Halfway through the semester, the College allows (but does not require) instructors to report grades for students whose work is below C-. These reports are sent to the Office of the Registrar, which distributes them to the individual students and their advisors. These grades are not recorded on the students’ permanent records.

Students who do not receive mid-semester reports should not assume that their mid-semester grade is above a C-. (Remember that instructors are not required to submit these reports.)

If you audit a course (i.e., take a course normally offered for credit for zero credit), you will receive a “grade” of “AUS” (Audit Successful) or “AUU.” (Audit Unsuccessful). See auditing courses.

The mark of IP is used to denote a course in progress.

Students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences have the option of taking elective courses P/N (Pass/Nonpass) with the permission of the course instructor and/or the department offering the course. You may register for the P/N grading option beginning the first day of classes up to the "Last day for Pass/NonPass Grade Option Changes" as listed on the Registrar’s Academic Calendar for semester-length courses, or the "Last day for undergraduates to add or change to P-N or audit status and late register" on the Registrar's Dates by Session for semester-length courses, or the "Last day to add without collegiate approval" listed on the Course Deadlines page for individual courses including off-cycle courses.

To take a class P/N, first check the P/N course policies below to be sure the course qualifies for the P/N grading option. Then ask the course instructor if they allow P/N grading. Be sure to discuss with the instructor what final grades will constitute a "P" grade and what final grades will constitute an "N" grade. Prior to the deadline, you may request a change to the P/N grading option in MyUI, see https://registrar.uiowa.edu/grading-option-information for information on making the change with instructor and advisor authorization. Alternatively, you may print a grading option form and have both your academic advisor and the course instructor sign it, then submit the completed form to the UI Service Center, 2700 UCC, [email protected], by 4:30 p.m. on the published deadline. You may not change your P/N registration after the deadline.

P/N course policies:

• You may request P/N grading only in courses you are using as electives, so:
  • You may not use courses taken P/N to satisfy CLAS Core General Education Program requirements.
  • You may not use courses taken P/N to satisfy high school course requirements.
  • You may not use courses taken P/N to meet the College's English proficiency requirement.
  • You may not use courses taken P/N to satisfy major, minor, or certificate requirements.
• You may not use the P/N grading option for any course in the department of your major unless the department approves it. In special circumstances, a department or program may authorize a P/N grading option for a student in a departmental course if it will not be applied toward the requirements for the major. Courses required for the major in cognate or related areas may be taken as P/N only if the department offering the major has approved the P/N status for the requirement in question.
• Instructors and/or departments may deny students the option to register P/N for any course.
• Hours of P/N coursework are not used in computing GPAs. Hours of coursework graded P count toward graduation, but hours of coursework graded N do not.
• The College accepts a maximum of 15 s.h. of P credit from the University of Iowa toward the bachelor's degree, and a maximum of 30 s.h. of P and S grades from all sources (UI as well as transfer work) toward the bachelor's degree. P grades awarded in spring 2020 are excluded from these maximums.

Note: Special P/N course policies applied for the spring 2020 semester only that allowed students to choose the P/N grading option for any regularly graded course. A grade of P was assigned for a C- or higher, or a grade of N was assigned for a D+ or lower. Courses taken for P/N grades during the spring 2020 semester count towards curricular, major, minor, certificate, academic progress, general education, and graduation requirements.

Certain courses use the Satisfactory/Fail (S/F) or Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) grading system. (To check, view a course’s detailed information on MyUI, and look for “Special Grading.”) All students registered for these courses receive a grade of S, F, or U. Special forms or permissions are not necessary to register for S/F or S/U courses.

S/F and S/U course policies:

• Hours of S or U graded coursework are not used in computing grade point averages, but hours of F graded course work are used.
• Hours of S graded coursework count as hours earned toward graduation, but hours of F or U graded coursework do not.
• You may use S graded coursework to fulfill CLAS Core General Education Program Requirements and/or the requirements of your major, minor, or a certificate.
• The College accepts a maximum of 15 s.h. of S credit from the University of Iowa toward the bachelor's degree, and a maximum of 30 s.h. of P and S grades from all sources (UI as well as transfer work) toward the bachelor's degree. P grades awarded in spring 2020 are excluded from these maximums.

A student unable to finish a course may ask an instructor for a mark of I (Incomplete). Course instructors may approve or deny a student's request.

You may be granted a mark of “Incomplete” only if

• you have finished most of the coursework (exceptions may be made for research, thesis, or independent study courses), and
• you have a reason acceptable to the instructor for not completing the course, and
• your standing in the course is satisfactory.

Students cannot graduate with an “I” mark on their record. They must either complete the course for a passing grade, or allow the Incomplete to lapse to an “F.”

To complete an “incomplete” course, first consult with your instructor about the due date for the remaining work and to make sure you understand all the course requirements. The work must be completed and submitted to the instructor before the close of the semester following the one in which the course was taken. When you complete the unfinished portion of the work, your instructor must submit a final grade for you, by following the Registrar’s change-of-grade procedure. This grade change must be submitted on or before grades are due for the subsequent spring or fall semester. Because summer and winter sessions are not technically semesters, a student with an Incomplete from the spring semester is exempt from completing the work during the subsequent summer session; and a student with an Incomplete from the fall is exempt from completing the work during that winter session. If the grade change is not submitted by this deadline, the "I" will automatically convert to an "F" (or "U"), even if you do not enroll afterward. If warranted, the instructor may submit a grade change after the "I" has become an "F" or "U."

A course may not be repeated to remove a grade of Incomplete; the grade must be removed by completing the unfinished portion of the work. If you allow an “I” to lapse to an "F" or "U,” you may repeat the course by using the second-grade-only option.

An “O” will appear on your record if an instructor fails to report your grade. It will remain on your permanent record until the instructor submits a valid grade. The College works to ensure that valid grades are reported on time and that “O” marks are changed as soon as possible.

Some departments offer courses for zero credit only. If you take one of these courses, you will be assigned a “grade” of either “R” (for satisfactory performance and attendance) or “W” (unsatisfactory performance and attendance).

A mark of “W” will appear on your transcript beside any course you have dropped after the deadline which is noted in the Academic Calendar as the “Last day for undergraduates to add courses or drop courses without a W," or on the Course Deadlines look-up as the "Last day to drop without a 'W'".

Note that "off-cycle" courses that start or end at times other than the beginning and end of the semester have drop deadlines different from those of semester-long courses. Deadlines for individual courses, including off-cycle courses, may be found at the Registrar's Course Deadlines look-up.

If you are a CLAS student, you may request a SGO online at https://workflow.uiowa.edu/entry/new/662 by logging in with your Hawk ID and password during the semester in which your second enrollment in the course has begun. Most students request the SGO before the last day of class in order for the second grade to appear on their next grade report. You may also make this request after the close of the semester. However, you cannot request that an SGO be applied to coursework for which you have already been awarded a UI degree. 

Once per course, for a maximum of three different courses for your entire time as an undergraduate at the University of Iowa.

You may reverse your decision before the close of the semester of your second enrollment in the repeated course. Once the SGO is placed on your record, it may not be retracted. (Note: If you drop the course after you have requested the SGO, the SGO will not be applied to your record.)

No. You may repeat the course regardless of the grade you earned.

No. In order to be eligible, both courses must

• be University of Iowa courses (including regularly scheduled on-campus courses, distance learning courses, and off-campus courses);
• be taken for a regular letter grade (A-F) or Satisfactory/Fail (S/F);
• not be considered an instance of regression;
• have identical course numbers and titles (if the original course is no longer offered, you may be able to substitute a course, but only if this is authorized by the department);
• have been taken during or after the 1969 fall semester.

NOTE: The University of Iowa adopted a new course numbering system in 2014. A course may be identified by its current number, its legacy (old) number, or both. A course taken under the old number and repeated under the current number will be considered the same course with respect to use of the SGO.

Yes, if it is the same course. Any UI course taken in any mode of delivery may be repeated in the same mode of delivery or in another mode of delivery.

No, the SGO is reserved for courses taken both times for a regular letter grade (A-F) or Satisfactory/Fail (S/F). No other grading options qualify for an SGO.

No. A course taken at another college or university may not be repeated at the University of Iowa under the UI second-grade-only option nor may a UI course be repeated at another institution under the second-grade-only option.

No. CLAS cannot file a SGO for a student enrolled in another college even if the student is taking a CLAS course. Student records are governed by the policies of the student’s home college and the SGO must be filed with that office.

No. After you have met all degree requirements and the degree conferral date has passed, or you have graduated and the degree is noted on your official transcript, your academic record prior to graduation is frozen and we can no longer make changes to the courses you took as part of earning your degree. This includes but is not limited to retroactive record adjustments (adds, drops or withdrawals), using second-grade-only options, or waiving Ws.

No. After you have met all degree requirements and the degree conferral date has passed, or you have graduated and the degree is noted on your official transcript, your academic record prior to graduation is frozen and we can no longer make changes to the courses you took as part of earning your degree. This includes but is not limited to retroactive record adjustments (adds, drops or withdrawals), using second-grade-only options, or waiving Ws.