NTU FGO (S/U Option): What It Is and How It Works
FGO stands for Flexible Grading Option — NTU’s system for having a module graded as Pass/No Record instead of a letter grade, so it doesn’t affect your CGPA. It replaced the older “S/U Option” policy from AY2024/25, then got a further quota and eligibility expansion effective June 2026. Many students and even some school pages still call it “S/U” out of habit — it’s the same declaration, under a new name and expanded rules.
Quick summary: FGO lets you have a course graded Pass or No Record instead of a letter grade, so it’s excluded from CGPA. With effect from June 2026, most programmes get an AU quota of 21 or 24 AU across the whole degree (up from 9 or 12 AU previously), with a combined 12 AU sub-limit for Major Core, ICC, and MPE courses. FYPs, internships/attachments, and modules with academic sanctions are excluded. You declare it in a short window right after exam results are released, and once submitted, it’s final.
What FGO actually does
Declaring FGO on a course changes how the final grade is recorded:
- A pass becomes Pass (P) — it counts toward your AU total, appears on your transcript and Degree Audit, but is excluded from your CGPA calculation
- A fail becomes No Record (NR) — this shows on your internal Degree Audit but does not appear on your external transcript
FGO does not change the grade you actually earned — it changes whether that grade is shown as a letter grade or as Pass/No Record. It’s a display and CGPA-impact decision, not a chance to redo the module.
How much FGO you get
With effect from June 2026, most 4-year undergraduate programmes get an AU quota of 21 or 24 AU of FGO across the whole degree — up from the previous 9 or 12 AU. The exact figure depends on your programme, so check the Student Intranet or your school’s FGO page for your cohort’s specific quota.
Within that overall quota, there’s a combined sub-limit: you can now declare FGO for Major Core, Interdisciplinary Collaborative Core (ICC), and Major Prescribed Elective (MPE) courses — previously only BDEs were eligible — but only up to a combined 12 AU across those three categories. The rest of your quota applies to BDEs, UEs, and other course types more freely.
Two catches worth knowing before you plan around your quota:
- Quota is deducted per course attempt, not per course. If you declare FGO on a module, retake it, and declare FGO again on the retake, that’s two separate deductions from your quota — not one.
- Major Core and MPE have a minimum letter-graded AU floor. NTU requires a minimum number of AU in these categories to remain letter-graded, so you can’t FGO your way out of every Major Core or MPE course even within your 12 AU sub-limit. Check the Student Intranet for your programme’s specific minimum.
Excluded from FGO entirely:
- Final Year Projects (FYP)
- Professional Internships / Attachments
- Modules with an academic sanction imposed
Check your specific programme’s page (your school publishes one) before assuming a module is eligible — quotas and category rules can differ by cohort.
The freshman GPA exemption is gone
Earlier cohorts had a separate, automatic GPA exemption for Year 1 grades. That freshman-year exemption has been phased out — freshmen are now covered by the same expanded FGO quota as everyone else, rather than a blanket first-year safety net. In practice this still gives new students flexibility, just as a quota you actively declare against rather than something applied automatically.
When to declare FGO
The FGO declaration window opens right after exam results are released each semester and typically lasts 2–3 days only. NTU does not accept late declarations. Exact dates are announced by your school each semester — for example, past windows have run in early January (Semester 1 results) and early June (Semester 2 results).
Declare it through the FGO Portal, listed in NTU Student Portals: Complete List of Websites and Links.
Is FGO reversible?
No. FGO declarations are irrevocable once submitted. There’s no undo, and no appeal process for a change of mind after the window closes. Decide before you declare — not after seeing how the rest of your semester’s grades land, since the declaration window is short and comes right after results, not before.
Should you use FGO on a module?
A few situations where it commonly makes sense:
- A module you needed for AU but that doesn’t affect your major GPA calculation much either way, where you want to protect your CGPA from a weaker result
- A BDE or elective you took purely for interest, where the letter grade doesn’t matter to you but a lower grade would drag your CGPA
- A semester where one module clearly underperformed relative to the rest, and FGO limits the damage to your overall average
Where it usually doesn’t make sense: modules that are prerequisites for something you plan to take later, since some downstream modules or programmes may still require a minimum letter grade rather than just a pass — check before you declare, not after.
Frequently asked questions
What does FGO stand for at NTU?
Flexible Grading Option. It’s NTU’s current name for what used to be called the S/U (Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory) option, first introduced in AY2024/25 and further expanded with effect from June 2026.
Is FGO the same as S/U?
Functionally, yes — FGO is the renamed and expanded version of the old S/U Option policy. If you see “S/U option” referenced on an older page or by a senior, it refers to the same declaration mechanism now called FGO.
How many courses can I FGO at NTU?
Most programmes get 21 or 24 AU of FGO across the whole degree (up from 9 or 12 AU before June 2026), with a combined 12 AU sub-limit for Major Core, ICC, and MPE courses. The exact number depends on your programme — check the Student Intranet or your school’s FGO page for your cohort.
Does retaking a course use up more of my FGO quota?
Yes. Quota is deducted per course attempt, not per course. If you declare FGO on a course, retake it, and declare FGO again on the retake, that counts as two separate deductions from your quota.
Do freshmen still get an automatic GPA exemption at NTU?
No — that separate, automatic first-year exemption has been phased out. Freshmen are now covered by the same expanded FGO quota as every other year, which you declare against actively rather than receiving automatically.
Can I FGO my Final Year Project?
No. FYPs, Professional Internships/Attachments, and modules with academic sanctions are excluded from FGO entirely, regardless of remaining quota.
Can I undo an FGO declaration?
No. FGO declarations are irrevocable once submitted — there is no reversal or appeal after the declaration window closes.
When does the FGO declaration window open?
Right after exam results are released each semester, for a short window of about 2–3 days. NTU does not accept late declarations. Check the FGO Portal and your student email for the exact dates each semester.