Pass-D-Fail

Columbia used to offer a Pass-Fail option, but this has since been superseded by the Pass-D-Fail option. Under Pass-D-Fail, you can choose one course each semester for which you'll receive a grade of either P, D, or F. If you got a P grade, the Registrar will also inform you of your original grade, which you can then choose to "reveal".

The new policy is designed to encourage students to actually work for their Pass-D-Fail course. First, if you do no work as many students did under Pass-Fail, you run the risk of narrowly missing a C or C- and instead getting a D. Second, if you're doing well up to the Pass-D-Fail deadline, you might as well continue to do well for another month and get a good grade in the course as a whole.

That said, Pass-D-Fail introduces a new dilemma. If, say, you get some mediocre grade like a B or B+, do you choose to reveal it, or do you keep it hidden behind the P?

In spring of 2013, SEAS adopted its own SEAS Pass-Fail Policy.