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The Committee on Academic Standards administers the Grading Regulations, and reviews course grades submitted by Departments. The Faculty, through this Committee, is responsible for assigning the official course grades, which are communicated to the students by the Faculty Registrar.
Each Chair appoints a departmental review committee to review grades submitted by instructors. The committee may ask for clarification of any anomalous results or distributions, or disparity between sections of the same courses. Both the departmental review committee, through the Chair, and the Faculty review committee, through the Dean, have the right, in consultation with the instructor of the course, to adjust marks where there is an obvious and unexplained discrepancy between the marks submitted and the perceived standards of the Faculty. Final marks are official, and may be communicated to the students only after the review procedure has taken place. Grades, as an expression of the instructor's best judgment of each student's overall performance, will not be determined by any system of quotas.
Letter Grade Point Grade
Percentage Grade Value Definitions
90-100 A+ 4.3 Strong evidence of original thinking;
85-89 A 4.0 Excellent good organization, capacity to analyze
80-84 A- 3.7 and synthesize; superior grasp of subject
matter with sound critical evaluations;
evidence of extensive knowledge base.
77-79 B+ 3.3 Evidence of grasp of subject matter,
73-76 B 3.0 Good some evidence of critical capacity and
70-72 B- 2.7 analytic ability; reasonable understanding
of relevant issues; evidence of familiarity
with the literature.
67-69 C+ 2.3 Student who is profiting from his/her
63-66 C 2.0 Adequate university experience; understanding of the
60-62 C- 1.7 subject matter; ability to develop solutions
to simple problems in the material.
57-59 D+ 1.3 Some evidence of familiarity with
53-56 D 1.0 Marginal subject matter and some evidence that
50-52 D- 0.7 critical and analytic skills have been
developed.
Credit/No Credit: CR No Value
Evidence of familiarity with only
35-49 E 0.3 Inadequate some subject matter; presence of some
critical and analytic skills.
0-34 F 0.0 Wholly Little evidence of even superficial
Inadequate understanding of subject matter;
weakness in critical and analytic
skills; with limited or irrelevant
use of literature.
Credit/No Credit: NCR 0.0
Note: In order to "obtain standing" in a course, a student must receive at least a passing grade (50%) in that course. Grades of "E" and "F" are both failures. There are no supplemental examination privileges in the Faculty.
Other notations which have no grade point values, and which may be authorized only by petition, are:
AEG = Aegrotat Standing on the basis of term work and medical evidence
GWR = Grade Withheld Pending Review
NGA = No Grade Available
SDF = Standing Deferred granted by petition
WDR = Late Withdrawal without academic penalty
after the relevant deadline **
XTR or X = Extra Course not for degree credit
**Removal of a grade for incomplete work when withdrawal before the end of the course has been caused
by circumstances beyond the student's control, arising after the last date for normal withdrawal. Changes to
the record will be authorized by petition only in exceptional circumstances.
The Grade Point Average is the weighted sum (a full course is weighted as 2, a half-course as 1) of the grade points earned, divided by the number of courses in which grade points were earned. "No Credit" in a Credit/No Credit course will be included. However, courses noted "AEG", or "PASS" or "CREDIT" are not included in the average, nor are transfer credits, courses taken on a Letter of Permission, or courses designated as "extra". Courses taken as Special Students are included in the CGPA.
Two types of averages are used. The Sessional GPA is based on the courses taken in a single session (summer or winter) while the Cumulative GPA takes into account all courses taken for degree credit in the Faculty. A Sessional and Cumulative GPA is also calculated for all Special Students but not for Visiting Students. For Special Students who have completed a degree in the Faculty, the Cumulative GPA includes all courses taken both as a degree student and as a Special Student. Both the sessional and cumulative GPA are used at the end of each session (summer or winter) to assess academic status and determine rate of progress toward the degree.
In Good Standing
Students are described as In Good Standing if they are neither On Probation, Suspended
nor Refused Further Registration; these terms are explained on the next page. For students
with particularly noteworthy academic results, there are three specific forms of recognition,
which are described in Section 2: Student Services, Awards, Exchanges.
The following regulations apply to both Degree and Special students who have attempted at least four
courses* in the Faculty.
1. A student shall be on academic probation who
(a) has a cumulative GPA of less than 1.50 or
(b) returns from suspension.
2. A student who, at the end of any session (Winter or Summer) + during which he or she is on probation
(a) has a cumulative GPA of 1.50 or more shall be
in good standing
(b) has a cumulative GPA of less than 1.50 but a
sessional GPA of 1.70 or more shall continue on probation.
(c) has a cumulative GPA of less than 1.50 and
a sessional GPA of less than 1.70 shall be suspended
for one calendar year unless he or she has been so suspended previously, in which case he or
she shall be suspended for three years.
3. A student who, having been suspended
for three years, is again liable for suspension shall be refused
further registration in the Faculty.
* Courses attempted are those
in which a student remains formally enrolled on the last date for withdrawal,
unless the academic penalty normally attached to a later withdrawal is removed by petition.
+ There are two sessions (Summer and Winter) in each calendar year and status is assessed following each
of them.
Students are responsible for knowing the rules and regulations in the Calendar and its
supplements; failure to observe them may result in academic and/or financial penalties.
Students should always consult their College Registrar for guidance if anything happens
that interferes with continuing or completing their courses, or that appears to be
contrary to rules, regulations and deadlines.
Issues arising within a course that concern the pedagogical relationship of the
instructor and the student, such
as the organization of a course, grading practices, or conduct of instructors,
fall within the authority of the
department or college sponsoring the course. Students are encouraged to discuss
any issues regarding the
academic aspects of a course with the instructor. It is recommended that if
appropriate an issue should be
documented in writing. The successive stages of appeal after the course
instructor are as follows: the
Undergraduate Secretary; the Chair of the Department or the College Program
Director; then the Dean of
the Faculty. An appeal must have been reviewed at the departmental level before
referral to the Dean;
appeals to the Dean MUST be in writing.
Issues relating to degree requirements and administrative regulations may be
petitioned to the Faculty within
specific time limitations. The Faculty considers petitions to have regulations
waived or varied, if a student
presents compelling reasons; however, students must convince the Faculty that
they have acted responsibly
and with good judgment in observing Faculty regulations. The Committee on
Standing routinely denies
petitions that in its view do not present a valid reason for an exemption from
the regulations. Students are
encouraged to seek counselling and, if necessary, to initiate a petition
through the office of their College
Registrar.
Petitions must 1) state the student's request; 2) the reasons for
the request in a clear and concise manner; and
3) be accompanied by relevant supporting documentation. The petition is
considered in confidence by the
Committee on Standing, which is charged with interpreting and administering the
regulations of the Faculty.
The Committee has the authority to grant exceptions and to attach conditions to
its decisions.
It is the responsibility of the student to provide an accurate address to which
a petition decision may be sent.
Non-receipt of a decision due to postal error or incorrect address is not
grounds for reconsideration.
Term Work:
The last day of the examination period
Examinations:
Within one week of the end of the examination period
End of first week of classes in January for the December examination period
Withdrawal:
Winter Session courses: the following 14 November
Summer Session courses: the following 13 February
ALL SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION MUST BE SUBMITTED WITHIN THREE WEEKS OF
THE DATE OF INITIATING THE PETITION. LATE PETITIONS AND PETITIONS WITH LATE
DOCUMENTATION WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.
The Faculty seeks documentation that provides pertinent evidence for decisions determining whether or not an exception should be made to regulations that are designed to ensure equitable treatment for all students.
The University of Toronto Student Medical Certificate must be submitted in support of a request for an exemption from Faculty regulations, if illness is being used as the reason for the request. The claim of illness, however, is not sufficient grounds in itself to guarantee approval of the request. This certification is available at Health Services, the Office of the Faculty Registrar, College Registrar's Offices, departments and other offices of the University as well as in the Registration Handbook and Timetable. Other medical notes will not be accepted. Note that the physician's report must establish that the patient was examined and diagnosed at the time of illness, not after the fact. The Faculty will not accept a statement that merely confirms a report of illness made by the student for documentation by the physician.
N.B. Students who are granted DEFERRED STANDING (i.e., a grade of "SDF", for an extension of time for term work or for a deferred examination) or permission to re-write an examination and who have earned a Cumulative Grade Point Average of less than 1.50 will not be permitted to enrol in further courses until the outstanding course work has been completed and final cumulative and sessional GPAs and status for the session have been assessed.
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