The deadline for University of Minnesota-Twin Cities students to change grading options has been extended until after grades have been submitted, according to a University-wide email sent Wednesday. 

The extension will allow students to change from an A/F grading basis to S/N, or pass/fail, after grades are submitted. It will not allow students who have already chosen the pass/fail option to earn a letter grade after final grades are submitted, according to the email. 

The extension comes as a response to a student-circulated petition and a request from the Minnesota Student Association, the University’s undergraduate student government. The petition has received 2,572 signatures as of Wednesday.

“We are extremely grateful for the university’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the many issues that are appearing alongside. We appreciate the many forms in which our university is supporting its community, however, we believe further change should be made regarding the newly implemented grading policy for this spring semester,” the petition reads. 

The University announced the option for pass/fail grading for the majority of students on March 20, also following a widely-circulated petition.

Students requesting a post-finals change must do so through an email request to OneStop Student Services by May 22. Students who have already chosen the pass/fail option will be able to change to an A/F basis through April 30. 

“With this decision, we recognize the significant stress that this pandemic and the necessary transition to alternative instruction has caused in many of your lives,” said Vice Provost Robert McMaster in Wednesday’s email.