Arts Academic Regulations and Advice

Academic standing is a measure of the student's academic achievement relative to their degree requirements, and determines their eligibility to be admitted to and/or proceed in their academic plan and to qualify for graduation.

A student's academic standing is determined by the averages attained in the Cumulative Overall Average (CAV), Faculty (Arts) Average (FAV), and Major Average (MAV).

Students who meet the academic requirements for their major will be in Excellent, Good, or Satisfactory standing, depending on the major and their term and overall averages. Failure to meet minimum cumulative average requirements for the major may result in a Conditional or a Failed standing (see Note 3).

Students can find their term grades in Quest and academic standing on their unofficial transcripts.

Definitions of Averages

• Cumulative Overall Average (CAV): Average of the grades in all courses taken regardless of faculty.
• Faculty (Arts) Average (FAV): Average of the grades in all Faculty of Arts courses.
  • Does not include courses with the following subject codes: BASE, EFAS, SWREN, UNIV.
• Major Average (MAV): Average of the grades in all courses taken within the student's major.
  • All courses taken under the subject code of the student's major and those courses listed under the plan-level requirements are included in the major average regardless of whether any of these courses are in excess of the minimum required by the major.
• Term Average: Average of the grades in all courses taken within a particular academic term.
• Minor Average: Average of the grades in all courses taken within the student's minor.
  • All courses taken under the subject code of the student's minor and those courses listed as optional requirements are included in the minor average regardless of whether any of these courses is in excess of the minimum required by the minor.
  • Cross-listed courses count towards the minor average in the same way they do for the major average (see below for details).
• Diploma Average: Average of the grades in all courses taken within the student's diploma. 
  • All courses taken under the subject code of the student's diploma and those courses listed as optional requirements are included in the diploma average regardless of whether any of these courses is in excess of the minimum required by the diploma.
  • Cross-listed courses count towards the diploma average in the same way they do for the major average (see below for details).
    

Cross-listed Courses in Calculation of Averages

• Any course taken (under any subject code) which was cross-listed with a course in a student's plan in the Undergraduate Calendar they are following (that is, is included in their requirement term) is included in the plan average. For example, a Psychology student enrolled in PHIL 256 (cross-listed with PSYCH 256) will have the course grade counted towards the Psychology plan average only if PHIL 256/PSYCH 256 was cross-listed in their requirement term. If a course is later cross-listed and a student takes the course when it is cross-listed, it will not count in the plan average unless a student changes their requirement term to a term in which the course is cross-listed. For example, if PHIL 256 was de-cross-listed from PSYCH 256, PHIL 256 would continue to count in the student's plan average unless they switched their Psychology requirements to a later requirement term, when the pair is no longer cross-listed, at which point it would stop counting. Similarly, if PHIL 256 was not cross-listed at the time the student took the course, but became cross-listed and the student opted into a newer Psychology requirement term, PHIL 256 would now count towards the plan average.
• Cross-listed courses in a different faculty will not be included in the Faculty of Arts average (FAV).

Notes

1. For Wilfrid Laurier University courses, see Wilfrid Laurier University Cross-Registration.
2. Students who have received transfer credit(s) or had grades cleared should refer to Transfer Credit for further details.
3. Even while otherwise in satisfactory standing, a student who fails two or more academic courses within the first five academic course units or fewer may be required to withdraw if the Arts Examinations and Standings Committee considers that the student will not profit by further study.