A Message from UHD Provost Dr. Eric Link: University Approves Interim Grading Policy
Dear Gators,
These are unprecedented times, and UHD is working for you to help mitigate the new challenges we each face as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. We know that many UHD students suddenly find themselves taking online classes while balancing all of the difficulties associated with stay-at-home orders, financial pressures, and more. Even finding items at grocery stores can be an adventure right now.
In order to respond to some of these new challenges, UHD is implementing an Interim Grading Option for students. This grading option was developed jointly by the UHD Faculty Senate, the Student Government Association, UHD leadership, and was refined with feedback from across colleges and departments. It truly was a communal effort—and represents what we can accomplish when we pull together as a Gator family.
This interim alternative grading option will allow each student this semester to choose to switch from traditional letter grades to Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grades on a course-by-course basis. This option applies to any grades earned in the spring 2020 full term or the spring part-of-term 2.
The University of Houston-Downtown has provided this alternative grading option in order to allow students the opportunity to focus on learning and to successfully complete the semester under the exceptional circumstances that we all find ourselves right now, without compromising academic rigor or integrity. Together, we can do this.
Go Gators!
Dr. Eric Carl Link
Senior Vice President for Academic & Student Affairs and Provost
University of Houston-Downtown
The University of Houston-Downtown (UHD) is the second-largest university in Houston and has served the educational needs of the nation’s fourth-largest city since 1974. As one of four distinct public universities in the University of Houston System, UHD is a comprehensive, four-year university led by President Loren J. Blanchard. Annually, UHD educates approximately 14,000 students, boasts more than 66,000 alumni, and offers 45 bachelor’s degrees, 12 master’s degrees, and 19 online programs within four colleges: Marilyn Davies College of Business, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, College of Public Service, and College of Sciences and Technology. UHD has one of the lowest tuition rates in Texas.
U.S. News and World Report ranked UHD among the nation’s Best Online Bachelor’s Programs for Applied Administration and Best Online Master’s Programs in Criminal Justice, as well as a Top Performer in Social Mobility. The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse ranked UHD one of the best colleges in the U.S. for its 2024 rankings, with notable distinctions: No. 1 for diversity (tied) and No. 3 for student experience. The University is designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution, a Minority-Serving Institution, and a Military Friendly School. For more information on the University of Houston-Downtown, visit uhd.edu.
