New Academic Policies for 2020-2021
August 19, 2020
Dear Trinity Students,
I hope this finds you and your families well, as we approach the start of the fall semester. I am very pleased to share with you several changes to academic policy, which Trinity’s Faculty voted yesterday to approve. These changes are intended to provide you with as much flexibility as possible during the upcoming academic year.
Credits Required for Graduation. All enrolled students will be able to graduate with a minimum of 34.5 credits, provided that all other graduation requirements have been fulfilled. This means that if you take 8 credits this academic year, you can still stay on track to graduate. If you’re enrolled in 6 or more credits for fall and J-Term, we encourage you to un-enroll in some courses so that other students can access them.
Good Academic Standing. For the 2020-21 academic year, good academic standing and satisfactory academic progress will be defined as follows:
- Passing at least 4 credits over the fall semester and J-Term combined (a passing grade consists of a C- or higher);
- Passing at least 4 credits over the spring semester and June summer session combined.
Converting a Course to Pass/Low Pass/Fail (L/LP/F). For the 2020-21 academic year, the date to convert a class to P/LP/F will be extended from 6 days after the semester begins to October 23, which is the midpoint of the semester. This date will provide you with more time to assess your performance in a course before deciding on the grading basis.
Incomplete. For the 2020-21 academic year, during which students may encounter various extenuating circumstances, students will not need to petition to receive an Incomplete. Faculty will be able to enter a grade of Incomplete at their discretion. The Incomplete can remain the official grade up to the last day of the following semester, at which time the work must be completed and a letter grade entered. Extensions beyond this deadline will require petitioning the Academic Affairs Committee.
Many thanks to Trinity’s faculty, especially our Curriculum Committee and the Academic Affairs Committee (and their student representatives) for making these important changes proactively. These steps demonstrate our forward-looking commitment to supporting you and your academic success.
On behalf of our faculty and academic staff, please accept my best wishes for a fall semester of exceptional learning and growth.
Sincerely yours,
Sonia Cardenas
Acting Dean of the Faculty and Vice President for Academic Affairs
Professor of Political Science
