De Anza College students are still able to request a grade change to pass or no pass for their classes taken in the winter 2020 quarter with a deadline extension of 180 days, the timeline began March 13.

Typically, students have to request a grade change from a letter to a pass or no pass 4 weeks into the course. However, the deadline was extended to comply with an executive order from the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office.

The extension aims to accommodate issues caused by school closures and remote learning, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I have received about 100 requests so far to change a letter grade to pass or no pass for many different winter classes,” said Nazy Galoyan, dean of enrollment services, during the Academic Senate meeting on April 20. “It doesn’t matter if the classes have been passed or failed or received a C or B, just so long as it does not impact the student’s winter GPA.”

In order to receive a pass grade change, students must have earned a grade of a C- or higher in the course during the winter quarter. Students who received a D or lower will receive a no pass.

A pass grade will not alter a student’s GPA lower or higher, and students who request a pass grade cannot take the course again.

In addition, according to the De Anza website, receiving a pass grade can affect a student’s standing with their transfer to a four-year college because some universities do not accept a pass grade. Other universities equate a pass grade to a C.

If a student were to receive a no pass as a grade change, they will be marked as not finishing the course, which could affect their financial aid status.

A grade change of a pass or no pass is permanent and cannot be switched back to a letter grade.

“The website for pass no pass has all the information that students, faculty and staff need to know about pass or no pass.” said Galoyan. “The information is absolutely 100% correct and very helpful for students to understand the implications and the consequences if they choose to change their grade to pass or no pass.”