Credit / No Credit Grading
As per Academic Senate Resolution AS-479-97/CC "Resolution on Credit/No Credit Grading" (approved 21 July 1997):
Undergraduate students are permitted to take a maximum of 16 units of courses CR/NC in accord with the following specifications:
- no more than 4 units CR/NC in major or support courses, subject to approval by the student's major department or equivalent unit;
- no more than 4 units CR/NC in GE courses.
Academic departments/units are to create and publish an up-to-date list of major and support courses that also include those courses that could be taken CR/NC by their majors.
As per Academic Senate Resolution AS-975-24 "Resolution to Amend Deadline to Opt-In to Credit, No-Credit Grading" (approved 27 August 2024):
Effective Fall 2024, students may choose the CR/NC grading option to up to 80% of instruction.
Updated: 2/26/2026
Policy on Credit / No Credit Grading for the Semester Catalog, to begin 2026-27
Students are permitted to take a maximum of 12 semester units with Credit/No Credit (CR/NC) grading with the following specifications:
For Undergraduate Students: A C-minus or better is needed to earn a grade of Credit, and:
If approved by the student’s major program, department or equivalent unit, no more than one course in the Major may be taken for CR/NC grading. Major courses include major core, advisor approved electives, concentration, support and technical elective courses.
If a course double counts or double-fulfills a major/support/concentration requirement as well as a GE requirement, the units would apply as major/support/concentration CR/NC units.
No more than one course in GE may be taken for CR/NC grading. One course may include a 3-, 4-, or 5-unit GE course. One-unit lab courses, not embedded with a lecture course, taken to satisfy the 5C GE requirement may be taken CR/NC without counting against the one course limit for a GE course taken CR/NC, and:
For Graduate Students: no courses required for the graduate degree may be taken for CR/NC. A B-minus or better is needed to earn a grade of Credit.
For Post-Baccalaureate Teaching Credential Students: No courses that are pre-requisites for admission to the post-baccalaureate Multiple Subject Teaching Credential Program may be taken for CR/NC. No courses that are required for post-baccalaureate Teaching Credential Programs may be taken for CR/NC. A B-minus or better is needed to earn a grade of Credit.
The deadline for students to choose the CR/NC grading option for eligible courses will be 50% of instruction for the term, or the Friday following that date, whichever is later.
This policy will be effective Fall 2026.
Note: Students are advised to carefully consider the implications of selecting CR/NC grading. This policy refers to courses that are normally graded, not to credit/no credit only courses.
Source:
Academic Senate Resolution: AS-999-26 “Resolution on Credit/No Credit Grading Policy on Semesters” (PDF). Approved 25 February 2026.