WINNIPEG -- Brandon University has announced it will be offering students who have had their grades affected by the COVID-19 pandemic some flexibility.

The university announced on Friday that it will introduce an option for students to receive a "pass" or "no credit" grade instead of traditional letter grades. The university said the pass will indicate students have fulfilled the minimum course requirements and will move on to the next course. A no-credit grade indicates they did not.

Neither grade will be counted towards the students' GPA. The university said this option of grading will be done on an individual, course-by-course basis. Students will also have the option to keep their traditional grade.

"It recognizes that both faculty and students have been thrown into a tremendously demanding situation through no fault of their own and that many of them are also facing unforeseen challenges like childcare or job loss," the university said in a news release.

"This is a difficult time to assess academic merit, and BU is adding this option to accommodate both students and faculty, to provide a bit of a safety net, and to reduce stress for students as they go into exams."

Students have to apply for the grade conversion by May 20, 2020. This option is available for all courses that were still in progress as of March 16, 2020.

The university said students considering this option should be aware that some programs, including professional certificates, graduate studies or competitive entry programs, may require specific grades.