Friday will be the deadline for students to drop a full-semester course without any extenuating circumstances, as well as the time to change a course from pass-not pass.

In the case of making a class pass-not pass, the instructor is not aware that the student has changed the course to pass-not pass. The instructor submits the grade that the student would have normally gotten and then that grade is substituted a pass-not pass depending on what grade the instructor submitted.

A grade of D- or higher is considered passing and the student would get the credit with no effect to his or her GPA. If a student received an F, then he or she would not get the credit for the class, though no harm will be done to their GPA.

In order for a student to change a course to pass-not pass, a student must have at least 40 credits and cannot be on academic probation. The class can also not pertain to a student’s major, minor or designated area of concentration.

“The option is limited to elective classes,” said Jeffrey Blevins, associate professor and director of undergraduate education at the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication.

If a student is pondering on whether on making a class pass-not pass, he or she should consult with their adviser first.

“My advice to a student making that consideration would be to talk to their adviser,” said Dianne Rupp, associate registrar. “They are in a much better place to look at their overall academic records and determine what is best for them.”

Making a class pass-not pass won’t affect a student’s GPA, but it can have possible consequences later.

“Students need to know what their aspirations are for graduate school because having pass-not pass [credit] is handled differently in receiving schools,” Rupp said. “Pass-not pass credits transfer differently to different schools and programs.”

Blevins suggested that students may want to think carefully about making a class pass-not pass.

“You don’t have to explain a grade when it’s not pass-not pass,” Blevins said. “A student may do better than they think, especially if it’s in the C range.”

For more information on pass-not pass or other academic topics, students can check the Iowa State University Catalog.