Take a Course P/N
Deadlines for Changing Your Grading Options
- Students should register for the P/N option when they initially register for the course in CAESAR. See instructions for selection the P/N option. Students may change their grading option using CAESAR's Update function or by submitting a P/N form at the Office of the Registrar. See additional rules for McCormick students.
- Undergraduate students may change registration form grade to P/N and vice versa through Friday of the the third week of classes. See the specific date.
- Graduate school students may change registration from grade to P/N and vice versa through Friday of the first week of classes. See the specific date.
P/N Regulations
General policy:
- The P/N option is only available to full-time students.
- The P/N option may only be used for general education classes and/or unrestricted electives.
- The P/N option may not be used for first or second-ear language classes in French, German, Spanish, Japanese, Latin or Italian.
- A maximum of one P/N class may be taken in any quarter. See your school's specific policies below for exceptions.
- All pre-requisites must be met before a class may be taken P/N.
- Not all classes may be taken P/N. If the class detail section on CAESAR says "Student Option" (abbreviated OPT), P/N is available.
- Occasionally, a "No P/N" note may also be added to classes.
Additional school-specific policies:
School of Education and Social PolicyMedill School of Journalism
Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences
Bienen School of Music
School of Communication
McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
The Graduate School
Additional policies for the School of Education and Social Policy:
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No more than six classes with grades of P or D (or a combination of P and D) may be taken at Northwestern and offered for graduation.
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The P/N option (and classes in which a student earns a D) may not be used for Core, Concentration or Distribution Requirements.
Additional policies for the Medill School of Journalism:
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The P/N option may not be used for journalism classes, or any classes in a student's social science concentration or basic requirements in art/art history, history, literature, science, math, political science and economics. All other classes may be taken P/N.
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Only one class may be taken P/N per quarter (excluding TN quarter).
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No more than six classes with P grades may be counted toward the 45 units required for a degree.
Additional policies for the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences:
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No more than six P grades earned may be used for graduation.
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P/N Option may not be used to satisfy WCAS Distribution Requirements.
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P/N Option may not be used for foreign language classes taken toward meeting the WCAS foreign language requirement.
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P/N Option may not be used for required major or related classes.
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P/N Option may not be used for freshmen seminars.
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No more than one-fifth of the total Northwestern classes with grades of P or D (or a combination of P and D) may be offered for graduation.
Additional Policies for the Bienen School of Music:
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Music students may not take music classes under the P/N option, except for those courses graded solely with P/N grades.
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No more than six P/N classes (in non-music subjects) may be counted toward the degree.
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The P/N Option is available to non-music students in all music classes including applied music, except as noted in the class schedule and on CAESAR.
Additional policies for the School of Communication:
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No more than six P/N classes may be counted toward graduation, and 35 of the 45 credits needed for graduation must be C- or better.
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Classes in the major department may be taken under the P/N option only by permission of the Associate Dean.
Additional policies for the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science:
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To register for the P/N Option for any McCormick class, you must have a P/N slip signed by a staff member in the Academic Services Office (Tech L269). This slip must be taken to the Office of the Registrar to be processed.
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No more than eight P/N classes may be counted toward the degree.
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Freshmen and sophomores may only take one class P/N per quarter. Juniors and seniors who wish to take more than one P/N class per quarter must obtain a signed P/N slip from the Academic Services Office and present it to the Registrar's Office for processing.
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Engineering students who desire to take P/N classes in BIOL_SCI, CHEM, ASTRON, PHYSICS or MATH must obtain a signed P/N form from the Undergraduate Engineering Office and present it at the Office of the Registrar for processing.
Additional policies for the Graduate School:
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P/N rules vary by department. Check with your department for specifics.


