The Pass/Fail Grading Option allows undergraduate ​students in good academic standing to earn credit for successful completion of an elective course without the course grade affecting their grade point average (GPA). Students are strongly encouraged to consult with an academic advisor before seeking the Pass/Fail Grading Option for any specific course and should do so well before the deadline for the session.  

Which courses can be taken with the Pass/Fail Grading Option? 

L&S students must earn A–F grades in their degree’s required courses, so the Pass/Fail Grading Option can only be used for courses that count toward the overall credits required for graduation but do not satisfy specific degree requirements. 

In other words, the Pass/Fail Grading Option will prevent a course from meeting the following degree requirements:  

• Required courses for a major(s), including requisite courses
• General Education 
  • Communications Part A and Part B
  • Quantitative Reasoning Part A and Part B
  • Ethnic Studies
• L&S Breadth 
• L&S Language 
• L&S Mathematics 
• Directed Study or Senior Thesis 

Per UW Policy, students are responsible for ensuring courses taken with the pass/fail grading option are considered free electives in their degree programs. Required courses that are mistakenly taken with the pass/fail grading option will not count for non​-​elective requirements.  

Clarifications:  

• Language Courses: Students may seek the Pass/Fail Grading Option for courses with language attributes only after completing L&S language requirements.  

• Courses in Major Department: When the Pass/Fail Grading Option is requested for ​​a course within a major department, that course will not satisfy requirements in the major.  

Who is eligible?

L&S undergraduate students in good academic standing are eligible to request the Pass/Fail Grading Option within the following limits:  

• One course per term (Fall, Spring, or Summer)
• Up to 16 credits during one’s undergraduate career at UW–Madison 

Requests must be made by the posted session deadline for “Request Pass/Fail” for the class. Students may need to make a decision before completing graded work in the course.  

Students on any form of academic probation or suspension are ineligible.   

For more detail, see UW Policy 1012.   

How can a student request the Pass/Fail Grading Option?  

Students are responsible for the decisions they make about their enrollments and their academic plan.  

• Eligible students should begin by discussing their interest with their academic advisor to confirm that the Pass/Fail Grading Option will not disrupt their degree progress.  

• Use the Student Center Course Change Request form to submit a request: https://kb.wisc.edu/7700. Note: Pass/Fail requests are all submitted online; this form does not need to be printed and submitted as a paper copy for Pass/Fail course change request.  

• Requests for the Pass/Fail Grading Option can be submitted from the point of enrollment up to the course change request deadline. Use the Office of the Registrar’s complete Session Dates table to find the “Request Pass/Fail Deadline” for the session in which a class is offered: https://registrar.wisc.edu/session-dates/ 

• Requests are reviewed by L&S Undergraduate Academic Deans’ Services to confirm eligibility. This can take 10 to 14 business days. Caution: If a request is submitted within two weeks of the deadline, notification of ineligibility may arrive too late to drop the course or to add another.  

• If a student decides they would prefer to cancel a request for Pass/Fail Grading Option, they must do so by the “Request Pass/Fail Deadline” for the session. Students are responsible for reviewing dates and deadlines for each session of enrollment, regardless of session length.   

• After the deadline has passed, requests for the Pass/Fail Grading Option cannot be approved, removed, canceled, or reverted to an A–F grade. It is a permanent change to the way that course will be graded in that term. That is why it’s so important to first confirm that you do not need that course to meet any degree or major requirements. 

Grades for all classes, including those taken with the Pass/Fail Grading Option, appear in MyUW Student Center’s Academic Records tile: https://kb.wisc.edu/97802 

I’d like to know more!  Who should I talk to? 

Students:  

• Start with your advisor.  Ask whether the course you are interested in taking as Pass/Fail is fulfilling any degree requirements.  Students should only take coursework in their major department on a pass/fail basis ​​after they have fulfilled their major requirements. 

• Learn more about admissions requirements for graduate programs that may be interesting to you.  Consult with staff at the Center for Pre-Health Advising (https://prehealth.wisc.edu/advising/) and the Center for Pre-Law Advising (https://prelaw.wisc.edu/) regarding pass/fail grading and admissions.  

• Academic Deans can help you too!  Make an appointment by emailing lsdeans@saa.ls.wisc.edu or by calling (608) 262-0617. 

Notes for Advisors and Instructors: 

• Academic Deans are available for consultation.  Email us at lsdeans@saa.ls.wisc.edu or call (608) 262-0617. 

• ​​​Instructors will not be notified whether a student has been approved for the Pass/Fail Grading Option.  

• At the end of the term, instructors should submit the grade earned by the student in their Grade Center.  The grade will automatically convert for approved students per UW policy.