Dear Students,
I’m writing to provide you with an important update to Barnard’s PDF policy for the Spring 2024 semester.
Pass/D/Fail
In alignment with Columbia, Barnard will change our Spring 2024 PDF policy to the following:
| • | The deadline to finalize your P/D/F elections has been extended to Wednesday, May 22, 2024 for graduating seniors and September 13, 2024 for continuing students. |
| • | Barnard students may elect up to two of their current courses Pass/D/Fail in any course, including in the major and minor, with the below exceptions: | • | Students may not elect Pass/D/Fail in the Senior Capstone experience. We have made an exception to this policy for the senior capstone course because it is central to the Barnard experience and a cornerstone of many academic departments. | | • | Students on the Urban Teaching certification track may not Pass/D/Fail any courses required for teaching certification. |
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| • | Continuing students will be given until the second week of the Fall 2024 semester (September 13, 2024) to elect or revoke/change the Pass/D/Fail option for a Spring 2024 class, including uncovering a P grade. We will share further details on how to modify your P/D/F elections in early June. |
| • | Students graduating in May 2024 will have until May 22, 2024, to elect or revoke/change the Pass/D/Fail option for a Spring 2024 class, including uncovering a P grade. Further details will be shared in a follow-up email later this week. |
It is important to remember that there are situations in which it may not be desirable or beneficial for students to use the Pass/D/Fail option for particular courses of study. The notation of a “P” on a transcript can be read differently by different audiences — e.g., within a department or program, within a school, by admissions programs of graduate and professional programs, by employers. Given the amount of time you will have to make these decisions, we strongly encourage you to talk with your academic advisers — including your pre-major or major adviser(s), class deans, your advisers for graduate programs and pre-professional schools, and your career advisers — about these choices to ensure that you're taking into account not only your current circumstances but also your cumulative record and your future plans.
Course Evaluations
Course evaluations for the spring semester 2024 closed on May 2, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. This deadline was announced several times in emails to students. In recognition of the difficulties students are facing this semester, all students will be able to access their grades for spring 2024 on the same timetable, regardless of whether they have completed the course evaluations. Please note that this exception is for the current spring 2024 semester only.
Spring 2024 Academic Policy Website
I understand that there have been many updates to academic policies and procedures over the past several days as the situation on campus has changed. Therefore, the full details of these updates are available at the following website: https://barnard.edu/spring-2024-academic-policies-and-procedures. Note that further updates may be made in the coming days, and I encourage you to check this website for current guidance should any questions arise.
I hope this information is helpful to you as you determine options for finishing the semester. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to be in touch with your class dean if you need assistance.
Sincerely,
Dean Grinage
