El Camino College is offering students the opportunity to change from a letter grade to a pass/no pass option until Friday, May 15, in light of the uncertainty created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new system is not meant to replace traditional (A, B, C, D, F) grading but allow students the option to not have their course grades weighted against their GPA this semester, according to an email by ECC’s Office of Marketing and Communications.

In this system, a pass is equal to “C or Higher;” whilst a no pass is equal to a “D” or “F” letter grade, according to guidelines in the email.

The California State University (CSU) system has opted to require all 23 campuses to accept pass grades in General Education, and major requirements and prerequisites, according to the email.

This means students planning to attend a CSU in the fall will not have their grades count for or against them if they choose to apply for pass/no pass.

However, there are exceptions as most medical and law schools will count a pass as a “C” and a no pass as an “F.”

At the moment, only two University of California schools have decided to accept pass grades; UC Riverside and UC Irvine. All other campuses still recommend students take a letter grade in their lower division classes, according to the email.

It is highly advised to meet with an ECC counselor before opting for pass/no pass as policies may also differ for private schools.

To opt for pass/no pass, contact the Admissions & Records Office at [email protected].

To schedule a virtual counseling appointment, click here.