FAQ: Undergraduate Academics

Department chairs are responsible for the delivery of instruction. Campus leaders have been in frequent communication with the chairs, encouraging them to make themselves available to instructors to help them make decisions regarding final grade assignments and address situations that may impede the submission of grades.

Campus administration cannot assign grades; grades are final when faculty submit grades on MyUCSC.

The campus regularly encourages instructors to be in communication with students when there is the possibility for disruptions on campus, whether from power outages, protests, or other events. In addition to campus email, UC Santa Cruz has a learning management system that enables instructors and TAs to communicate with classes and sections, and many options for instructors and TAs to provide instruction remotely.

Instructors are primarily responsible for grades. In situations when the instructor is not able to submit grades, the responsibility falls to the department or program chair or the college provost who offered the course.

Students who chose to receive a letter grade but instead received a temporary Pass (P) grade should reach out to the course instructor to see when the instructor expects to have sufficient information to assign a letter grade. The temporary P grade was made available to mitigate impacts, with a focus on students’ financial aid, enrollment status, graduation, major declaration and other academic decisions.

Currently, this is not an option under consideration. While the protests are happening on campus, instruction continues. For those who may be honoring the graduate student strike, alternate forms of instruction and class time should be provided to ensure course learning outcomes are achieved. This website includes a contact form that undergraduates can use if their class is disrupted by the strike. The police are ensuring roadways are clear for people traveling to campus and also for the community members who live in the surrounding area and need to pass by our campus.

Alternate forms of instruction and class time may have been provided by the faculty. Outside of unforeseen changes to class schedules, course syllabi are provided to students as a means of understanding the course learning outcomes and how they will be achieved. As an example, faculty may determine that class attendance and participation may not be required to achieve academic expectations and learning outcomes. There are also a number of ways to complete rigorous academic expectations outside of a typical lecture environment, not all are in-class or in-section participation.

Campus leaders sincerely hope that all grades will be in by the Feb. 27 deadline. When students do not have grades, it can have a profound impact on their financial aid; their ability to enroll in classes they need; to apply for graduation; or even declare a major. Likewise, it can impact reporting requirements, students who have received an external scholarship, veterans, and those under academic review.

Campus administration cannot assign grades; grades are final when faculty submit grades on MyUCSC. The campus has asked department and program chairs to make themselves available to instructors to help them make decisions regarding final grade assignments and to address situations that may impede the submission of grades.

Students should reach out to their instructor to understand any changes or adjustments in the determination of final grades. The campus has asked chairs to make themselves available to instructors to help them make decisions regarding final grade assignments and address situations that may impede the submission of grades.

No. Incomplete grades should only be assigned by the instructor of record when requested by the student, and when the student has completed work of passing quality, but the student’s work is not yet complete. If a student has received an incomplete (I) grade in error, they should immediately contact their instructor.

The degrees for students who applied to graduate in fall quarter will still be processed for fall 2019. The campus is working quickly to process graduation applications once all grades are reported.