Questions and Answers for the Grading System to be used in the Spring 2020 Semester

5 April 2020

 Q1: Can all students apply for a leave of absence?

A: Yes. Upon their requests, all undergraduate and graduate students can apply for a leave of absence for the Spring 2002 semester, as summarized below. This period will NOT be counted toward their maximum period of study. 

- Undergraduate students as well as MS/MA students, remedial students in graduate programs, and PhD students whose status is “Course” or “Qualifying” can apply for a leave of absence for the Spring term.

- MS/MA students who are registered in thesis (690) and PhD students in the ‘thesis status’ (790) and unable to carry on with their thesis work need the consent of their thesis advisor to be apply to the executive board for a leave of absence.

- Graduate students in the thesis period and who have completed the maximum time limit can be granted extension of time up to the duration of the break.

Q2: Why are there two different dates for course drop?

A:  To give students more chances for course drop. Students who wish to attend some classes with a letter grade may want to convert the grade they will receive to a P/F for different reasons later in the semester. An additional date after the grading period is specified for students to drop only the course for which they received an F.

Q3: Do I need to wait for the date in July to drop the course that I think I will fail due to absence.

A: No. The course can be dropped in the first course drop period which is between May 4-29.

Q4:  Can we freely choose to receive a P/F or a letter grade in the courses we take? Will there be any preconditions or justifications to be sought for our decision?

A:  Only in undergraduate courses, students will be able to request a change in the grading system (without any need for permission/approval) only once for a given course (from Letter Grade to Pass/Fail or vice versa). Nevertheless, some courses (e.g., some mass courses) can be designated, by the Senate, as P/F courses for this semester with the suggestion of the relevant Department/Faculty /Institute from the beginning. Students who want to receive a letter grade in these courses should apply to their departments/academic units via e-petition between 4-11 May. In these courses,  the final grade will then be determined subsequent to some extra work (e.g., exam, homework, etc.) to be given by the course instructor.

Q5:  Why do we get to choose a letter grade before the final exams; and the  P/F grades after the final exams?

A:  If, in a given course designated as a P/F course, the student necessarily requires  a letter grade, the instructor can ask the student to do additional work (e.g., additional readings, assignments, etc.).  The student will need time to complete these assignments before the final grades are submitted by the instructor.  In a course with a letter grade, the student may be dissatisfied with the grade and request a P/F. For this, the student must learn her/his grade first.Therefore, students need to choose a letter grade prior the final exams but can opt for a P/F grade after the final grades are announced.

Q6: What does it mean to say “courses in which distance education makes it unfeasible to assess the student’s performance for a letter grade”?

A: For undergraduate courses which normally use letter grades, but where distance education makes it difficult to assess the student’s performance adequately for a letter grade, the instructor, through the academic unit, can apply to the board of the relevant faculty, school, or institute for these letter-grade courses to be designated as pass/fail. The Senate will take the final decision on these courses. Students who wish to receive a letter grade in these P/F courses need to apply for a grade system change.

Q7:   Can a student revert to a P/F grade once requested a letter grade in a P/F course?

No. Grade change is possible only once in given course. Only under exceptional circumstances, a student can apply, via e-petition, to the relevant executive committtes for this.

Q8: Are senior (graduation) projects included in this system?

A: This new grading system applies to all undergraduate courses.

Q9: Can we drop a course that we are repeating in case we receive an F in the Spring 2020 term?

A: Yes, you can do this within the specified time period.

Q10: Can we drop a course we are repeating?

A: Yes, you can do this within the specified time period.

Q11: Can we drop a course even though we get into an underload status?

A: Yes, you can drop a course and be in an underload in this semester.

Q12: What is the critieria for a Pass or Fail grade?

A: Grades above DD are considered (P)ass and others are F.  Apart from this, specific evaluation criteria for a course are determined by the course instructor.

Q13:  Will the choice of a P/F or a letter grade to be made by the students be determined by the instructors or the Senate?

A:  Students can request to receive a P/F in all letter grade courses.  Only in this semster, some of the letter grade courses will be designated as P/F courses by the Senate upon the request/suggestion of the academic unit and the board of the relevant faculty, school, or institute. Students need to apply to receive a letter grade in these P/F courses.

Q14: Will the regular “repeating” rules be followed for students who are in the ‘repeating’ or ‘on probation’ status in the next two terms?

A: There is no change in the rules and regulations. If a student is granted a leave of absence this term, s/he will begin the next semester in the same status as the beginning of the Spring 2020 term.

Q15: Can we request a P/F for a DC course we are repeating this semester? If so, will we still be considered having repeated the DC course at the end of the semester? How will or GPA be affected by this?

A: Please use the GPA Calculator on your BUIS page to observe the effect of Pass grade on your GPA.

Q16: If a course is listed in both the ‘minor’ and ‘major’ transcripts, can we request a P/F in one and a letter in the other?

A: No. One particular course can be assigned only one single grade.

Q17: If we receive a P(ass) for all courses, will our GPA remain the same?

A: Please use the GPA Calculator on your BUIS page to observe the effect of Pass grade on your GPA.

Q18: If I receive a P(ass) for all the courses I repeat, how will my GPA be affected?

A: Please use the GPA Calculator on your BUIS page to observe the effect of Pass grade on your GPA.

Q19: If we extend our period of study or get a leave of absence, will there be any flexibility in the dates of graduation required by TÜBİTAK in undergraduate/graduate scholarships?

A:   The scholarships granted by TÜBİTAK will be suspended for the period of a leave of absence and will resume later on. For those requesting a leave of absence, should submit the official document indicating COVID-19 related leave of absence to TÜBİTAK on the term they re-start.

Q20: If the regular grading system of a course is P/F in the previous semesters, can a letter grade be requested for this course this semester?

A: No, it is not possible to request a letter grade from a course that is already a P/F course. What is being done in this semester is to allow some courses that normally use a letter grade to switch to P/F grades by the Senate’s decision.

Q21: How will I apply for a change in the grading system for a particular course?

A:  You will be informed about the application procedures in the coming days.

Q21:  In the guideline, it is noted that “MS/MA students who are registered in thesis (690) and unable to carry on with their thesis work need the consent of their thesis advisor in order to be apply to the executive board for a leave of absence”. How can MS/MA students in the thesis stage and who are also taking courses apply for a leave of absence?  If they apply for a leave of absence by getting the consent of their advisor, can they still continue taking courses? Will they be granted an extra semester for the thesis?

A: If MS/MA students who are taking courses and registered for the 690-thesis are granted a leave of absence, they will be given another semester (the Fall 2020 semester) in which they will need to register for the thesis and the courses just like the beginning of this spring semester. They will not be granted an additional semester for the thesis.  These students cannot be taking any courses in the semester for which they are granted a leave of absence.

Q22: Are P(ass) courses counted toward the total credit required for graduation?

A:  Yes, they are.

Q23: Can we drop the first-year courses in our undergraduate programs?

A:  Yes, you can. The restriction for this has been lifted for the Spring 2020 semester only.

Q24: Can we add courses in this semester?

A:  No, you cannot. You are not allowed to add a course at this stage.

Q25: How will the new grading system work for students who are in their first semester; if they opt for P/F grades in all of their courses, how will their GPAs be calculated? If their GPA is 0, will they fall into the on-probation status?

A:  If students in their first semester take all their courses as P/F in the Spring 2020 semester, their transcripts will look like those of transfer students whose courses are transferred with a Pass grade. In other words, their GPA will not be calculated this semester but it will be calculated on the basis of the grades they will obtain from the courses they will take next semester.