To Temple University faculty and students:

One of the most frequent concerns I’ve heard since our transition to remote teaching and learning has been about grades. While I am confident faculty members are doing all they can to provide the best distance learning experience, we also recognize this is a unique time. In speaking with faculty and academic leaders across campus, and in reviewing what is being offered at other universities, we have agreed that a new set of grading options should be made available to undergraduate and graduate students for spring 2020.

We will roll out more information about the grading options on Monday, but I wanted to give you an outline in advance:

All students will be able to decide to keep the standard letter grades. Undergraduate students will be able to have some or all of their courses shifted to a credit/no-credit option. Graduate students will likewise have a pass/fail option.

As students start to think about these options, it’s important to understand that shifting from the current letter grades to the other options could impact their GPAs and the evaluation of their academic performance for graduate or professional school. In addition, some students may not be able to pursue these options due to licensure or similar concerns. We strongly recommend students wait to hear from their schools or colleges before making a decision, so they will get the most value out of the semester.

Please note that professional school grade options will be handled on a school-by-school basis.

You should also know that we will be allowing students more time to withdraw from a course. The previous withdrawal deadline was March 18. That deadline is now being extended to the last day of classes, April 27. Please note that students cannot receive a refund for a course withdrawal, and that professional schools will have the option of extending their withdrawal dates.

Finally, and most vitally, our priority throughout this experience has been to make sure our students complete their courses on time and move forward towards their degrees. We know that this has not always been easy, but have been encouraged by the resilience of our students and their faculty.

JoAnne A. Epps

Executive Vice President and Provost