Students may utilize the Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S*/U*) Grading Option for select courses during their undergraduate study; a number of important restrictions apply (listed below). Under the student-elected S/U option, the student's grade for a course will be recorded on his or her transcript as S* (student-elected Satisfactory) or U* (student-elected Unsatisfactory). Neither grade will affect the student's GPA.

Students elect the Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory option under Registration - S/U Grading Option in my.newpaltz.edu. The course instructor is not informed that a course is being taken S*/U* and will submit the letter grade earned by the student. Letter grades of A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C- will convert to S* (Satisfactory) while grades of D+, D, D- and F will convert to U* (Unsatisfactory). S* grades count toward graduation; U* grades do not.

A student may request that an S* or U* be changed back to a regular letter grade, which will then be counted in the cumulative average and appear on the university record. Such a request will be honored if made within one calendar year after the semester in which the student earned the S* or U*, or before the student graduates, whichever period is shorter. [Policy revision effective Fall 2012.]

The following restrictions apply to the use of the Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory Grading Option:

  • Students who began at New Paltz as freshmen or who entered New Paltz with fewer than 60 transfer credits may select the S*/U* grading option four times during their undergraduate work. A student may use the S*/U* option for no more than one course (up to four credits) per semester and for no more than four courses (up to 12 credits) of undergraduate work at New Paltz.
  • Students with 60 or more transfer credits may use the S*/U* grading option two times. [Policy revision effective Fall 2014.]
  • Courses that have been elected Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory will not be counted toward General Education, Writing Intensive or Diversity requirements; the Education curricula, or the student's major or minor requirements, unless the student requests that the S* or U* be changed to a regular letter grade.
  • The S*/U* option is not available for the following courses: ENG160 Composition I or ENG170 Writing and Rhetoric or their equivalents; independent study courses; and any course listed in the Undergraduate Catalog with an S*/U* restriction ("Students cannot elect the Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grade option for this course"). Graduate students may not elect S*/U* for courses in their plans of study.
  • The S*/U* option does not apply for W (withdrawal) grades.
  • The deadline for choosing S*/U* is the last day of classes. Refer to the Academic Calendar for the exact date each semester.
  • See also: Dean's List policy.