X
Current StudentsFaculty & StaffCommunityDirectoryAlumni & Friends Giving Search
 
Apply // HEERF // Careers at Cobleskill // Report a Concern

S/U for Spring 2020

As a result of the extraordinary circumstances resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, SUNY Cobleskill has amended its grading policy for the Spring 2020 term. Once students have been assessed by their instructors, students will view grades via Banner Web and they will then have the option to apply to receive Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) grades for course(s) of their choosing. A student may elect to receive a ‘S’ grade, which is equal to a grade of ‘C’ or higher, or an ‘U’ grade, which is equal to a grade of ‘C-‘ or lower, in place of the grade issued by their instructor. Before filing this application, students should familiarize themselves with the Academic Policies 8.00 through 8.90 pertaining to grading and should discuss the S/U option with their academic advisor. Additionally, students should review the frequently asked questions below. Applications will be reviewed by Financial Aid and the Registrar’s Office, however the decision to ultimately up to student to elect the utilize the option to choose the alternative grading method.

Frequently Asked Questions

 

Any currently enrolled SUNY Cobleskill student may apply.

An ‘S’ grade is equal to a grade of ‘C’ or higher and an ‘U’ grade is equal to a grade of ‘C-‘ or lower.
Grades will be posted by instructors by Monday, May 18th in Banner Web. Once you view your grades you can complete the application and opt to receive S/U grading. The application will be posted on the Registrar’s web page once grades are posted.
All applications must be received no later than May 29th. Applications submitted after this date will be denied.
Yes, but very few. Some courses may be required for professional licensure or for a professional credential and you should not opt to receive S/U grades for these courses. Additionally, if you are retaking courses to improve your academic progress for financial aid, you should not elect this option and keep the grades issued to you.
You will be hearing from two representatives from campus shortly after you submit your application-- a representative from the Financial Aid Office and a representative from the Registrar’s Office. They will review your application and may contact you to counsel you regarding any concerns they have with the request. They will advise you accordingly; however, the decision is ultimately yours. It is our goal to provide you with what is needed in order to make an informed decision.
At any point in the counseling process with Financial Aid and the Registrar’s Office you may elect to rescind or amend your application based on the information you are provided. However, once you have completed counseling with the Registrar’s Office your application is considered complete and your record will be amended.
If you choose to move forward with your application once you’ve spoken with campus representatives, the Registrar’s Office will then amend your grades immediately, recalculate your GPA, and your application will remain in your academic record as a change of grade request. The S/U grade is then deemed the official grade of record. The grade cannot be reverted to the original letter grade issued at a later point if your circumstances change.
A grade of ‘S’ or ‘U’ will appear where a grade for the course normally appears on your transcript. There will be no quality points assigned for course(s) where an S/U has been issued. Your GPA will reflect only the courses you received letter grades, and quality points, in for the term. S/U grades do not impact your GPA. If you elect for all your coursework to be S/U you will not have a term GPA and your overall GPA will not change. You will receive credit for ‘S’ grades but not ‘U’ grades. Your overall attempted hours will reflect all courses attempted, regardless of grade earned.
Yes, unless the prerequisite for the future course specifies a grade higher than a C grade.
When a "U" in a required course is earned, the student must repeat the course.
As every campus will make its own determination, you are encouraged to contact the schools you are considering transferring to and inquire about the probability of them accepting ‘S’ grades for transfer. If you are planning to transfer to another SUNY school be aware if you decide to ‘opt in’ to S/U grading, courses within the Transfer Path may need to be taken for a letter grade to ensure transferability.
There are financial aid implications to withdrawing from too many courses. There are degree completion implications when you must retake a course in order to graduate. Before you decide to withdraw from course(s) speak with your advisor, financial aid and the Registrar’s Office to be sure you are not doing yourself a disservice in future terms. While a grade of ‘W’ or ‘F’ doesn’t seem like a good idea, opting for a ‘U’ grade(s) could be worse.
A student must complete courses with letter grades which impact his or her GPA and be eligible for Dean’s List or President’s List. No ‘F’, ‘I’ or ‘U’ grades can be earned to receive these awards.
Yes, you can ‘opt in’ to S/U grading but be aware the previous grade earned will not be included in your GPA any longer and the ‘S’ grade awarded will not impact your GPA. If you are retaking the course for a higher grade, but also need a higher GPA, this may not be the best option for you.
‘Opting in’ will not impact your Spring 2020 term financial aid, but it could impact future aid eligibility or aid allocation.
It very well could impact your plans for advanced study. Our best advice to students looking to take advanced degrees is to inquire with schools you are interested in attending to determine if ‘S’ grades versus letter grades will impact your application or impede your access to graduate level courses. Ask graduate institutions if our policy which defines a ‘S’ equal to a C higher as acceptable preparation for graduate level coursework. They will be able to best advise you on this question.
No