Academic Standing
The Faculty of Science operates under a "unit-weight" system in which student progress is measured by units successfully completed rather than by years. Students who have passed fewer than five units successfully will be considered Year One students; those with at least five but fewer than ten, Year Two; those with at least ten but fewer than 15, Year Three; and those with 15 or more, Year Four. At the end of each term, the Examinations and Standings Committee of the Faculty of Science determines the academic standing of each student in the Faculty. Academic standings are then posted by the Registrar on Quest.
In determining the academic standing of a student, the Examinations and Standings Committee uses the following definitions.
WD – (withdrew after the course drop deadline) has no effect on average or credit calculations.
WF – (withdrew/failure) is assigned for courses dropped after week ten. WF will be weighted for averaging purposes as a mark of 32.
"Attempt" is a course completed, whether passed or failed, or recorded as INC or DNW. Courses dropped before the official deadline are not considered as attempts and do not appear on the transcript.
Satisfactory, Good, or Excellent Standing
A student who meets, or exceeds, the minimum required standards of any Academic Plan will be placed in "Satisfactory", "Good", or "Excellent" standing. Assuming all other program requirements are met, for most programs in Science,
if the cumulative average is ≥ 60% and <70%, the standing is "Satisfactory"
if the cumulative average is ≥ 70% and < 80%, the standing is "Good"
if the cumulative average is ≥ 80%, the standing is "Excellent"
Please consult individual program descriptions for exceptions.
Conditional Standing
A student who marginally fails to meet the required standards of any Academic Plan will be placed in conditional standing for one term only. During this period the student must regain at least satisfactory standing in that Plan or will subsequently be withdrawn from it.
Failed – Required to Withdraw
A student will normally have an academic standing of "Failed – Required to Withdraw" from the Faculty of Science after failing 1.5 units in a single academic term or after failing to achieve an overall cumulative average of at least 55% and a cumulative average of 55% in all Science courses, or if unlikely to profit from further study, in the opinion of the Examination and Standings Committee.
Students who have been "Required to Withdraw" from the Faculty of Science must withdraw for at least two academic terms.
For students who have had a "Failed - Required to Withdraw" decision, a formal application for re-admission should be submitted to the Science Undergraduate Office two months prior to the requested term of re-admission. Applicants must include an electronically printed statement along with their application outlining why they are now likely to succeed.
Re-admission if granted will be with conditional standing.
Students will be readmitted into the Three-Year General Science program and must maintain a 55% cumulative GPA and a 55% Science average. This is based on a minimum of five lecture courses that must be taken in a maximum of two terms. These students will do a minimum of two approved Science lecture courses, plus any related labs where applicable, each term. If these conditions are met the conditional standing will be removed.
A student will normally have an academic standing of "Required to Withdraw - May Not Be Readmitted To Faculty" in the following situations:
- Not meeting the conditions for re-admission
- After failing more than 5.0 cumulative units, regardless of their averages
- Not meeting program/plan average requirements and/or failing 1.5 units or more, in any given term, following a previous "Required to Withdraw" standing from the Faculty of Science
Repeating Courses
In cases where a failed course is repeated, both marks will be used in calculating the student's cumulative averages.
Normally, no course or its equivalent may be repeated more than once.
A course which has already been passed, or its equivalent, will not be counted for credit a second time, nor will it count in any averages.
Regardless of previous failed attempts, normally, no course or its equivalent may be taken a third time. The rare exception to take a course a third time is granted via student petition, but the third attempt, if successful, will not count for credit nor towards any averages. Students normally request this exception in order to take senior level courses in a particular discipline where the repeated course is required as a prerequisite.
If the third attempt is unsuccessful the grade and failed unit will remain in the averages.