Change of Grading Basis

The grading basis for HDS courses is selected when the student adds the course to the Crimson Cart.

HDS offers these grading options (see Grades for more information):

• Letter Graded
• Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
• Audit

The grading options available for a given course are indicated in the my.Harvard course information, as well as the drop down menu available when adding the course to the Crimson Cart.

Students can edit the grading basis for course by using the "edit" button (see my.Harvard Student Edit, Drop, & Swap Enrolled Courses). After the initial Crimson Cart deadline stated in the HDS Academic Calendar, students can only request grading basis changes by using the HDS Course Change Form.

After the add/drop deadline, students cannot change a course from credit to audit or vice versa. Between the add/drop deadline and the withdrawal deadline, students can only change courses from letter graded to SAT/UNSAT and vice versa.

For courses that meet for the academic year, the fall semester deadline applies. That is, students must commit to their status in a full-year course by the withdrawal deadline (or the first non-holiday thereafter) of the fall semester.