What Is a Pass/Fail Class and Should You Take One?

Pass/fail grading is an alternative to the traditional A-through-F letter grade system. When you elect to take a course pass/fail, your transcript will show a notation like “P” (pass) or “F” (fail) instead of a specific letter grade. At most schools, you need to earn the equivalent of a D- or higher to receive a passing mark, though some institutions set the bar higher.

At UNC-Chapel Hill, for example, students receive “PS” (pass) for grades A through C, “LP” (low pass) for C- through D, and “F” for failing work. Stanford uses a “Credit/No Credit” system where you need the equivalent of a C- or better to earn credit.

The concept is not new. Schools like MIT have used pass/no-record grading for first-year students for decades, helping freshmen adjust to rigorous college workloads without the pressure of GPA consequences. Brown University allows students to take unlimited courses on a satisfactory/no-credit basis and does not calculate GPAs at all.

Most colleges allow you to elect pass/fail for one course per semester, and the option is typically restricted to elective courses outside your major and minor requirements. You will usually have a deadline partway through the semester — often around the midpoint — to make your decision, and at most schools, that decision is final.

This is the most important thing to understand: pass/fail grading is not symmetrical. When you pass a course, you earn credit hours toward graduation, but no quality points are added to your GPA calculation. Your GPA stays exactly where it was. However, when you fail a pass/fail course, the F is typically calculated into your GPA just like any other failing grade — at most institutions, it carries zero quality points and adds attempted credit hours to your record.

At Southern Illinois University, the academic catalog explicitly states that a grade of P is not included in GPA computation, while a grade of F is counted as a failure. UNC-Chapel Hill follows the same pattern: PS and LP notations do not affect GPA, but an F is treated identically to a failing grade in any other course.

This means pass/fail is fundamentally a safety net, not a GPA booster. You cannot use it to raise your GPA — you can only use it to prevent a low grade from dragging it down. If you’re already earning a B or higher in a course, switching to pass/fail actually costs you quality points you could have banked.

Pass/fail works best in specific situations. If you’re genuinely curious about a subject outside your comfort zone — say you’re a business major interested in organic chemistry or a STEM student drawn to art history — pass/fail lets you explore without the stakes. You get to stretch intellectually while protecting your transcript from an unfamiliar discipline’s grading curve.

It also makes sense when you’re dealing with a difficult personal semester. If you’re managing a health challenge, a family crisis, or an unusually heavy course load, pass/fail on one elective can reduce your overall stress. Many universities expanded pass/fail options during the COVID-19 pandemic, recognizing that extraordinary circumstances require academic flexibility.

Another strong use case is when a class is genuinely outside your career path, and you’re taking it purely for general education credit or personal enrichment. If the course has no bearing on your future applications, internships, or professional licensure, a “P” on your transcript will draw little attention.
However, even in these scenarios, you should talk to your academic advisor first. Your school’s specific policies may include restrictions you are unaware of, and the decision is usually irreversible once submitted.

There are clear situations where pass/fail is the wrong call. First, never elect pass/fail for courses required by your major or minor. Nearly every university prohibits this outright, and even where it’s technically allowed, doing so can create serious problems. At UNC-Chapel Hill, for instance, only one course completed with a PS grade — not LP — can count toward your major or minor core requirements, and gateway courses and prerequisites are entirely excluded.

Second, if you’re earning an A or B in the class, a pass/fail system throws away valuable GPA points. A strong letter grade in a challenging course tells graduate admissions committees and employers that you can handle rigorous work. A “P” tells them nothing about your performance level. Stanford’s advising office notes that most people who see a CR grade on a transcript assume the student earned the minimum passing mark.

Third, avoid pass/fail for courses that serve as prerequisites for future classes or professional programs. Medical schools, law schools, and many graduate programs require or strongly prefer letter grades in prerequisite courses. UChicago’s Career Advancement office warns that multiple pass/fail grades can negatively impact medical and law school applications.

Finally, if you’re a transfer student or plan to transfer, be cautious. Many receiving institutions limit how many pass/fail credits they will accept or may require you to retake courses that lack letter grades.

If graduate or professional school is on your radar, you need to think carefully about every pass/fail decision. Admissions committees use your transcript to assess whether you can handle advanced coursework, and a letter grade provides far more information than a pass notation. A “P” on your transcript tells an admissions reviewer only that you earned at least the minimum passing grade — they have no way to distinguish a near-A performance from a near-D performance.

That said, context matters. UChicago’s Career Advancement office notes that a limited number of pass/fail courses is unlikely to adversely affect your competitiveness for most opportunities, and that many employers and graduate programs review applications holistically. The key is where those pass/fail grades appear. One or two “P” grades in electives unrelated to your field of study will draw little scrutiny. Multiple pass/fail grades in core subject areas, however, can signal to reviewers that you may have been avoiding academic challenges.

For pre-medical students, the stakes are particularly high. The AMCAS application system used by medical schools treats pass grades as credit outside the numeric average, but admissions committees still want to see letter grades in science prerequisites. Pre-law students face a different calculation: the Law School Admission Council does not convert pass/fail grades into its GPA calculations, which means those courses are essentially invisible to the LSAC GPA — but law schools themselves will still see them on your transcript.

You might assume that pass/fail is a risk-free option for your financial aid, but that is not entirely true. Federal student aid requires you to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress, which includes minimum GPA standards, a course completion rate of at least 67% at most institutions, and finishing your degree within 150% of the normal credit hours required.

A pass in a pass/fail course counts as a completed course and earns credit toward your degree — so far, so good. But a fail counts as an attempted but not completed course, which harms both your completion rate and your GPA. At the University of Michigan, only grades of A, B, C, D, P, or S count as completed courses for SAP purposes — grades of F and W do not. If your completion rate drops below the required threshold, you could be placed on financial aid warning or even suspension.

The GPA component is equally important. Because a failing grade in a pass/fail course is treated the same as any other F, it can push your cumulative GPA below the 2.0 minimum that most schools require for continued aid eligibility. Federal Student Aid explicitly lists maintaining satisfactory academic progress as a basic eligibility requirement for receiving financial aid.

The process for electing pass/fail varies from school to school, but the general steps are similar. You will typically make the election through your school’s online student portal or registrar’s office, and the deadline falls somewhere between the end of the add/drop period and the midpoint of the semester. At Stanford, the deadline is the end of Week 8 of the quarter. At UNC-Chapel Hill, the deadline is published on the registrar’s grading calendar each semester.

Some important procedural notes: at most schools, your instructor will not be notified that you’ve elected pass/fail, so your classroom experience does not change. You are still expected to attend, participate, and complete all assignments. The instructor submits a normal letter grade, and the registrar’s office converts it to a pass or fail notation based on your school’s threshold.

Also, be aware that at most institutions, the decision is irreversible. At UNC-Chapel Hill, once you submit your pass/fail request, you cannot change your decision regardless of the final grade you earn. Even if you end up earning an A in the course, you will receive a PS notation on your transcript instead.

Finally, know your school’s limits. Many schools cap the total number of pass/fail credits you can apply to your degree. UNC-Chapel Hill limits students to 23 total pass/fail credit hours across their undergraduate career, with sub-limits on student-elected versus established pass/fail courses.