BBA: Non-Graded (Pass/Fail) Courses

BBA students may NOT elect any Ross (business) classes Pass/Fail unless the classes are set up as mandatory Pass/Fail. This rule applies to all BBA students and Ross classes, regardless of earned credits or year in program. Students are responsible for validating their correct grading basis in Wolverine Access during registration for the course.

Prior to electing any non-business coursework as optional Pass/Fail, Ross School of Business students are encouraged to consider this decision carefully and discuss this decision with a Ross academic advisor. Whether a student may elect a course as optional Pass/Fail and the deadlines for when that election may take place are determined by the home school of the student. Students should review the information below carefully, and check with a Ross academic advisor or the Ross Registrar’s Office in advance if there are any questions.

BBA Student Guidelines:

  • ECON 102 must be taken on a graded basis if completed at UM-Ann Arbor for any BBA students who entered UM in Fall 2017 or beyond and who were Sophomore students in the BBA program in Fall 2018 or beyond. (BBAs who entered UM prior to Fall 2017 and who were Sophomore students in the BBA program in Fall 2017 or earlier should confirm policies with an academic advisor.)  
  • BBA students are allowed to take non-business classes (e.g., LSA, Engineering, etc.) on a non-graded basis (P/F, CR/NC, S/U).
  • Non-graded courses may be included in a distribution plan. (Note: the final course in a sequence used to satisfy the Foreign Language Requirement may not be elected on an optional Pass/Fail basis and must be completed for a grade.)
  • Courses included toward a minor must be taken for a grade; courses elected on an optional Pass/Fail basis will not be counted toward minor requirements.
  • During the 2022-2023 academic year, students may elect to change non-Business eligible* coursework to pass/fail (P/F) through the last day of class.  Students can change the grading basis for an eligible class through your Student Center in Wolverine Access until the end of the regular add/drop period for that class.  Instructions on how to request changes in grading basis to pass/fail after the drop/add deadline (and until the last day of class) will be shared in the near future.  Students should meet with an Academic Advisor prior to making changes in grading basis for classes. Students pursuing dual degrees or minors should meet with advisors in those areas.  *Eligible coursework that students can switch to pass/fail includes any non-Business coursework not being used for a major or minor, with the exception of 4th semester language classes, ECON 102, ECON 101, First Year Writing, and MATH 115. No Business classes can be taken pass/fail, unless they are mandatory pass/fail. A maximum of 30 non-graded credits are accepted towards the BBA degree.
  • Courses added late – after registration has closed on Wolverine Access – may not be elected on a non-graded basis unless the course is offered as a mandatory non-graded course.
  • Students may count a maximum of 30.0 non-graded credits toward the 120.0 credits required for a degree. Non-graded credits are earned in courses for which no letter grade (A+ through E) is recorded on the transcript. Only those non-graded credits actually earned are counted as part of the total number of non-graded credits applicable toward a degree. (Test credits as well as transfer courses for which students earned grades at another institution do not count against the 30.0-credit limit).
  • Instructor approval is not required for a choice in the elected grading pattern nor should the instructor be informed of such a choice. Instructors report letter grades (A through E) for all students in their courses, except in mandatory Pass/Fail, CR/NC, S/U courses. In the case of a student who has chosen to elect a non-Ross graded course on an optional Pass/Fail basis, the Office of the Registrar converts the letter grades according to the following policies:
    • Grades of A+ through C- are posted on a transcript as P (Pass); credit toward a degree is earned
    • Grades of D+ through E are posted on a transcript as F (Fail); no degree credit is earned
    • Non-graded courses earn credit toward a degree but not honor points.  Therefore, Pass/Fail (or Credit/No Credit, etc.) grades do not enter into the computation of the term or cumulative grade point averages.

Additional Information:

  • Students planning to apply to law schools should be aware that the Law School Data Assembly Service counts F grades from Pass/Fail classes as failing grades in computing a student’s grade-point average. All graduate schools may require that Pass/Fail grades be revealed as part of their review process.
  • A student may pay a special fee set by the Registrar’s Office and request a specially prepared appendix to the transcript on which the original grades submitted for all courses elected as optional Pass/Fail are listed.