Pass/Not Pass Option

Frequently Asked Questions:

My GPA last quarter was below a 1.5, what is going to happen?

Freshmen: Students whose GPA falls below a 1.5 during the Fall or the Winter of the first year will need to sign an Exit Contract from The School of Engineering.

Continuing Students: Students whose GPA falls below a 1.5 are subject to disqualification. Students who are subject to disqualification will be required to sign an academic contract to either remain in The School of Engineering or to find a new major outside of Engineering. Failure to meet all the terms of the continuing contract will result in the need to exit engineering and failure to meet the terms of an exit contract will result in the need to exit UCI or disqualification.

What is academic probation?

Academic probation means that any one of your overall cumulative GPA, quarterly GPA, engineering GPA, or upper-division engineering GPA has fallen below a 2.0. The School of Engineering will send you a letter should your quarterly GPA fall below a 2.0. This will probably be your first notification that you are on academic probation. Students that are on academic probation are given a contract to follow. Failure to satisfy the terms of the contract is grounds for disqualification from the School of Engineering and UCI. Students are strongly advised to meet with an academic counselor at the first sign of academic trouble. Problems identified early are often easily dealt with.

What is the difference between normal progress probation & academic probation?

A student who fails to make normal progress toward their degree will be placed on normal progress probation or may find themselves subject to disqualification. Several conditions will result in normal progress probation including:

  • Failure to complete UC Entry Level Writing before beginning of 4th quarter.
  • Failure to complete Lower Division writing by beginning of 7th quarter.
  • Failure to complete 12 units in any given quarter.
  • Failure to declare a major as an unaffiliated student by 90 units.
  • Failure to make progress toward the declared Engineering major.
A student who fails to meet the minimum gpa standard will be placed on academic Probation (AP). Students whose GPA falls below 2.0 quarterly, in Engineering courses, in upper-division Engineering courses, or cumulatively, will be placed on Academic Probation and are required to fulfill a probation contract. This contract is in effect for one quarter. Students who fail to meet the provisions of a probation contract are then subject to disqualification.

The Pass/Not Pass option is available to encourage students to enroll in courses outside their major field. Courses graded Pass or Not Pass are not included in computation of the grade point average which appears on a student's permanent record. However, if a student receives a Pass in a class, course and unit credit for the class is received, except as provided below. If a Not Pass is received, the student receives no credit for the class.

Some courses are designated by academic units as Pass/Not Pass Only. Students do not have the option of taking these courses for a letter grade.

The use of Pass/Not Pass is governed by all of the following provisions:

  1. A student in good standing may take up to an average of four units per quarter on a Pass/Not Pass basis.
  2. In addition, students may count a total of 12 units of courses designated Pass/Not Pass Only toward their graduation requirements.
  3. A student who earns a grade of C (2.0) or better will have a Pass/Not Pass grade recorded as Pass. If the student earns a grade of C- or below, the grade will be recorded as a Not Pass, and no unit credit will be received for the course. In both cases, the student's grade will not be computed into the grade point average.
  4. Courses taken under the Pass/Not Pass option may count toward the unit requirement for the bachelor's degree and toward the breadth requirement. With the exception of courses designated Pass/Not Pass Only, courses taken Pass/Not Pass may not be used to satisfy specific course requirements of the student's school and major, unless authorized by the appropriate dean. No more than two courses applied to a minor may be taken Pass/Not Pass.
  5. Changes to or from the Pass/Not Pass option must be made during the enrollment period. No changes can be made after the first two weeks of classes without the approval of the dean of the student's school. No changes in the Pass/Not Pass option can be made after the last day of instruction of the quarter.
  6. A student on academic probation may not enroll in a course with the Pass/Not Pass option unless the course is offered on that basis only.