Updated: In an email to all South Dakota State  University students, the university announced that they too will be altering the grading system. 

“Most students will have the option of keeping their traditional letter grade or selecting S/U,” the COVID-19 Response Team email said.

In certain courses, students will not have the choice of a pass/fail grading scale.

The email went on to say, “In the coming days, the university will announce a formal policy regarding the S/U options.”

Original: The University of South Dakota and Augustana University both announced that they will be temporarily altering the grading system in response to COVID-19.

In an email sent to USD students Saturday March 28, the university announced that they are working on options for students to complete their online courses under S/U (Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory). Augustana made their call to alter the grading system Thursday March 27.

Students will receive credit for all satisfactorily completed courses — S equals C- or better and U equals D+ or lower. This will not affect the students’ grade point average. The option to earn the traditional letter grade is still available.

“The University of South Dakota is committed to maximizing student equity, success and retention during this difficult time,” the email said.

Some courses and majors are not eligible for S/U grading. At Augustana, S/U grading is not allowed for any course with a NURS prefix. USD has not defined what courses are not eligible yet for S/U.

South Dakota State University has not announced an official decision on making changes to the grading system.