Grades and Credits

The University of Washington Bothell awards numerical grades rather than letter grades. An elective pass/no-pass system called S/NS is available, although required courses may not be taken S/NS. A student may repeat a course only once, with permission; both grades are recorded and included in the grade-point average.

Students receive their grades online in MyUW, and can also view their unofficial transcript there. Starting the second week of the quarter there are a variety of restrictions on dropping and adding courses.

Numerical grades

University of Washington Bothell awards numerical grades instead of letter grades, on a scale of 4.0 to 0.0. Thus, instead of a B, a student may receive a 3.3, or a 2.7. The UW Bothell General Catalog contains more information about the letter-grade equivalents of number grades. Before summer 1976, the letter grades of A, B, C, D, and E were assigned.

Satisfactory/Not Satisfactory

Satisfactory/Not-Satisfactory (S/NS) is a pass/no-pass grading option elected by students on a course-by-course basis. A grade of 2.0 or higher is converted upon grade posting to an S on the student’s transcript, and a grade below 2.0 is converted to an NS on the transcript. Credit is received for an S grade, but not for an NS grade. Neither the S nor the NS is figured into the student’s grade-point average.

The instructor submits a regular numerical grade for each student, and is not informed which students have elected the S/NS option for a course until the s/he receives the grade confirmation report.

If the instructor submits the student’s grade before the grade deadline, the numerical grade will appear in the student’s MyUW for about 24 hours. Numerical grades are converted to S/NS during the first grade run, which is usually the Tuesday after grades are due. After that time the numerical grade is not visible on the student’s transcript, but remains visible on the SRF100A and SRF317 screens if it was submitted before the first grade run.

Registering for a course S/NS

Students can select the S/NS grade option when registering for a course. Students can switch from graded to S/NS, and vice versa, through the end of the quarter. For specific deadlines, see the Academic Calendar.

Counting S/NS courses toward requirements

University of Washington courses taken S/NS may not be counted toward any graduation requirement. S/NS courses may, however, count toward credits needed to reach (or exceed) the minimum 180 required to graduate. S/NS courses may not count toward English composition, additional writing, Q/SR, world language, or Areas of Inquiry requirements, and they may not count toward the requirements of a major or minor. For information about transfer courses and UW courses taken before matriculation, see below.

Admission deficiencies

Courses taken to remove admission deficiencies may be taken S/NS, since the restriction applies only to courses counted toward graduation requirements. Students should be cautioned, however, that courses taken to remove admission deficiencies may also count toward graduation requirements, but cannot be so used if taken S/NS.

World language sequences

If a student has satisfied any world language graduation requirement, courses in a second world language (or a first language, in colleges where there is no graduation requirement) can be counted toward VLPA if the student completes at least the third quarter of the language. It is not necessary that all the courses be completed for a numerical grade, only the ones that are to be counted toward VLPA. For example, if a student completes (as a second world language) FRENCH 101 and 102 for numerical grades and completes FRENCH 103 with a grade of S, the student is allowed to count FRENCH 101 and 102 toward VLPA.

Certificate programs

Whether or not courses taken S/NS can be counted toward the requirements of a certificate program is the decision of the department or other academic unit offering the program.

Prerequisite checking

A course with an encoded prerequisite or Cancellation in place may or may not accept a grade of S in the prerequisite, as determined by the department. (The default is that a grade of S is acceptable.) If a course requires a grade above 2.0 in the prerequisite, you can assume that a grade of S is not acceptable. In other cases, the student or adviser should check with the department offering the course. The information is not available on the SDB screens to which advisers have access.

Petitioning S/NS courses

The intent of the S/NS rules is that a student should not be able to choose between S/NS and numerical grading after knowing the course grade. There are certain circumstances, however, in which a student may be allowed to convert an S or NS grade back to the numerical grade originally awarded (See “Petitioning to count S/NS courses toward requirements” below).

It is extremely rare for a student to be allowed to convert a numerical grade to S/NS after the deadline for selecting S/NS grading.

Petitioning to count S/NS courses toward requirements after the deadline

A student may file a request with the UW Bothell Registrar to convert an S/NS grade to the numeric grade after the quarterly deadline has passed. The form, Late Grading Option, is available in the Registrar’s Office. The student must attach documentation (typically, a DARS report) that demonstrates that the change request arises from one of the following situations:

1. The course is required to satisfy a graduation requirement (for example, VLPA), and the student is close to graduation.
2. The course is required to apply for admission to a major.

If the requirement cannot be seen on a DARS report (such as a case where the course would be allowed by exception once converted, or if the student is in a graduate program), then a letter from an appropriate adviser is required (i.e., departmental adviser if the student is declared or First Year and Premajor Advisors).

Requests from students whose situation doesn’t fall in one of the two categories listed are usually denied.

Credit limits

A student may count a maximum of 25 UW credits earned on the S/NS grading option toward the 180 credits required for an undergraduate degree. (Transferred pass-fail courses do not count toward the 25-credit maximum.) A student is not allowed 25 S/NS credits per degree; a student who completes two simultaneous bachelor’s degrees (a double degree, usually totaling 225 credits) is also allowed a total of 25 S/NS credits.

Postbaccalaureate students

Postbaccalaureate students may count a maximum of 25 S/NS credits toward a degree, including any UW credits earned on the S/NS grading option in the first degree.

Students on academic warning

Students on academic warning are allowed to take courses S/NS. Since S/NS courses don’t affect the student’s GPA, however, and students on warning need to raise their GPAs, in general such students should be encouraged to take courses for numerical grades.

Transferred courses

A student who has taken a course on a non-graded option at another school before transfer to University of Washington Bothell may count that course toward basic skills, breadth, and/or minor requirements. Such courses may usually be counted toward major department requirements, but the student should consult with the department adviser concerning the department’s policy.

Courses taken as a nonmatriculated student

A student who has taken a course S/NS as a nonmatriculated student at University of Washington Bothell before his/her matriculation at University of Washington Bothell campus from which the student graduates may count that course toward basic skills, breadth, and/or minor requirements.

S/NS and professional schools

Students planning on applying to professional schools, such as medical, dental, veterinary, or law school, should use S/NS with caution. Professional schools prefer grades to pass/fail. Also, professional schools may choose to assign grades to pass/fail courses when evaluating students’ academic records. For example, a professional school might choose to translate any S grade into a 2.0, the lowest grade possible to qualify for an S, when calculating an applicant’s GPA.

Law schools translate all NS (and NC) grades into 0.0 grades, which can substantially alter an applicant’s GPA.

S/NS and high scholarship recognition

Eligibility for the quarterly and annual Dean’s List, baccalaureate honors (cum laude, etc.) is based on the number of graded UW credits completed. S/NS and CR/NC courses do not count as graded credits.

Previous S/NS rules

University of Washington Bothell courses taken S/NS before autumn 1985 may be counted toward the basic skills or breadth (AoI) requirements. Before autumn 1985, only certain departments allowed courses in the major to be taken S/NS; students should consult the appropriate departmental adviser.

S/NS vs. CR/NC

Credit/No-Credit is an option selected by the instructor or the department, and applies to the entire course rather than to individual students. The Credit/No-Credit system is entirely separate from the student-option S/NS system. The credits for such courses are not counted against the 25-credit S/NS limit, and students are allowed to use CR/NC courses to satisfy graduation requirements.

Credit/No Credit

Some courses are offered by the faculty on a Credit/No-Credit only (CR/NC-only) basis. No student can take a CR/NC-only class for a regular grade. The instructor assigns a grade of either “CR” or “NC,” neither of which is calculated into the student’s grade-point average. Whether or not the student receives credit, however, the course and the grade (“CR” or “NC”) are recorded on the transcript.

Some instructors may assign numerical grades to papers, exams, etc. during the quarter, but there is no University minimum in such cases for a numerical grade to be converted to CR. The instructor determines the minimum standards for CR, and submits either a CR or a NC grade.

Although courses taken under the elective pass/fail system, Satisfactory/Not Satisfactory, cannot be counted toward graduation requirements, there is no such restriction on CR/NC courses. There are also no restrictions on the number of CR/NC credits that can be taken in a single quarter, or the total number of CR/NC courses that can be counted toward a bachelor’s degree.

For information on CR/NC and professional schools and high scholarship recognition see Satisfactory/Not Satisfactory.

Credit/No-Credit option

A Credit/Non-Credit (CR/NC) option for undergraduate students was in effect from autumn 1972 through spring 1980. Students who chose the CR/NC program took all their classes on a Credit/No-Credit basis for as long as they remained in the program.

Incompletes

If a student completes almost all of a course but is not able to finish the required work by the end of the quarter, s/he may arrange with the instructor to take an incomplete in the course. In most cases, the student meets with the instructor to request the incomplete (the instructor may refuse), and together the student and instructor determine how the remaining work will be made up. An “I” grade will appear on the grade report.

Normally, the remaining work for the course is completed before the end of the next quarter and the instructor submits a grade. In some instances, the instructor will ask a student to sit in on the class the following quarter in order to make up the incomplete. In such cases, the student should never reregister for the course. Instead, the instructor submits an incomplete removal form at the end of that quarter.

Incomplete makeups are added into the GPA for the quarter in which the “I” was received, not the quarter in which the work is finished.

Deferral of an incomplete

The instructor email the University of Washington Bothell Registrar deferring removal of the incomplete for up to one year from the end of the quarter the incomplete was assigned; or the instructor may arrange for the “I” to be changed automatically to a specified grade if no other grade is submitted before the stated time. If the incomplete is not made up and a grade turned in by the end of the next quarter (summer excluded, even if the student attends) and no notice of deferral has been submitted, the incomplete will automatically be converted to a 0.0 in the next quarter. The instructor can change the 0.0 to a grade by submitting a change-of-grade card any time within the one-year limit.

Academic probation and incompletes

After the quarter is underway, a student will not be retroactively dropped by an incomplete removal in an earlier quarter, but a student may be retroactively put on academic warning.

Incompletes left at graduation

If a student receives an incomplete the quarter in which s/he graduates and the course is not needed for the degree, the incomplete does not automatically convert to a 0.0 the next quarter. If a grade is submitted, such an incomplete can be converted to a grade in the very next quarter after graduation, but if the conversion hasn’t occurred by then the incomplete will remain permanently as an “I”. If the incomplete is converted to a grade in the quarter following graduation, the grade is not added into the student’s final GPA.

The old incomplete system

Before summer 1976, a student was allowed up to two years to remove an incomplete, and an incomplete was never automatically converted to an E. Since it is now too late for any such incompletes to be converted to grades, they will remain permanently on the record as incompletes. They will never be converted to 0.0s.

X grades

An instructor may submit a grade of “X” for a student if for whatever reason the student’s grade is not available when the grades for the class are submitted. The student does not receive credit for the course until a numerical grade is turned in. Also, if an instructor has not turned in any grade by the time grade reports are printed, an “X” will be recorded until the grade is submitted. If the instructor never turns in a grade, the X remains on the transcript. The GPA is not affected and no credit is granted.

Withdrawals

Courses can be dropped through the last day of instruction. Once course per quarter can be dropped on MyUW. If a student is dropping more than one course or dropping all courses, they must fill out the Current Quarter Drop Adviser-Assisted Drop form. All drops are recorded as a “RD” on the student transcript. A complete withdrawal does not affect GPA.

Course withdrawals made during Registration Periods 1, 2, 3, and the Unrestricted Drop Period are not recorded on the transcript. After the last day of instruction, if the student wishes to drop a course, they must fill out a Former Quarter Drop Petition and provide supporting materials. This petition is reviewed by a committee and a decision is sent to the student within 2-3 weeks. When granted, the drop appears on the transcript with an “RD”.

Repeated Courses

As of autumn 1985, the Faculty Senate established the following regulation regarding the repetition of undergraduate courses:

“All grades earned at the University of Washington shall appear on the permanent record of a student and shall be included in the student’s cumulative grade-point average. With the approval of the academic department offering the course, an undergraduate student may repeat a course once. Both the original and the repeat grade shall be computed into the student’s GPA, but the credit hours for the repeat shall not be counted.” (University of Washington Handbook, Volume 4, Part III, Chapter 15)

When a student repeats a course, both the original and the repeat grades are calculated into the student’s cumulative GPA. For example, if a student receives a 1.0 in a five-credit course and then repeats the course and receives a 3.0, both grades are counted. The student ends up with the equivalent of ten credits of 2.0 in the GPA, not five credits of 2.0. Only five credits, however, count toward the 180 credits required for graduation.

What constitutes a repeat

A course registration is a repeat if the student is currently enrolled in the same course, or if the student has completed the course with one of the following grades: a numeric grade (including 0.0), Incomplete, S or NS, or CR or NC. Courses with an X, W, or W3-W7 are not counted as completed and there are no restrictions on reregistering for the course.

Departmental restrictions on repeating courses

Departments control the restrictions on the first repeat of individual courses. Each department chooses whether or not to allow repeat registration in each course in Period I, II, and III. The default is to allow repeating in all three periods. If a department chooses to deny repeats in all three Periods, a student may not repeat the course without obtaining the permission of the department. The restrictions in effect for each course are displayed on the Curriculum Inquiry screen, SRF200. For example:

RPT REG: 1:Y 2:Y 3:Y

Y means that repeat registration is allowed, N that it is not. In this example, repeat registration is allowed in Period 1, Period 2, and Period 3.

Repeat restrictions are a feature of the curriculum and may not vary from section to section of a course. Any changes must be made by the department before the beginning of Period I registration.

Overriding restrictions

Entry codes will not override a Period registration restriction set by a department; the department must use the SRF104 screen and enter an R in the override field. The R will also override any Time Schedule restrictions and prerequisites.

Multiple repeats

Before winter quarter 2005, students were not prevented from repeating a course more than once, except for a few courses that at department request were coded “no repeat registration.” Starting in winter quarter 2005, no student may repeat a course more than once unless given permission by the department offering the course. (Some types of courses that are routinely repeated are exempt from this rule; see below) If a student attempts to register for a course a third time, the registration system will respond with a message that the course has been previously repeated and the student is not eligible to register for the course again. In addition, departments may further restrict repeat registration in individual courses. See Departmental restrictions, below.

Types of courses not subject to the repeat rules

Students are not restricted from repeating the following types of courses:

• Courses numbered 500 and above
• Courses listed with a maximum repeat credit limit (for example, “5, max. 15”)
• English Language Program courses ENGL 100 and 101
• Variable-credit courses
• Courses with duplicate registration allowed in the same quarter
• Independent Study courses coded as IS
• Courses coded as Research
• Audited courses

Allowing additional repeats

In unusual circumstances a department may decide to allow a student to repeat a course more than once. In these situations, the department will use the SRF104 screen and enter an R in the override field. An entry code will not override the restriction. For the grade policies in multiple repeats, see below.

Grade policies

First repeats

The first time a student repeats a course, both the original and the repeat grades are calculated into the student’s cumulative GPA. The two grades are not averaged together. An R is posted next to the second grade to indicate that the course has been repeated. If the student earned credit the first time the course was completed (i.e., the grade was above 0.0), no credit is earned when the course is repeated.

Additional repeats

WINTER 2005 ON: If a student is allowed to repeat a course more than once, the grade is recorded on the student’s transcript but is not calculated into the student’s GPA. An R is posted next to the grade to indicate that the course has been repeated. If the student previously earned credit for the course (i.e., one of the previous grades was above 0.0), no credit is earned when the course is repeated.

COURSES REPEATED BEFORE WINTER 2005: Prior to winter 2005 students were not restricted from repeating a course more than once. The grade for the second and any subsequent repeats was recorded as X and was not included in the student’s grade-point average. If, however, the student had not yet received credit for the course and had now earned a passing grade, the grade was recorded as CR rather than X, and the student received credit for the course toward graduation. This change (from grade to X or CR) was made some time after grades were posted, so the grade was visible briefly on the student’s online grade report in MyUW.

If the student needs to demonstrate that a repeat grade posted as X or CR was above a certain level (e.g., if a 2.0 is required for all courses in the major), the adviser may be able to locate the grade in the Student Data Base, on the SRF100A screen.

S/NS

A student repeating a course may register for the course S/NS. This will, however, have no effect on the student’s GPA, since the first grade is still counted.

Transfer courses

Transferred courses repeated at UW Bothell

If a student repeats, at the University of Washington campuses, a course previously completed at another college, the credit for the transfer course is deleted from the student’s total. (It is assumed the student would prefer to have the course count toward his/her UW residence-credit total.) Following University of Washington Bothell’s policy for repeated courses, the grade for the transfer course remains in the transfer GPA.

Courses repeated before transfer

Before spring 2000, University of Washington Bothell’s repeat-course policy was applied to courses repeated at another college before transfer to the University of Washington Bothell. The original grade and the grade for the repeat were both included in the student’s transfer GPA, even if that was not the policy at the college were the course was repeated. (If the policy of the college was to erase the first grade, however, only the grade for the repeat would be included in the transfer GPA, since there is no way to know what the original grade was.)

Starting spring 2000, University of Washington Bothell has instead followed the repeat-course policy of the college where the student repeated the course. If that college counted only the repeat grade in the student’s GPA, then UW counts only the repeat grade in the student’s transfer GPA. All graded attempts at the course will, however, still be listed in the transfer evaluation.

If a student takes a course at one college, then repeats it at another college, and then transfers to UW Bothell, the first grade will be listed in the transfer evaluation but will not be included in the transfer GPA calculation.

This policy applies only to courses repeated at another college before the student matriculates at the University of Washington Bothell. After attending UW Bothell, the student is subject to UW’s repeat-course policy. If, for example, a student takes a course at a community college, transfers to UW Bothell, and then later returns to the community college and repeats the course there, both grades will count in the student’s transfer GPA regardless of the repeat-course policy of the community college. It should be noted that the student’s transfer GPA is important only for admission to the University of Washington Bothell. Neither transfer credits nor the transfer GPA are posted on the student’s official transcript. Many University of Washington Bothell majors with competitive admission (and all graduate and professional programs) do not rely on the University of Washington Bothell’s calculation of the student’s transfer GPA and instead require that the student submit copies of all transcripts when applying for admission.

Courses that can be repeated for credit

Some University of Washington Bothell courses can be “repeated for credit,” meaning a student can take the course more than once and receive credit each time. In the catalog description of such courses, both the course’s credit and the maximum credit a student can earn are indicated. For example, the credit notation “2, max. 6” means that a student can take a 2-credit course three times and receive all 6 credits. If a student enrolls in such a course past the credit maximum, the additional credit will not count toward graduation. Any additional grades earned do, however, count in the student’s GPA.

DARS has been programmed to recognize any such excess credit and will list it in the “courses that do not count for credit” category. DARS can also reduce the credit in such a course if some of the credit is allowable. If, for example, a student has taken 12 credits of BIS 498, which has a limit of 15 credits, and registers for another 5 credits of the course, DARS will reduce the course to 3 credits and place it in a category with the notation, “The following courses have had their credit reduced because they have exceeded the maximum repeat credit allowed toward a degree.”

Repeated courses and financial aid

A repeated course in which the student has already earned credit may count toward the 12 credits per quarter required for full-time financial aid, but does not count toward the 36 credits required per year. The course counts toward the 36 required credits only when the student earns credit for the course. (See above for details about when the credit is actually earned.) All students on financial aid who are considering repeating a course should discuss their options with a financial aid counselor.

Repeating courses after graduation

A student who has received a bachelor’s degree may not subsequently raise his/her graduation GPA by repeating courses.

Removing incompletes

A student who receives an incomplete grade should never reregister for the course to remove the incomplete. Instead, s/he should complete the work with the original instructor, or arrange to have the original instructor submit an incomplete conversion grade. If the student does reregister, s/he will receive two grades – one for the incomplete conversion (usually a 0.0) and one for the second registration – and both will remain on the student’s record and count in the student’s GPA.

Professional schools and repeated courses

Medical, dental, and law schools add in all grades when computing an applicant’s GPA-even grades which have been lined out. Only grades that have been erased and are therefore no longer visible are not counted. The University of Washington Bothell does not erase grades unless there was a University error, or unless the instructor submits a grade change.

SDB notations

/DR

When a student repeats a course, the notation /DR for Deduct-Repeat is posted by the second grade. The notation indicates that the grade counts in the student’s GPA but the credit is not added to the credit total—because the student has already earned credit for the same course. (If the student’s previous grade was 0.0 no notation is made, and both the credit and the grade count.)

/R

If a student enrolls in and completes a class a third time, neither the credit nor the grade counts. If the grades for the two previous attempts were both 0.0 and the student passes the course on the third try, credit is earned but the grade still does not count in the GPA.
The /R notation is also used when a student completes the first quarter of the foreign language the student took in high school to meet UW Bothell’s admission requirement. For students in the College of Arts and Sciences, the first quarter of a student’s language of admission is considered duplication. The course and grade received are posted on the transcript, but neither the credit nor the grade counts in the student’s totals.

/D

The notation /D for Deduct is posted by the grades of courses when the grade counts in the student’s GPA but the credit does not count toward graduation. The notation is used mainly for 100- and 200-level ROTC courses taken prior to autumn 2007 and ESL courses taken summer 1993 or later.

Transcript notations

On printed transcripts, the notation /R is posted next to any repeat (1st repeat, 2nd repeat, etc.) taken winter 2005 or later, and when a student takes the first quarter of her language of admission. /DR, as defined above, only appears on printed transcripts for first repeats prior to winter 2005. /D is used on transcripts in the same way as in the SDB.

Previous policies

Pre-1983

Prior to winter 1983 students were allowed to repeat any course any number of times. If the student so requested, only the last grade received was counted in the GPA; all earlier grades were still visible on the transcript, but were lined out with a diagonal line. Students could not use an earlier grade to line out a more recent grade. Grades of “S” or “CR” could be used to line out earlier grades, but the following grades could not be used: W, *W, HW, PW, I, NS, NC, N, or X.

This policy went into effect summer 1971 and was retroactive. Students who repeated a course before winter 1983 may still request to use that grade to line out earlier grades.

Winter 1983 through summer 1985

From winter 1983 through summer 1985 the following policy was in effect: “All grades earned at the University of Washington will appear on the permanent record of a student and will be included in the student’s cumulative grade-point average. An undergraduate student has the right to repeat a course once, and only if the original grade was lower than a 2.0. A department or program requiring its students to achieve a grade level above 2.0 may request approval from the Faculty Council on Academic Standards for exceptional arrangements. Both the original and the repeat grade will be computed into the student’s GPA, but the credit hours for the repeat will not be counted.”

Grade reports

Students obtain their grades online in MyUW.

Graded Credits Attempted is the number of credits used to calculate the quarterly grade-point average. This figure will often differ from Total Credits Earned, as some courses count toward graduation but not toward the grade-point average, or vice-versa.

Grade Points Earned is obtained by multiplying the number of credits for each class by the grade received. Thus, for GERMAN 103, 5 credits times a grade of 3.7 yields 18.5 grade points.

Grade Point Average is obtained by dividing the grade points by the graded credits attempted.

In this way the grades for each course are weighted, so that a 4.0 in a 5-credit course affects the GPA more than a 4.0 in a 2-credit course.

The Cumulative Summary, Graded Credits Attempted, Grade Points Earned, and Grade Point Average include only UW credits.

Academic Standing

Alert

Any undergraduate student whose GPA for his/her first quarter at the University is below 2.00 receives an academic alert. If s/he does not raise the cumulative GPA to at least 2.00 by the end of the next quarter in residence, s/he is placed on academic warning.

Warning

An undergraduate student will be placed on academic warning at the end of any quarter in which his/her cumulative GPA falls below 2.00 (unless it is his/her first quarter at the University, in which case only an “alert” is given). Once on warning, the student must attain at least a 2.50 average each succeeding quarter that s/he receives any numerical grades until the cumulative GPA is raised to a 2.00, or s/he will be dropped for low scholarship. If the grades for a quarter raise the cumulative GPA to 2.00, the student is off warning and the GPA for that quarter does not have to be a 2.50.

A student on warning is not required to carry a particular number of credits. S/he may drop classes or withdraw from the quarter within the same time periods as other students.

Drop

Each student dropped is notified by email when grades are posted at the end of the quarter. Before the student’s registration for the next quarter is cancelled, some time is allowed for late grades and grade changes to be posted. If any such changes are enough to move the student from drop to warning or off warning (or if the student is reinstated; see below) and the changes are processed by the Registrar’s Office before the cancellation date, the student’s program for the next quarter is not cancelled. If the changes or reinstatement are received after the deadline, the student must re-register.

Cancellation schedule

Next-quarter programs of dropped students are usually cancelled according to the following schedule:

A student is readmitted at the discretion of the dean of the school or college to which readmission is sought.

Grade policies

Grade changes

If an instructor agrees to change a student’s grade, recalculation of the student’s GPA for that quarter and subsequent quarters may retroactively remove the student from alert, warning, and/or drop status. If it does, the academic standing notations on the transcript will be erased or changed to reflect the student’s new status.

Incomplete removals

Since incomplete removal grades are posted in the quarter that the incomplete was incurred, an incomplete removal may retroactively raise or lower a student’s GPA. No student will be retroactively dropped by an incomplete removal, but a student may be retroactively put on warning. When this occurs during the quarter, the student must meet the minimum requirements for students on academic warning (see above) that same quarter, or s/he will be dropped. The intention of this policy is to prevent students from avoiding warning and drop by requesting incompletes in courses where a low grade would otherwise be posted-and is posted eventually.

Repeated courses

No special policies apply to students on alert, warning, or drop.

S/NS

Students in alert or warning status allowed to register for courses S/NS. Since only numerical grades will raise a student’s GPA and allow the student to get off warning, however, students on warning should be discouraged from selecting the S/NS grade option.

UW courses may not be taken while on drop status

A University of Washington Bothell student on drop status may not take UW courses as a nonmatriculated student; s/he must be reinstated before taking any UW courses.

Transcripts

Alert, Warning, and Drop notations appear only on unofficial transcripts. These notations do not appear on official UW transcripts.

Dean’s List and Baccalaureate Honors

The following forms of recognition are awarded to first-baccalaureate degree, matriculated students in residence at UW Bothell. Undergraduate students in all schools of the UW Bothell are eligible.

Note that courses taken S/NS or CR/NC do NOT count as graded credits toward the requirements of each honor.

Quarterly Dean’s List

A high scholarship notation is made on the transcript of each undergraduate student who attains a quarterly GPA of at least 3.50 for 12 UW graded credits. “Dean’s List” is entered on official and unofficial UW transcripts.

A list of the students on the current quarter’s Dean’s List at each UW campus is available online.

Annual Dean’s List

The following undergraduates receive yearly high scholarship recognition:

• Undergraduates who have attended three quarters of the academic year (summer through spring) and who have achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or higher in at least 12 graded credits in each of the three quarters.
• Undergraduates who have attended the University for four quarters of the school year (summer through spring), with a 3.50 or higher GPA in 12 or more graded credits in each of three quarters, and a 3.50 or higher GPA in 10 or more graded credits in the fourth quarter.

Such students are recognized by the notation “Annual Dean’s List” on official and unofficial UW transcripts following the last quarter’s grades for the year.

Baccalaureate Honors

Baccalaureate honors (cum laude, magna cum laude, summa cum laude) are awarded only to recipients of a first bachelor’s degree. Cum laude means “with praise,” magna cum laude means “with great praise,” and summa cum laude means “with highest praise.”

These honors are earned by students who have completed at least 90 residence credits at UW Bothell granting the degree. At least 60 of the 90 credits must be graded credits (see Pass/fail, below). Credits earned by advanced placement (AP) credit, other types of extension credit, credits from other UW campuses, and transfer credit are not counted toward the 90 credit total. Distance Learning courses (those that include a DL prefix) are included in the UW Bothell cumulative GPA and therefore count toward baccalaureate honors.

All graduates earning baccalaureate honors are given a gold honor cord to wear in the Commencement ceremony. For students graduating in spring quarter, the honors listed in the commencement program, as well as honor cord distribution, are based upon a student’s cumulative GPA as of the winter quarter, since spring grades are not available for this determination. Spring classes are ultimately included in the credit totals and GPA calculations for honors posted to the student’s final record.

Each October the University’s Faculty Council on Academic Standards determines the grade-point requirement for each baccalaureate honor in each college of the University for students graduating in the current academic year. The top 0.5% of graduating students in each college are awarded summa cum laude, the next 3% are awarded magna cum laude, and the next 6.5% are awarded cum laude. For an archive of current and past minimum GPAs for each honor (cum laude, magna cum laude, summa cum laude), see Baccalaureate Honor GPA Requirements.

Faculty Honors

Faculty honor is awarded upon graduation to undergraduates earning their first bachelor’s degree and ranked in the top 10% of their respective program. Undergraduates must earn a minimum of 70 graded credits at UW Bothell with the exception of BSN students, who must earn a minimum of 43 graded credits. Undergraduates qualified for baccalaureate honors are not eligible to receive faculty honors.

The GPAs for faculty honors are determined each year for the following year (Autumn through Summer) by the UW Bothell Registrar’s Office, based on statistics for the current year. The GPA cutoffs may be different for each of the degree programs.

All graduates earning faculty honors are given a purple honor cord to wear in the Commencement ceremony and the honor is listed in the commencement bulletin. Honor cord distribution is based upon a student’s cumulative GPA as of the winter quarter, since spring and summer quarter grades are not available for this determination (see box at right). However, spring and summer courses are ultimately included in the credit totals and GPA calculations for honors and posted to the student’s final record.

Pass-fail

Note that the honors described above are based on graded credits. Courses taken S/NS, and courses offered CR/NC, do not count as graded credits and will not be included in the credit totals necessary to qualify for honors. Back to top

Honorary Societies

Students with distinguished academic records may participate in several University-wide honorary societies.

There are other honorary societies open to students in specific colleges and departments. Information about these societies is available on the college and department home pages.

Golden Key National Honor Society

Golden Key is a national, nonprofit academic honors organization founded in 1977 for the purpose of recognizing and encouraging scholastic achievement among students from all academic fields. Membership is by invitation only, based on GPA. Every year, Golden Key invites the top 15% college juniors and seniors to join the Society. There are currently 700-800 members from all majors in the UW chapter.

UW’s Golden Key chapter is committed to providing services of good will and charity for both the University and the surrounding communities. The chapter sponsors lecture series and workshops to provide crucial (or fun) information and skills to college students. Off campus, they coordinate community services to benefit underserved populations.

Other honoraries

While other national honoraries exist, students should investigate them before deciding to pay money to join them. Some honoraries are basically money-making schemes for the people who set them up. Students should be cautious about any honorary whose main benefit is including names in a publication. The real benefits students gain from any honorary come not from simply being able to list membership but from participating in community service and campus activities, and the leadership experience students can gain from being an active officer of the local chapter. Back to top

Types of Credit

The chart below indicates how different types of credit count toward the matriculation and residence requirements, and which credits are included in the UW GPA. A matriculated undergraduate student is one who has been admitted to a UW school or college as a premajor or a declared major.

* Credit courses offered by UW Professional & Continuing Education (formerly TA, TB, etc. sections). Does not include C-prefix (no longer offered) or DL-prefix distance learning, or College in the High School.

** UW-sponsored College in the High School is administered by UW Extension. UW Bothell also accepts College in the High School from other colleges, as long as the coursework is submitted on a college transcript and meets our regular transfer credit restrictions. While UW-sponsored College in the High School is recorded on the UW Bothell transcript as extension credit, College in the High School sponsored by other colleges may be recorded either as extension credit or as transfer credit.

*** Includes AP and International Baccalaureate, advanced placement, credit-by-exam, College in the High School, Armed Forces Training School, and all transfer extension.

Credit Limit per Quarter

Students are limited to a maximum of 19 credits during Period 1 and 2 registration. The intent of the limit is to make registration fairer for the students whose priority requires them to register last. No student will be able to sign up for a heavy credit load until everyone has had a chance to request a normal load.

The 19-credit limit does not include self-sustaining courses, UW Professional & Continuing Education (PCE) courses that have a separate fee and are not covered by tuition. Self-sustaining courses include UW PCE, UW online learning (DL and C), and Early Fall Start. A student may enroll in 19 credits plus any number of these credits.

Starting on the first day of the quarter, any student may add courses up to a limit of 30 credits. No special permission is required. Additional tuition is charged for each credit over 18.

Advanced Placement

The College Board’s Advanced Placement Program gives students the opportunity to take college-level courses while still in high school. A participating high school offers one or more CB Advanced Placement courses in topics such as calculus, English composition, European history, and French. Students who complete a course may pay a fee and take the Advanced Placement examination. Students’ scores in these exams, which range from a high of AP-5 to a low of AP-1, are sent to the colleges or universities to which they are applying for admission.

Further information about the College Board Advanced Placement program is available at their website.

Submitting scores

The University of Washington Bothell Admissions Office accepts AP scores sent directly from the College Board. If the student didn’t list UW Bothell as a recipient college when taking the exam, the student can ask to have scores sent to UW Bothell at the College Board website.

University of Washington Bothell locates a student’s scores using the student’s social security number. If the student didn’t provide a SSN when taking the exam, UW Bothell probably has the score but the student or an adviser needs to notify the Office of Admissions that the score is there.

More information on placement and credits obtained through Advanced Placement can be found on the University of Washington Bothell Office of Admissions .

International Baccalaureate

The International Baccalaureate program is similar to the College Board Advanced Placement program. It is called “international” because it is available to students in several countries, not because it is in any way an international experience. After completing a specially designed high school course, students take either Higher Level examinations or Standard (formerly Subsidiary) examinations. UW Bothell grants credit for Higher Level exams only.

In the distant past UW Bothell allowed only students who had earned an IB diploma to receive any credit for IB exams. Currently we grant credit for each individual Higher Level subject exam passed, if the UW Bothell department involved has given its approval.

Submitting scores

The University of Washington Bothell Admissions Office accepts IB scores sent directly from the International Baccalaureate Organization. The scores will be sent automatically if the student listed UWB as a recipient when registering for the IB exam(s). To have a score sent to UWB after taking the exam, the student should contact the IB Organization at transcripts.ibna@ibo.org

More information on placement and credits obtained through International Baccalaureate can be found on the University of Washington Bothell Office of Admissions .

Advanced Placement Credit Based on Completion of Advanced Courses

The term “advanced placement” is sometimes confusing because it is used to describe different ways of earning credit without taking college courses. One way is for a high school student complete a specialized high school course that culminates in an advanced placement exam in the subject. Based on the student’s score in the exam, the UW Bothell department offering the subject determines what, if any, advanced placement credits the student may be allowed. Any credits allowed are automatically placed on the transcript; no action by the student is required. See College Board Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate.

Another way is for the student to begin his/her college study in certain subjects at an advanced level, so that, upon successful completion of the advanced course, UW Bothell will grant credit not only for that course, but for certain more elementary courses in the same field as well. Further details about this way of earning AP credit are noted below.

In order to receive this second kind of advanced placement credit, the student must request the credit by contacting the Graduation and Academic Records Office, 264 Schmitz Hall. This kind of credit is also available to students who receive transfer credit for advanced courses; in cases where there is doubt as to how much credit the student is to receive, the UW Bothell department concerned may be asked to make a determination.

Lower-Division Transfer Credits

Beginning in winter 2005, the rules for transferring credits into UW Bothell changed.

Prior to 2005, students could use a maximum of 90 credits from a 2-year college toward their UW degree. The number of credits from a 4-year university was essentially unrestricted, although then, as now, students still had to meet the matriculation requirement and UW Bothell’s residence-credit requirement in order to graduate.

In 2004, the Washington state legislature passed a bill requiring Washington public baccalaureate institutions to treat lower-division (i.e., 100- and 200-level) transfer credit from 2-year colleges the same way they treat lower-division transfer credit from 4-year universities. In response, UW Bothell instituted a new policy that changed several things about how transfer credits can be used at UW Bothell. In short, it shifts the 90 credit limitation from a focus on “2-year vs. 4-year” credit to “lower-division vs. upper division” credit, it caps all transfer credit (lower-division + upper-division) at 135, and it allows for the possibility of counting more than 90 lower-division transfer credits toward graduation.

The 2005 policy

1. Upon matriculation to UW Bothell, students may count no more than 90 lower-division transfer credits, whether from 2-year or 4-year schools, toward the 180 credits required for graduation.
2. However, additional credits may be allowed when ALL of the following are true:
   • the student requests additional credits (i.e., it doesn’t happen automatically)
   • the additional credits will advance the student toward a degree (i.e., the credits are necessary)
   • the additional credits are approved by the student’s academic unit (see Approving additional lower-division transfer credits, below).
3. No more than 135 (lower-division + upper division) may be accepted in transfer for a bachelor’s degree.

Things to note when applying this policy

When the additional lower-division transfer credits may be taken

There is no restriction on when the credits may be taken, except with regard to the final year residence-credit requirement (see next section). So, additional lower division credits may be taken at any regionally accredited college, including a community college, before or after matriculation to UW Bothell. Students sometimes return to a community college after matriculation in order to fulfill requirements (e.g., attending a community college in their final summer to fulfill the foreign language requirement); the difference under the new rule is that the student can request that these courses count for credit as well as for fulfilling the course requirement.

The final year residence-credit requirement

Students must still take 45 of their last 60 credits in residence at the University of Washington Bothell, so, just as under the old rule, students must be careful how many additional lower-division transfer credits they take and transfer in toward the end of their degree. However, if students are merely applying additional lower-division transfer credits that they took before transferring to the University of Washington Bothell, then these credits should not fall within the final 45. That is, with respect to the final year residence-credit requirements, additional lower-division transfer credits count in the quarter they were taken, not in the quarter the request is approved.

4-year transfers with many accumulated credits

Transfer students from 4-year institutions are also limited to 90 lower-division transfer credits, and can use no more than 135 transfer credits toward their 180. The 135-credit restriction amounts to no effective change in required credits, since students have always had to take a minimum of 45 University of Washington Bothell residence credits as a matriculated student (135 + 45 = 180). However, it may help some 4-year transfer students with mass accumulations of transfer credit who, in the past, would have encountered the 105-credit and 210-credit satisfactory progress rules sooner than most students.

Baccalaureate honors

In order to be eligible for baccalaureate honors (e.g., summa cum laude, magna cum laude, cum laude), students must take a minimum of 90 UW residence credits, at least 60 of which must be taken on a graded basis. Students who are interested in earning baccalaureate honors should consider this before requesting additional lower-division transfer credits to complete their degree.

Using additional lower-division transfer credits to fulfill course requirements

This policy does not affect the way transfer courses can be applied to fulfill course requirements. That is, just as under the old policy, all transferable courses are listed under the Detail of Transfer Credit and may be used to satisfy individual requirements for graduation. This policy only affects the number of credits that can count toward the 180 needed to graduate.
Approving additional lower division transfer credits

Departments are under no obligation to approve additional lower-division transfer credits, and are encouraged to make these determinations consistent with the philosophy and will of their faculty and administrators.

Before additional lower-division transfer credits can be officially approved the credits must be earned at the other institution, be transferred in, be evaluated, and appear on the student’s unofficial transcript. Unfortunately, this means that if a student’s final credits for her degree will be lower-division transfer credits, her advisor may have to send in the approval in the short window between the end of the quarter and the day Graduation closes the book on that quarter’s graduation list.

The earliest a department can officially approve additional lower-division transfer credits is when the graduation application is submitted. There is a space on the GDARS to approve these credits (see below).

If a department wants to approve additional lower-division transfer credits after a graduation application has been submitted, this can be done using this web form.

DARS, GARS, and transcripts

This policy has led to some changes in DARS and GDARS, and some upcoming changes in the unofficial transcript.

DARS now contains a section entitled “Summary of Transfer Credit” which displays the number of upper division transfer credits, lower division transfer credits, and total transfer credits that the student has transferred to UW Bothell. Note that this number is merely a total of all transferable credits; it is not necessarily the number of credits that have been approved to be applied toward the 180.

GDARS now contains a section in which advisers can request that additional lower-division transfer credits be applied. The format is as follows: “Apply ___ more lower division transfer credits beyond the ___ currently applied for a total of ___.”

The “Summary of Transfer Credit” section of the unofficial transcript will also undergo some changes due to this policy. Currently, this section includes columns entitled, “2 Year” and “4 Year.” These will change to “lower-division” and “upper-division.” As of this writing these changes have not yet occurred.

Cross-Campus Enrollment

The University of Washington’s original campus is in Seattle. The Bothell and Tacoma campuses were established in 1990 to provide undergraduate and master’s level programs to the North Puget Sound and South Puget Sound areas.

Until autumn 2006, the Bothell and Tacoma campuses enrolled only students who had at least junior standing. Beginning in the autumn 2006 quarter, both UW-Bothell and UW-Tacoma began enrolling freshman, as well. The courses and degrees offered are largely different from those available at the Seattle campus.

Admission to UW campuses

Each of the three campuses handles its own admissions. Students applying to the Bothell and Tacoma campuses often apply for admission to a particular major at the same time. Some majors have competitive admission and prerequisite courses in addition to the requirements listed above.

Enrollment and registration

Freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors, and postbaccalaureate students enrolled at one UW campus may register using MyUW for courses at another UW campus beginning in Period 2. In summer quarter, cross-campus enrollment is allowed in Period 1 as well.

Eligibility

Freshmen: Once admitted, freshmen must complete 25 credit hours on their home campus before enrolling in courses on other UW campuses. (UW Extension courses are not considered home campus courses.)

Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors, and Postbaccalaureate Students: All students with a class standing from sophomore to postbaccalaureate must complete 15 credits on their home campus before cross-enrolling.

Non-matriculated Students: Nonmatriculated students are not allowed to enroll cross-campus except in the summer. This includes nonmatriculated students taking courses under the staff or Washington State tuition exemption (more information below).

Graduate Students and Graduate Non-Matriculated Students (GNM): There are no restrictions on graduate students registering in courses cross-campus.

Credit limits

A maximum of 15 credits per academic year (autumn quarter through summer quarter) may be taken on a campus other than the home campus.

A maximum of 45 credits earned through cross-enrollment may count toward a bachelor’s degree. This restriction is not monitored by web registration, so there is no restriction to the number of credits a student may complete by cross-enrollment, only to the number that may count toward a degree. If there are excess cross-enrollment credits, the department adviser should note this on the application for graduation. DARS is not programmed to know at which campus courses are completed, so a DARS audit will not point out excess cross-enrollment credits.

Note that this 45-credit limit applies only to credits taken at one UW campus while enrolled at another. A student who attends one UW campus and then is admitted to another UW campus may count toward a bachelor’s degree any number of credits transferred from the first UW campus to the second (see below).

Credits completed at all UW campuses are posted on the student’s transcript as UW credit. Which campus offered the course can be determined by the department abbreviation; each campus has its own set of abbreviations, and none are shared. The campus at which the student was enrolled in a given quarter can be determined by the student’s major code that quarter; again, each campus has its own set of abbreviations.

Summer Quarter

All students (including non-matriculated) may cross-enroll during the summer quarter, and they may register during Period 1. Freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors, and postbaccalaureate students must complete the required number of home-campus credits first.

Petitions

Individual petitions for waivers of the credit requirements may be considered by the home campus (i.e., the degree-granting unit) registrar. However, the approval of such a waiver does not obligate the campus unit listing the desired course(s) to grant special consideration for course admission.

Prerequisites and Registration Restrictions

All registration restrictions (e.g., class standing, entry codes) still apply. Since similar courses have different prefixes and numbers at different campuses, prerequisites taken at the home campus might not be recognized by MyUW when you try to register cross campus. In that case, please contact the department offering the course.

Administrative details

The home campus is responsible for administrative and disciplinary issues. Hardship withdrawal petitions for all courses will be reviewed by the student’s home campus.

Student activity fees are credited to the student’s home campus. Students are eligible for student activity fee-supported services only at their home campus. Students cross-enrolling at Seattle are eligible to purchase a U-PASS.

Only Seattle-campus students are eligible to participate in intercollegiate athletics.

Cross-campus majors and minors

Cross-campus double majoring is not allowed.

A student may declare a major on only one campus; a student cannot declare a cross-campus double major or double degree. A student who wishes to complete two majors on two different campuses must first graduate with a major from one campus, then gain admission as a postbaccalaureate student to complete the second major at the other campus.

When a student declared in a major at one campus is accepted in a major at another campus (note that this requires application for admission to the other campus, as well), the student’s campus and major codes are changed to the new major.

Cross-campus second degrees

A student who completes a bachelor’s degree at one UW campus, and then pursues a second bachelor’s degree at another UW campus as a postbaccalaureate student, must complete at least 225 total credits. Of these credits, at least 45 credits must be completed at the second campus. These 45 credits do not have to be the student’s last 45 credits. Of the student’s final 60 credits, however, 45 must be completed at the campus awarding the degree.

Minors

A student may complete the requirements of a minor offered by another UW campus. Cross-campus minors are declared via the Change of Major/Minor form, submitted to the student’s home campus (not the campus offering the minor). The minor will be recorded on the SRF335 (degree) screen, and will be awarded when the degree is granted.

Students should note that UW-B and UW-T minors, unlike Seattle-campus minors, may have admission requirements. Also, most or all of the courses required by a minor will probably be available only at the campus offering the minor.

Transferring from one UW campus to another

A student enrolled at one UW campus who wants to pursue a degree program at another UW campus must apply to that campus for admission. If admitted, the student’s campus and major code are changed. A student cannot be enrolled simultaneously at two UW campuses.

Transfer credit vs. cross-campus credit

A student who attends one UW campus and then is admitted to another UW campus may count toward a bachelor’s degree any number of credits transferred from the first UW campus to the second. The 45-credit limit on cross-enrollment (see above) applies only to credits taken at one UW campus while enrolled at another campus.

Residence requirement

Only credits taken at the campus granting the degree are considered residence credit. Credits transferred from another UW campus don’t count as residence credit, and don’t count toward the residence requirement (see Residence-Credit Requirement).

Counting transferred UW credit toward requirements

Credits transferred from another UW campus may be counted toward requirements in the same manner as transfer credits from another college. That is, any adviser can determine how the transferred credits will count toward AoK and other general education requirements. The adviser should then send this information to the DARS office (dars@u.washington.edu) so that the courses can be properly tagged.

Individual departments determine whether credit transferred from another UW campus can count toward major requirements.

Transfer evaluations

When a student is admitted to one of the UW campuses, the admissions office of that campus prepares an evaluation of any credits transferred from other colleges. Most transfer courses are recorded in the student data base with a UW Bothell equivalent or as departmental X credit, regardless of which campus has evaluated the credit. However, there are minor differences in transfer credit practices at the different campuses. Therefore, matriculating at a new campus results in a reevaluation of the credit by the Admissions Office of that campus.

Returning to UW Bothell

A student who is enrolled at one UW campus, then transfers to another, then decides to return to the original campus, must file a Returning Student Re-enrollment Application. The student’s campus and major code will be changed back to the original campus. If a student earns a degree before returning to the original campus, s/he must instead apply for admission as a postbaccalaureate student.

Academic drop and reinstatement

A student who has been dropped for low grades from one UW campus may apply for admission to another UW campus. If that campus wishes to admit the student, it takes the following steps:

1. The student is admitted.
2. The student’s campus and major codes are changed.
3. The student’s academic status is changed from drop to Reinstated (i.e., the student is reinstated). Back to top

Credit by Examination

The University of Washington Bothell has different policies regarding alternative credits. Therefore, please refer to the UW Bothell Office of Admission Webpage regarding Courses Receiving No Credit.

Duplicate Courses

The following is a list of instances in which a student does not receive credit for one course because s/he has already taken another. This AIF is concerned primarily with separate courses that are considered to have overlapping content, and with advanced courses that preclude credit for more elementary ones. Specific courses are listed below.

Courses which are also considered duplicate credit but are not listed below:

• Courses that have changed numbers
• Courses that are offered jointly by two departments (“double-listed” courses).

Credits and grades

Since credit for a duplication is not removed until after the course has been completed, duplicate credits do count toward the student’s credit total for the quarter. They count toward the 12-credit minimum required for students on financial aid, international students, etc.

Even after the credit has been removed, grades in duplicate courses are included in the student’s GPA.
Mathematics

Within 100-level mathematics courses, students do not receive credit for a prerequisite course after completing the more advanced course.

Chemistry

No credit for a prerequisite course taken after the more advanced course.

Foreign languages

In all languages at the first- and second-year levels, credit is not allowed for a prerequisite course taken after a more advanced course. For courses beyond the second year, policies differ from department to department.

UW-Bothell & UW-Tacoma courses

Beginning in autumn 2006, UW-Bothell and UW-Tacoma began offering lower division courses that are duplicates of UW-Seattle courses. DARS is programmed to catch these duplicates and remove credit from the second one if both are taken. Since the courses have very different prefixes, advisers should be aware of and keep an eye out for these courses. More will be added as UW-Bothell and UW-Tacoma continue to increase the numbers of freshmen they admit.

Courses that are not duplications of one another

Certain courses have been “replaced” by others in the curriculum, but the new course in each case is more than a simple renumbering of the old course, and the official course description does not advertise it as a duplication.
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ROTC Credits

100- and 200-level courses taken beginning in Autumn 2007 in Aerospace Studies, Military Science, and Naval Science are treated the same as any other class (i.e., they are offered for credit, the credits count toward the 180 credits required for graduation, and the grades are counted in the student’s grade-point average).

100- and 200-level courses taken prior to Autumn 2007 in Aerospace Studies, Military Science, and Naval Science were offered for credit, but credits earned in such courses did not count toward the 180 credits required for graduation. The grades in these courses were, however, counted in the student’s grade-point average.

To the extent that individual program requirements allow for free electives, up to 18 credits of 300- and 400-level courses in Aerospace Studies, Military Science, and Naval Science may count toward graduation in any undergraduate program at the University. If the courses have a general education designation, such as I&S or W course, they can be counted toward general education requirements.

100-Level PE Credits

By action of the University Senate (May 21, 1970), physical education courses are not required for graduation from the University.

University policy places no limit on the number of PE credits allowed toward graduation, but individual colleges may impose whatever limit they wish. Since no college allows more than three 100-level PE credits toward graduation, the Office of the Registrar limits to three the number of 100-level PE credits (whether taken at UW Bothell or at another school) included in credits earned toward graduation.

PE credits allowed toward graduation

As of autumn 1975 the UW stopped offering 100-level PE activity courses for credit. PE activity credits earned before that time at the UW, or transferred at any time from other institutions, may apply toward graduation within the restrictions noted below.

100-level PE courses

A maximum of three credits of 100-level PE courses taken at UW Bothell (or their equivalents at other institutions) may be counted as elective credits toward graduation with a bachelor’s degree from all UW schools and colleges except Engineering. For Engineering policies, consult individual departments.

A student may receive credit toward graduation only once for a given 100-level PE course, although s/he may have registered for that course more than once. A student who has taken several quarters of the same intercollegiate sport, at a time when intercollegiate sports were offered as 100-level PE courses, may count only one credit of such a sport toward the maximum three 100-level PE credits allowed.

Before summer 1974 the Registrar’s Office did not place any limit on the number of PE credits recorded in the “credits earned” column of the grade reports and transcripts, so students enrolled at the UW before summer 1974 who have taken more than three 100-level PE courses will have more credits recorded than may actually be counted toward graduation. Some other students may have been temporarily allowed more than three 100-level PE transfer credits. The Office of Graduation and Academic Records will audit out the excess credits before these students graduate.

A former restriction that only PE courses taken autumn 1970 or after could be counted has been removed. PE courses taken at any time may be counted.

200-level PE courses

PE courses numbered 200 and above count toward graduation with no restrictions.

PE grades

Any 100-level PE course taken at UW Bothell (in the past) for a regular grade will be counted in the student’s graduation GPA, whether the course counts for credit or not. Grades for transferred PE courses, however, are not posted on the student’s transfer evaluation and don’t count in the student’s transfer GPA.
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