Dear Instructors and Students,
The pass/fail and drop deadlines for the fall 2021 semester are being extended to the last day of classes, which is Dec. 3. Beginning Nov. 1, and specifically for fall 2021 courses, all Rice students in all programs will have until the last day of classes to 1.) designate an in-progress course to the pass/fail option and 2.) to late drop any of their in-progress registered courses. No fees will be assessed.
Pass/Fail: This is an extension of the pass/fail deadline from week 10 of the semester to the last day of classes. Other existing pass/fail policies still apply. For example, no more than one course per semester can be taken as pass/fail and some courses, such as the Freshman Writing Intensive Seminar, cannot be designated as pass/fail. To learn more, please review the pass/fail guidelines here: https://registrar.rice.edu/
Late Drop: Late drops occurring after Oct. 29 must be an in-progress course. A course grade of “W" will be noted on a student’s transcript except for newly matriculated fall 2021 undergraduate students. For those students, the course will be removed from their transcript altogether. Late drops are still subject to the university’s other drop/add policies such as dean approval for part-time status. International students on an F or J visa must get prior approval from an Office of International Students and Scholars advisor before taking a late drop. To learn more, see General Announcements for Information on Course Load and Grades here: https://ga.rice.edu.
Please note these changes to deadlines do not require any modifications to instruction or grading on part of instructors. Rather, it simply gives students additional time and flexibility as they try to evaluate their course performance. Compared to previous semesters, we have seen substantial increases in levels of student stress as indicated by the utilization of student wellbeing resources. We hope that providing this extra level of flexibility for students finishing out the semester will help ease some of this stress. We ask that all members of our community keep in mind the increased strains many are under and remember that everyone plays a role in promoting a healthy environment. If you would like to learn more about support resources at Rice, please visit the university's Wellbeing and Counseling Center website here: https://wellbeing.rice.
Regards,
Reginald DesRoches, Howard Hughes Provost
Bridget Gorman, Dean of Undergraduates
Seiichi Matsuda, Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
The Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate