S/NS Grade Reporting

As MSU responds to the novel coronavirus pandemic, two values have guided our decisions: our promise to help support our community’s health and wellness and our commitment to student success. MSU fully recognizes that the pandemic has created obstacles unlike any our community has ever faced, for that reason, we are offering the Satisfactory/Not Satisfactory (S/NS) binary grade reporting option to students again in the Fall 2020 semester, Spring 2021 semester and the Summer 2021 semesters. The implementation of the S/NS grade reporting option, with the automatic replacement of 0.0 with NS, replaces the No Record-COVID19 grade reporting option previously offered.

 

For Undergraduate Students

Faculty will assign numerical grades and students will have the option to maintain their grades or to record a S/NS for their coursework. For undergraduate students, the threshold between S and NS will be 1.0. Faculty will submit their grades as usual to the Registrar’s Office at the end of the semester, and undergraduates will have two weeks to view their grades and decide on a class-by-class basis if they would prefer to have their grades recorded on their transcripts with the numerical 1.0-4.0 grade or with S/NS. 0.0 grades will be automatically replaced with NS, and all original grades will be retained by the Registrar’s Office in case students need them reported sometime in the future.

 

For Graduate Students

The S/NS grading option is to be used by students in consultation with their advisors and program directors to allow for continued progress to degree when specific recorded grades

might conflict with the underlying sentiment of supporting students’ educational progress and aspirations that cannot readily be captured by the formal program rules that are in place. Some programs do not offer this option to students, especially when it conflicts with accreditation requirements.

 

For Summer 2021

The S/NS grading option will continue for undergraduate students through summer 2021. Summer 2021 is the last semester we expect MSU will offer the S/NS grading option. The S/NS grading option will not be offered for graduate students for summer 2021.

 

Connect With Your Academic Advisor

We are asking students to work closely with their academic advisors, faculty, and graduate program directors to determine possible implications of their choices. More detailed information can be found in our FAQs.