COVID-19 Credit/No Credit Policy Statements of Michigan Professional Schools

Below you will find the statements from the Michigan professional schools related to COVID-19 CR/NC grades in admission. Please visit the National Advisors for Health Professions clearinghouse website for other Health Professions COVID-19 Related Links and Information, which includes information that is especially important for future applicants. Visit the Temporary COVID-19 Course Policies for more details on GVSU’s temporary CR/NC option.

Students should closely monitor professional school admission websites for any additional COVID-19 updates throughout the application cycle

Please view the US Dental Schools Pass/No Pass Pandemic Policy Google Doc that dental schools around the nation are currently updating on a continuous basis.

University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry

Schools are offering students the choice to move to a pass/fail or keep the letter grade earned for their courses.  Given that students still have a choice, applicants are advised to retain the option of a letter grade for all prerequisites and all science courses.  All non-science, non-prerequisite classes can be pass/fail.  But if any school goes blanket pass/fail for Spring 2020, we won't penalize a student for that and will accept those courses as is.

 

University of Michigan School of Dentistry

Pass/Fail grading – Winter 2020 term

With the current COVID-19 pandemic affecting colleges and universities nationwide, many schools have elected to change the grading system for the Winter 2020 term (some schools call it Spring 2020) to Pass/Fail grades. The Office of Admissions at the School of Dentistry has decided to accept any/all courses graded this term on a Pass/Fail basis – with these caveats:  

  1. If your school has made this change and a Pass grade includes a C- and above, we will accept this grade, for any course in the term of Winter 2020.
  2. If your school has made this change and a Pass grade includes a grade below a C-, we will not accept the grade. You would be required to retake the course later for a letter grade under our standard policy of a C or better for any prerequisite course.
  3. If your school has made the P/F grade change for this term AND allows you to later request the letter grade, we would encourage you to take this step. However, it would not be required.

This statement is concerning the Winter 2020 term only. If changes are made to this statement for future terms (ie. Spring or Summer 2020), we will post updated information here.

 

Please view the US Medical School Pass/No Pass Pandemic Policy Google Doc that medical schools around the nation are currently updating on a continuous basis.  

Michigan Medical Schools Statement – Pass/Fail/No Credit grades for January-May 2020 
Collected on 3/26/20 


Central Michigan University College of Medicine 
From Chris Austin, Director of Admissions 

CMU College of Medicine’s recommendation for coursework taken during the Winter/Spring 2020 time frame: 
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many colleges and universities have offered students a pass/fail or credit/no credit option.  We want all future Central Michigan University College of Medicine applicants to know that we will allow pass/fail or credit/no credit grades for any coursework taken during the impacted time frame, including prerequisite coursework.  While we believe that academic coursework is an important component of your preparation for medical school, we don’t believe that an applicant’s total body of academic preparation should be negatively impacted by the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 outbreak.   


Michigan State University College of Human Medicine 
From Joel Mauer, Assistant Dean for Admissions 

CHM Admissions statement pertaining COVID-19 and winter/spring coursework for current and future applicants: These continue to be very unusual times. As such, we recognize that the COVID-19 crisis is life-disrupting for everyone and that colleges and universities are navigating this crisis in varying ways.  Many of our current and future applicants are facing uncertainty about how 2020 winter and spring courses will continue and be graded, including coursework that is traditionally considered prerequisite or recommended for many medical school admissions processes.   
The challenge for medical school admissions committees is that accurate and specific information is always preferred.  When committees are faced with ambiguity, their bias may factor a pass as a “C/D” or 2.0/1.0 rather than a higher grade.  So, if you have an option to proceed with a letter grade for prerequisite coursework, many schools (including CHM) would prefer this option.   
We would be remiss if we didn’t recognize that there may be several advantages and disadvantages when considering your grading options.  We also recognize that every applicant has his/her/their own set of strengths and areas for growth.  Maintaining a healthy mentoring/coaching relationship with your pre-health adviser will be key as you proceed with decisions about your Winter/Spring 2020 coursework. 


Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine 
Directed to MSUCOM website by Katie Ruger, Associate Dean of Admissions and Student Life 

We understand that, due to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, many students will receive pass/fail grades for winter/spring 2020 courses. We assure future applicants that we will accept pass/fail coursework for any courses impacted by this situation. This holds both in cases where pass/fail is mandated by your institution and also in cases of individual choice. 
 

Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine 
From Dan Kallenberger, Director of Admissions 
We recommend and prefer that all prerequisite courses are taken as graded courses because grades give the admissions committee a better idea of mastery of the subject matter and comparative performance. I think OUWB requirements are usually a little broader to allow applicants to show breadth and depth in the math and sciences. 
I'd recommend applicants who are invited for an interview, to contact us if they do not receive letter grades for the specific prerequisite courses listed below, and we can review these on a case-by-case basis. I'd expect the committee will be understanding about the COVID-19 situation and how it's impacted OUWB applicants and admitted students for many years to come.  
Requirements 
Applicants should take a minimum of 24 college credits (excluding AP courses) with breadth and depth of science and math disciplines.  Of those 24 credit hours, coursework must include: 

  • 1 course in biochemistry
  • 1 course in statistics (math or social science-based)
  • 1 lab in either biology, chemistry or physics

In addition to the 24 science/math credits, applicants must complete:

  • 1 course in social or behavioral sciences

University of Michigan Medical School 
Directed to UMMS website by Carol Teener, Director of Admissions 

We understand that due to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, many students will be receiving pass/fail grades for Winter/Spring 2020 courses. We would like to assure any future Michigan Medical School applicants that we will accept pass/fail coursework for any courses impacted by this outbreak, whether mandated by your school or personal decision. 


Wayne State University School of Medicine 
From Dawn Yargeau 

Regarding coursework taken during the January – April/May 2020 time frame: 
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many colleges and universities are offering a pass/fail or credit/no credit option.  For any prerequisite coursework, Wayne State University School of Medicine strongly recommends that you do not select this option.   
P/F, CR/NC can be selected for non- prerequisite coursework. 


Western Michigan University Homer Stryker MD School of Medicine 
From Jean Shelton 

We’re also fine with P/F during this time. WMed doesn’t have any pre-requisite courses – we have recommendations. Our goal is for students to be as prepared as possible to begin medical school and encourage applicants to look for upper division hard science courses that will challenge them and prepare them for medical school. Under normal circumstances, I do encourage taking the course for a grade. 

Eastern Michigan University

The EMU OT program will not be accepting Pass/Fail, Cr/NC, or Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grades for any of the 9 pre-admission courses for application to the EMU program.  

 

Grand Valley State University

GVSU requires all prerequisite courses to be completed with LETTER (A, B, C) or NUMERICAL (4.0, 3.0, 2.0) grades. Prerequisite courses completed with Pass/Fail or Credit/No credit will not fulfill the program’s admissions requirements. 

 

Saginaw Valley State University

SVSU MSOT program -accepting P/F for this spring semester

 

Wayne State University

Due to the unique situation created by COVID-19, many institutions are allowing students to choose a Pass/No Pass option in lieu of a letter grade in the Winter 2020 semester. The program encourages applicants to receive letter grades in their prerequisite courses. P/N will be accepted if the grading institution's policy is a C or better to receive a Pass. If the school accepts C- or below as a Pass, students will be required to submit a letter from the instructor documenting what the grade earned would have been (in the case of WSU courses, since we can view that grade in Banner, such a letter will not be required). 

 

Western Michigan University

WMU OT is accepting Credit/No Credit for pre-requisites a s long as "credit" is granted for courses passed with a C or better. 

Please view the US Optometry Schools Pass/No Pass Pandemic Policy Google Doc that Optometry schools around the nation are currently updating on a continuous basis.

Ferris State University, Michigan College of Optometry
James R. Miller, O.D., F.A.A.O.
Professor/Coordinator of Student Recruitment

“Pass/Fail/No Credit Grades: A “pass” grade in a required pre-optometry course meets MCO’s admissions requirements, while “fail” and “no credit” grades do not. An applicant’s GPA will be evaluated according to all relevant influences, including “pass”, “fail”, and “no credit” grades.”

Ferris State University, College of Pharmacy
Tara M. Lee, MS | Director of Admissions 

Ferris will likely accept Pass/Fail courses if we can decipher that the student would have received a C or higher (pass) grade.  If the student has the choice to receive a grade or Pass/Fail, we would encourage them to pick a grade for the course.  Online courses will not be an issue what so ever, under the circumstances. 


University of Michigan, College of Pharmacy
Mark S. Nelson, Assistant Dean for Student Services and Admissions, College of Pharmacy 

The UM College of Pharmacy will follow our standard approach for prerequisites that are graded P/F (or the equivalent).  When a prerequisite course is graded P/F, we reach out to the instructor of that course to ensure that the candidate received a grade of C or higher; email verification from the instructor is just fine and we typically work with the applicant to get the instructor contact info.  Many institutions allow a C- grade for assigning a “P” and we require that prerequisite grades be a grade of “C” or higher.   
In the event an instructor is unable to provide a grade, we will most likely give the benefit to the student for Winter 2020 P/F grades and treat the P as a C or higher grade.  
Regarding online courses, we will not have any issues with this for the Winter/Spring 2020 semesters. 


Wayne State University, Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Jozy Hayek, MPA, Academic Services Officer II, Division of Pharmacy 

This is the decision of the WSU PharmD Admissions Committee specifically: 
For WSU PharmD admissions, we will accept: 

  • CR/NC or P/F grades, as long as the minimum grade required for credit or a pass grade is a solid C (2.0) or higher.
  • Online courses and labs

We highly recommend that students earn a grade for their course or postpone lab coursework to a later semester, if possible
This policy only applies as an exception for Winter 2020 and Spring/Summer 2020 courses. 
Please note that this policy may not apply to other programs offered at Wayne State or the College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences.  

Central Michigan University
From:
Debbie Silkwood-Sherer, Director of Physical Therapy Program
Accept Pass/Fail/No Credit Grade: No
Comments: Again, the take a grade was echoed by all the MI PT Schools. Tuesday, we also discussed GREs and at this point, no one is deferring that.  I know Oakland and Wayne have cut off scores.


Grand Valley University
From:
Darlene Zwart, Director of Student Services"
Accept Pass/Fail/No Credit Grade: No
Comments: GVSU requires all prerequisite courses to be completed with LETTER (A, B, C) or NUMERICAL (4.0, 3.0, 2.0) grades. Prerequisite courses completed with Pass/Fail or Credit/No credit will not fulfill the program’s admissions requirements.

 
University of Michigan-Flint
From:
Ryan Bean, Clinical Associate Professor
Accept Pass/Fail/No Credit Grade: Depends on the situation
Comments: If they have an option, keep the letter grade and don't opt for the pass/fail if they do not have a choice and the school automatically gives then the P (or credit), then we will have to look at it in relation to other similar classes on an individual basis.

 

Wayne State University 
From:
Moira Fracassa, Academic Services Officer
Accept Pass/Fail/No Credit Grade: Yes
Comments: Due to the unique situation created by COVID-19, many institutions are allowing students to choose a Pass/No Pass option in lieu of a letter grade in the Winter 2020 semester.  The program encourages applicants to receive letter grades in their prerequisites courses.  P/N will be accepted if the grading institution's policy is a C or better to receive a Pass. If the school accepts C- or below as a Pass, students will be required to submit a letter from the instructor documenting what the grade earned would have been (in the case of WSU courses, since we can view that grade in the system, such a letter will not be required). 

Please view the US Physician Assistant School Pass/No Pass Pandemic Policy Google Doc that Physician Assistant schools around the nation are currently updating on a continuous basis.

Central Michigan University

The PA program at this point is maintaining our current grading system.

Update 3/28/2020:

For the applicants in the upcoming cycle, accepting a credit/nc is an option.  The admissions team is to meet on 3/31.  

 

Detroit Mercy

The Detroit Mercy PA program will not accept pass/fail grades for the prerequisite coursework.

 

Eastern Michigan University

Thank you for reaching out to us about this. At this time there's still a lot that is unknown that we are working to figure out. A decision hasn't been made just yet regarding the acceptance of pass/fail grading, but we will definitely take into consideration the circumstances we're all facing at this time and will do what's best for all involved. I will get back to you as soon as possible with more information.

 

Grand Valley State University

Our plan at this time is to not adjust any specific policy/requirement as a result of the closure but we do plan to update the website with a form that students may complete if they think that their ability to complete one or more of the application requirements was directly affected by the Coronavirus closures. We may allow individual exceptions to one or more of the requirements if students attended a university where they were required to transition to credit/no credit or pass/fail or where they think their grade was directly impacted by the closures. We will require them to submit specific documentation and will evaluate on a case by case basis. We discussed the issue and think it is impossible at this time to make a policy that will address all possible scenarios that applicants may be facing. If we end up encountering several similar requests, then we may adjust a policy based on that scenario.

 

Wayne State University

Due to the unique situation created by COVID-19, many institutions are allowing students to choose a Pass/No Pass option in lieu of a letter grade in the Winter 2020 semester. The program encourages applicants to receive letter grades in their prerequisites courses. P/N will be accepted if the grading institution's policy is a C or better to receive a Pass. If the school accepts C- or below as a Pass, students will be required to submit a letter from the instructor documenting what the grade earned would have been (in the case of WSU courses, since we can view that grade in Banner, such a letter will not be required). 

As of now, we do not have an answer on this question from the Physician Assistant Studies program (which is a bit more complicated, as they require a B grade) or Nurse Anesthesia. I will update you when we know about them. 

Western Michigan University

Considering the recent decision of many Universities which allows students to change the grading of courses to Credit/No Credit for Spring 2020, the WMU Physician Assistant Admissions Committee has approved the following for Spring 2020 (January start date) ONLY:

  • Credit/No Credit or Pass/Fail grades, as long as the minimum grade required for credit or a pass grade is a C or higher.
  • We highly recommend that students earn a grade for their course if possible.

 Please note that this policy DOES NOT apply to other programs offered at Western Michigan University. Please note that although a Credit or Pass course does not have a negative impact on your GPA, it does not have a positive impact either. 

WMU's Physician Assistant Program requires prerequisite coursework be assessed at a “C or 2.0” grade or higher, we would kindly ask that your home institution (registrar or course instructor) provide written verification that the Passing, Satisfactory or Credit grade meets this standard. 

Please view the US Veterinary Schools Pass/No Pass Pandemic Policy Google Doc that veterinary schools around the nation are currently updating on a continuous basis.

Michigan State University Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Program

  • Michigan State University Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Program will accept grades of Pass, Credit, and Satisfactory for prerequisite coursework impacted by COVID-19 in spring 2020.
  • Courses without a letter or numerical grade will not be used in GPA calculations for the Science Prerequisite GPA or the Last 3 Semesters GPA.
  • They continue to recommend 150 hours of experience a veterinarian however, this is not a requirement.
  • They continue to accept online courses and labs from accredited institutions. Visit our course guides page for information.
  • They do not require or consider the GRE.
  • They do not have a supplemental application or fee.


Page last modified April 1, 2020