Office of the Assemblies

When colleges and majors agreed to the spring 2020 exception, there was significant concern about setting a precedent whereby students would come to expect such a change to be made available again in future semesters. Like Cornell, other colleges/universities agreed that it was a one-time change that would not disadvantage students at any particular college/university because it was the norm across the nation. During the 2020-2021 academic year, however, institutions have made it clear that they would not make special exceptions to accept S/U or P/F grading options in admissions decisions.

Thus, unlike in the anomalous spring 2020 semester, the S/U grading basis could not be made available in all courses. Doing so would have made Cornell an outlier vis-a-vis other Ivy and peer institutions; as such, making the S/U grading basis available for courses where it is usually not an option (e.g., courses required for majors) would create unique challenges for students’ internal transfer and graduate/professional school applications. This is especially true given that a transcript notation like the one included on students’ transcripts for spring 2020 would not be available (“During the spring 2020 semester, the COVID-19 pandemic required significant changes to coursework. Unusual enrollment patterns and grades reflect the tumult of the time, not necessarily the work of the individual”). 

Furthermore, extending the deadline for changing the grading basis of a course from a letter grade to S/U would only have helped students enrolled in a fraction of courses, and therefore was deemed less equitable than an extension of the drop deadline, which could be made available in all courses.

Finally, Department of Education compliance requirements, standards imposed by external accrediting licensing bodies, and technological constraints precluded the university from being able to implement a wholesale change to the grading system for the spring 2021 semester.