2021-22 Supplemental COVID-19 Bulletin

The following is a list of temporary changes to academic regulations made by the University in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Undergraduate Students

Administrative Campus Change Rule Adjustment

For the Fall 2020/Spring 2021 Academic Year the campus residency rules were adjusted so that students would remain listed at their original home campus as long as the majority of their total credits is at their home campus or the majority of their total credits is not at their home campus but consists fully of online and distance learning credits. Students would have been impacted by the administrative campus process only if the majority of their total credits is not at their home campus and the majority of their In-person/hybrid/split credits is not at their home campus.

Dean’s List

University Senate Motion (May 4, 2020)

Language added to existing by-law: “For Spring semester 2020 only, the calculable credits required to qualify for Dean’s List are reduced to six and for Dean’s List (Part-time) are reduced to nine.”

Pass/Fail Grading

Original University Senate Motion (March 17, 2020)

For the Spring semester 2020 only, the usual limitations on students for electing to take courses on a Pass-Fail basis will be suspended. Individual schools and colleges will determine which courses may count toward major and minor requirements if taken Pass-Fail. General Education courses which are taken Pass-Fail will count toward the general education requirements. The 26-credit and scholastic probation restrictions are suspended. Pass-Fail courses from the Spring 2020 Semester will not count toward the three-course limit. Students may elect Pass-Fail grading at any time through the last day of classes of Spring 2020. In the event that students select Pass-Fail grading, the course is graded in the usual way by the instructor; and the instructor submits a letter grade. This letter grade is translated into a P (D- or above) or remains an F. In neither event will a course taken under the Pass-Fail option be included in the computation of the semester or cumulative grade point average, but a grade below C makes the student ineligible for Dean's List. Students should consult with their advisors before electing to complete courses on a Pass-Fail basis.

Amendment (April 27, 2020)

Summary of changes:

  • Extends deadline from last day of classes until May 15, 2020: “Students may elect Pass-Fail grading at any time through the last day of classes of Spring 2020 up until May 15, 2020.”
  • Allows students to change back to a letter grade: “Students who chose the Pass-Fail option prior to the adoption of these changes will have the option of reverting to a letter grade by notifying the Registrar by May 15, 2020.”
University Senate Motion (October 5, 2020)

Proposed Modification for AY 2020/2021 only:

A student may elect a maximum of 12 credits (not including Spring 2020) to be distributed over not more than three courses, to be recorded as ‘P’ for Pass or ‘F’ for Fall on his or her permanent record. Courses taken Pass-Fail may only be used as electives; they may not be used to satisfy general education, school/college, major or minor requirements. Students who are adding a course to, or removing a course from, the Pass-Fail option must do so by 11:59 pm on November 20, 2020 for the Fall 2020 semester and by 11:59 pm on April 9, 2021 for the spring semester. Students must get approval (with signature) from their advisors prior to electing to complete courses on a Pass-Fail basis.

Amendment (December 7, 2020)

A student may elect a maximum of 12 credits (not including Spring 2020) to be distributed over not more than three courses, to be recorded as ‘P’ for Pass or ‘F’ for Fall on his or her permanent record. Courses taken Pass-Fail may only be used as electives; they may not be used to satisfy general education, school/college, major or minor requirements. Students who are adding a course to, or removing a course from, the Pass-Fail option must do so by 11:59 pm on December 28, 2020, for the Fall 2020 semester and by 11:59 pm on May 14, 2021, for the spring semester. Students must get approval (with signature) from their advisors prior to electing to complete courses on a Pass-Fail basis

Withdrawal Deadline

Spring 2020

UConn extended the last day to withdraw from a course and/or to finalize pass/fail enrollment for Spring 2020 classes to May 1, 2020.

Spring 2021 (Scholastic Standards Committee, January 25, 2021)

The deadline to withdraw from a course for Spring 2021 classes was extended to April 28, 2021.

Withdrawal Grades on Transcripts

University Senate (March 1, 2021)

Language added to By-Law II.B.10 (Academic Advising and Registration, Adding or Dropping Courses: "For the semesters Spring 2020, Fall 2020, and Spring 2021, students may select a transcript notation of ‘NRC’ (No Record-COVID) to replace the ‘W.’" Policy later clarified to include Summer 2020 and Winter 2021.

Graduate Students

P/WAU Grading

Graduate Faculty Council Motion (April 13, 2020)

The Graduate Faculty Council voted on April 13, 2020, to “temporarily waive the GFC by-laws to allow any graduate student to convert a course taken in spring 2020 from ‘graded’ to either ‘pass/fail’ or ‘audit,’ with approval of the student’s major advisor (and/or program director).”

Non-Degree Students

Maximum Credits for Non-Degree Students

University Senate Motion (June 24, 2020)

Due to the Covid-19 crisis, admitted students may choose to take a gap year and yet earn credits. Similarly, there may be some increased demand for online courses by non-UConn students. Raising the limit on number of credits that non-degree students may take to 12 from 8 will provided greater educational opportunities during a time of uncertainty and may yield additional tuition revenue.

The following language was added to University By-Law II.A.5.b.: "For the academic year 2020-2021 only, non-degree students may enroll in up to 12 credits."

Academic Calendar

Additional Reading Days for Fall 2020

University Senate Motion (June 24, 2020)

Because the University of Connecticut determined that the two weeks of class following the Thanksgiving break would be online, four days of those two weeks were designated as reading days.

The following language was added to the existing by-laws governing the University Calendar (Section II.H):

"The fall 2020 semester will include 13 weeks of classes, seven reading days, and six days of final assessments."

"Fall 2020 only, no regularly scheduled final assessments may be held during the reading periods from December 8-13 and December 17 or the class days from November 30 – December 7, 2020."

Changes to Spring 2021 Academic Calendar

University Senate Motion (October 5, 2020)

For the spring 2021 semester, a one-week spring break shall take place after 12 weeks of classes, counting the week with Martin Luther King Day as the first week. Two additional reading days will be held on Thursday, April 29 and Friday, April 30.

  • Spring semester classes: Tuesday, January 19, 2021-Saturday, April 10, 2021
  • Spring break: Sunday, April 11, 2021-Saturday, April 17, 2021
  • Spring semester classes: Monday, April 19, 2021 - Wednesday, April 28, 2021
  • Reading Days (no classes or assessments): Thursday, April 29, 2021-Sunday, May 2, 2021
  • Final Assessments: Monday, May 3, 2021-Saturday, May 8, 2021