes to help students during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The spring 2020 deadline to drop courses has now been extended to April 10.
If a student chooses to drop a course, they will be considered "non-academic" and will not count towards their limit of six dropped courses. The student will receive a grade of "W" for courses dropped.
Additionally, there will be two options for grading that students can utilize.
Students can choose to continue with the traditional grade format and receive a letter grade or they can take the Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grade option.
The S/U option must earn a minimum of what would be considered a C- to receive a satisfactory grade.
A student achieving the satisfactory grade for a class will receive the course credit but the grade will not be added into the student's grade point average.
Similarly, while a student receiving an unsatisfactory grade will not receive the credit, the grade will not reflect on their GPA.
Students must finalize their decision by May 22 if they choose the S/U options. They will need to inform the Registrar's Office, the Office of Student Success and their faculty member via a link that will be made available.
Additionally, UTPB says students should contact their professor or academic advisor to discuss the impact a S/U grade might have on their academic success.
An S grade may not necessarily meet program requirements or future course prerequisites.
Students who are unsatisfied with any of their final grades can file a grade appeal as per the university's policy.
For more information on the university and what they are doing to help students you can visit the UTPB website.
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