Winter 2025 Term Information

Synchronous

Synchronous courses are fully online with established meeting days/times.

Asynchronous

Asynchronous courses are fully online with NO established meeting days/times. Course requirements are completed in a self-guided manner.

Sync/Async Hybrid

Synchronous/asynchronous hybrid courses are fully online, but the meeting pattern is a combination of established days/times (for the synchronous online component) and student self-guided work (for the asynchronous online component).

In Person

In person courses are offered at on-campus or off-campus physical locations with established meeting days/times.

In Person/Sync Hybrid

In person/synchronous hybrid courses include in-person and online course content. These courses have established meeting days/times.

In Person/Async Hybrid

In person/asynchronous hybrid courses include in-person and online course content. The meeting pattern is a combination of established days/times (for the in-person component) and student self-guided work (for the asynchronous online component).

No. If an instructor adds you to the class PolyLearn or Canvas, you are not officially enrolled in the class. You must complete the registration process through your Student Center if and when there is an open seat or you are given a permission number to enroll.

Where can I find term dates?

Visit the Office of the Registrar Calendars webpage for complete information. Helpful resources include the Planning Calendars and the 2024-25 Academic Calendar.

The Planning Calendars include information about the Add/Drop deadline, permission numbers, wait listing, and more.

• Please review the Winter 2025 Planning Calendar.
• The Add/Drop deadline for the winter term is:
  • Winter 2025 Add/Drop Deadline: Wednesday, January 15, 7:59 p.m.
• To add a class after the Add/Drop deadline, you must submit a Late Enrollment Appeal to the Office of the Registrar. The Late Enrollment Appeal deadline for the winter term is a firm deadline:
  • Winter 2025 Late Enrollment Appeal Deadline: Thursday, January 23, 5:00 p.m.
• Click here to access the Late Enrollment Appeal Form.

• You will have the option to change the grading basis of your class in your Student Center until the twenty percent of instruction remaining date for the term:
  • Winter 2025 CR/NC grading selection deadline: Friday, February 28, 11:59 p.m.
• Students are highly encouraged to speak to their advisor before changing their grading basis to Credit/No Credit. There are very strict guidelines surrounding selecting Credit/No Credit.

What does taking a class "Credit/No Credit" mean?

Selecting Credit/No Credit grading means that you are choosing to complete the class on a pass/fail basis. The grade received (either "CR" for Credit or "NC" for No Credit) is not factored into your GPA.

Please Note: Units earned in a class for which the grade was "NC" do not count toward the satisfaction of degree requirements.

What grade must I earn to receive Credit if I select Credit/No Credit grading?

Undergraduate students will need a C- or above in order to receive a grade of Credit in a Credit/No Credit course. Graduate students will need a B- or above in order to receive a grade of Credit.

I don't remember which grading basis I selected when I registered for my classes. How can I review my grading basis selections?

You can review your grading basis selections in your Student Center.

In your Student Center, open the "Academic Progress" drop-down menu and select "Grades."

You will see either "Graded" or "Credit/No Credit" in the "Grading" column of your term Class Grades table. The "Grading" column indicates which grading basis you selected. 

Again, students are highly encouraged to speak to their advisor before changing their grading basis to Credit/No Credit. There are very strict guidelines surrounding selecting Credit/No Credit.

If I am taking a class for grade forgiveness, can I select Credit/No Credit grading?

No. If you are taking a class for grade forgiveness, you must enroll in the class on a graded basis.

If I am pursuing an Individualized Change of Major Agreement (ICMA), can I select Credit/No Credit grading?

If you are pursuing an ICMA, you should be aware of any GPA requirements the new major has imposed. Taking a course CR/NC may not fulfill said GPA requirements.

In addition, if your ICMA is approved, you will be held to the CR/NC allowances of your new major. Therefore, if you took a course CR/NC in your previous major, but that grading basis selection violates the new major's CR/NC allowances, the Office of the Registrar will convert the course to the letter grade earned.

You are highly encouraged to speak with your academic advisor before selecting Credit/No Credit grading. There are very strict guidelines surrounding selecting Credit/No Credit.

I want to select Credit/No Credit grading. Will I be held to the normal 2.0 GPA requirement?

Yes. As stated in the Cal Poly Catalog, an "applicant for a Credit/No Credit grade must have at least a 2.0 grade point average in cumulative Cal Poly work."

Yes. Any Credit/No Credit-selected courses you complete during winter 2025 will count toward the following limitations:

• The 16-unit overall limit of Credit/No Credit-selected courses you may take during your career at Cal Poly
• The 4-unit limit of Credit/No Credit-selected courses you may take in GE courses
• The maximum of one-third of Credit/No Credit-selected courses allowed in a minor.

Previous COVID-19 allowances will be honored, and courses taken during terms with COVID-19 allowances will NOT count toward the Credit/No Credit limitations listed above.

In previous quarters with COVID-19 allowances, I selected Credit/No Credit grading in the number of major/support units my major allowed. Will I be able to select Credit/No Credit grading for the same number of major/support units in winter 2025? Is there a cap on the cumulative total of major/support units I can take as Credit/No Credit?

During the quarters with COVID-19 allowances, you were allowed to continue selecting Credit/No Credit grading for the number of units your major or graduate program specified each quarter. There was no cap on the cumulative total of units you could take as Credit/No Credit (so long as that grading basis selection was permitted by your major or graduate program).

However, continuing in winter 2025, all COVID-19 Credit/No Credit allowances have been suspended. You will continue to be held to the Credit/No Credit limits outlined for your major or graduate program in the Cal Poly Catalog you are following.

In the Cal Poly Catalog I am following, my major indicates that I can take "Up to 4 Units" of major/support courses as Credit/No Credit. How do I know if I already used my major/support course CR/NC allowance?

This will depend on your major and the COVID-19 Credit/No Credit allowances they created.

Scenario 1: Your major created specific COVID-19 allowances from spring 2020 through summer 2021. You did not take a major/support course as Credit/No Credit prior to spring 2020, thus you didn't use your normal major/support course allowance. You now have the option of taking "Up to 4 Units" of major/support courses as Credit/No Credit.

Scenario 2: Your major created specific COVID-19 allowances from spring 2020 through summer 2021. However, you DID take a 4-unit major/support course as Credit/No Credit prior to spring 2020, thus you DID use your normal major/support course allowance.

Scenario 3: Your major opted to allow for normal major Credit/No Credit allowances for at least one term from spring 2020 through summer 2021. During one of the terms in which normal major allowances were in effect, you took a 4-unit major/support course as Credit/No Credit. Because your major opted for normal major Credit/No Credit allowances instead of specific COVID-19 allowances, you used your normal major/support course allowance. 

For your convenience, previous COVID-19 Credit/No Credit allowances has been archived for reference on the Credit/No Credit Allowances by Major/Graduate Program webpage.