The University Senate approved a new grade that will provide students who withdraw from courses an option to note that the W grade was received during the height of the COVID pandemic. This new grade will be recorded as NRC: No Record-COVID. The NRC grade makes clear to employers and graduate schools that a grade was disrupted by COVID.

Eligibility to convert a W grade to an NRC grade requires having met the following criteria:

• Undergraduate, Ratcliffe Hicks, Graduate, Non-Degree, and Pharm D students
• Have been approved to withdraw from a course in the Spring 2020, Summer 2020, Fall 2020, Winter 2021 and Spring 2021 semesters only

Students who are eligible for NRC grading were contacted in April 2021 and provided with a link to an online portal that was available through May 14, 2021. Requests made after this date will continue to be honored. If you have a W grade from any of the above listed semesters and would like to request it to be changed to an NRC grade, please email registrar@uconn.edu to place this request from your UConn email account. Be sure to include your name, student ID number, the term, and the course in your email.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the NRC grade?

At its core, the NRC grade is a W. It functions the same but was created to document in perpetuity that the student withdrew during a semester that was impacted by Covid-19.

When considering students’ requests, do I need to ascertain if they withdrew due to Covid-19?

No. Students may elect either an NRC or a W—they are the same, so they should be considered in the same way, and you do not need to assess whether or not the course withdrawal is due to Covid-19.

Will NRC be notated and described on the transcript?

Yes. We have created an NRC grade and have added an NRC grade to our list of grades. NRC will not be used after Covid-19 no longer impacts semesters.

What if, in the future, a readmitted student wants to convert a W to an NRC?

Students will be able to do this in the future. Approved W’s in Spring 2020 – Spring 2021 can be converted to NRC. Please have the student email registrar@uconn.edu when this occurs.

Are there any limits on the number of courses on NRC grades?

There are no credit limits, but the applicable semesters serve as bounds.

Does the deadline apply to students who are involved in Education Abroad programs (i.e., International students overseas)?

As we have populations abroad who are subject to institutional calendars that significantly deviate from UConn’s calendar, we are committed to working with the appropriate academic and support services offices to address outlier situations. We will apply the same administrative supports to NRC, as we have with the W, to support these populations. As always, it is critical that international students or students studying abroad reach out to Education Abroad before initiating any changes to their schedule.

Are students allowed to change from W to NRC or vice versa?

Prior to the deadline, yes, however we encourage students to think carefully about this prior to submitting their decision.

Once the deadline has passed, the elected NRC or W stands.

Will these NRC grades impact honors (e.g., Dean’s List, Latin Honors)?

The NRC will function in the same way as a W.

Ex: if a student had 12 credits, 3 of which were a W or NRC, they would be ineligible for Dean’s List based on the fact that they don’t have twelve calculable credits

For more information on Dean’s List: registrar.uconn.edu/deans-list

For more information on Latin Honors: registrar.uconn.edu/latin-honors

Will the NRC grade impact billing or financial aid?

The NRC will be considered in the same way a W is. So, taking an NRC will not force the bill to recalculate and will serve as a placeholder for financial aid.

However, during the Satisfactory Academic Progress and the Academic Engagement reviews, the NRC may, just as a W might, as well.

Why wasn’t NRC uniformly applied to all W’s during this time period?

This decision was made to give students choice and control over their academic records.

How will NRC impact the admissions policies and procedures for selective majors or programs in schools/colleges?

As always, schools and colleges will determine their own requirements and policies for admissions to selective programs.