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Liberal Arts and Professional Studies – Grading in Courses

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Grading

1. All course grades, including those assigned after a deferred examination(s) are derived from an evaluation of examination and term work, unless otherwise decided.

2. With the exception of courses explicitly required for certification by a professional body, or other exceptions agreed to by Senate, students pass or fail a course on the basis of final course average, without the additional requirement of having to obtain a passing grade on a final examination. (This does not preclude the possibility of a final examination representing more than 50 per cent of the final grade in a particular course or the requirement that a student pass a specific course lab component.)

3. Unless Senate agrees to explicit exemptions, eligibility to proceed in or graduate from an undergraduate degree program will not be based on a minimum grade requirement for each major course. It should be noted that this does not preclude setting requirements for a minimum cumulative grade point average in a major subject area. Nor does this preclude setting individual course grade requirements when a course is a prerequisite for upper-level courses or as part of a core requirement. Course grades are not official until released by the University.

4. The letter-grade system is the fundamental system of assessment of performance in undergraduate programs at York University. In courses where percentages are used as a means of reporting grades on individual pieces of work, the following conversion table is to be used in converting percentage grades to letter grades, unless alternative provisions for scaling and/or conversion are announced to students in writing within the first two weeks of classes. 

From Percentage	To Letter Grade	Grade Point
90-100	A+	9
80-89	A	8
75-79	B+	7
70-74	B	6
65-69	C+	5
60-64	C	4
55-59	D+	3
50-54	D	2
40-49	E	1
0-39	F	0

Repeating passed or failed courses for academic credit:

1. Students are allowed to repeat a passed or failed course once for academic degree or certificate credit. Students should note that course availability and space considerations may preclude the possibility of repeating a course in the session they choose.
2. When a student is allowed to repeat a course for academic degree or certificate credit, the second grade will be the grade of record and the only grade calculated in the student’s grade point average (major, cumulative, sessional and overall). A course can be credited only once towards satisfaction of degree or certificate academic credit requirements.
3. The record of both the first and second time the course was taken will appear on the student’s transcript, with the first course designated as NCR (No Credit Retained).
4. The restrictions regarding repeating a passed or failed course also apply to cross-listed courses and course credit exclusions.

The above items do not apply to graduate degree or diploma programs, the BEd degree programs of the Faculty of Education or the JD degree program of Osgoode Hall Law School.

The above items do not apply to practicum courses offered in the bachelor of social work degree program or practicum courses offered in the bachelor of science in nursing (BScN) degree program.

It should be noted that when a course is repeated, the first instance of the course being taken and the grade that was awarded will continue to appear on the transcript with the designation NCR (No Credit Retained) added as a qualification beside the grade. The transcript legend will explain that the NCR designation means that neither the course credit nor grade have been included in the calculation of the student’s grade point average.

Note: students who wish to repeat a course for a third or subsequent time must have permission to do so through petition or undergraduate program director.

Pass/Fail grading option:

The Faculty wants capable upper-year students to feel free to enrol in free-choice courses without fear of jeopardizing their grade point average. For this reason, students may take a limited number of such courses for full degree credit on an ungraded basis. Courses taken on this basis are listed on the transcript as either P (pass) or F (fail). Neither of these two grades is calculated into the student’s grade point averages. Pass credits are added into the total number of credits earned and credits taken. Fail credits are added into the total number of credits failed and credits taken. The following regulations apply to courses taken as a pass/fail alternative grading option.

Students in good standing who have completed a minimum of 24 credits towards an undergraduate degree program may elect to take up to six credits on an ungraded basis toward a bachelors degree (90 credits) or 12 credits toward an Honours bachelors degree (120 credits). The pass/fail grading option cannot be chosen by a student for the following:

• major or minor courses (including for-credit practica);
• outside the major required courses;
• courses taken to satisfy general education or certificate requirements;
• required 1000-level science courses for students in the Faculties of Health and Science and Engineering.

Students must confirm their eligibility to complete a course on an ungraded basis. Completed Pass/Fail Application forms must be submitted to the relevant office within the first two weeks of class. The completed form should then be returned to Student Client Services.

Students who elect to complete a course on an ungraded basis may not revert to taking the course on a graded basis after the last date to drop a course without academic penalty.

The form to request the pass/fail grading option is available on the Pass/Fail Option Web page at http://www.registrar.yorku.ca/enrol/passfail/index.htm.

Exceptions

The pass/fail grading option is not applicable for the following:

• graduate degrees or diplomas;
• BEd and BEd (Technological Education) degrees;
• LLB/JD degree;
• BBA and iBBA degrees;
• exchange courses taken at another institution.

Credit/No Credit

The notations Credit and No Credit will be used when an entire course is being offered on an ungraded basis. No Credit will count as an earned failing grade of F in the grade point average.

Grading Scheme

The course grading scheme (i.e. kinds and weights of assignments, essays, exams etc.) is to be announced, and be available in writing, within the first two weeks of classes.

Under normal circumstances, graded feedback worth at least 15 per cent of the final grade for fall, winter or summer term, and 30 per cent for full year courses offered in the fall/winter session, will be received by students in all courses prior to the final withdrawal date from a course without receiving a grade, with the following exceptions:

• graduate or upper-level undergraduate courses where course work typically, or at the instructor’s discretion, consists of a single piece of work and/or is based predominantly (or solely) on student presentations (e.g. honours theses or graduate research papers not due by the drop date etc.);
• practicum courses;
• ungraded courses;
• courses in Faculties where the drop date occurs within the first three weeks of classes;
• courses which run on a compressed schedule (a course which accomplishes its academic credits of work at a rate of more than one credit hour per two calendar weeks or faster).

Note: under unusual and/or unforeseeable circumstances which disrupt the academic norm, instructors are expected to provide grading schemes and academic feedback in the spirit of these regulations, as soon as possible. Information on other policies related to grades is available from Faculties, departments and schools and the University Secretariat (http://www.yorku.ca/secretariat/policies/document.php?document=86).

Subsequent Changes

In exceptional circumstances, a previously announced marking scheme for a course may be changed, but only with the unanimous consent of students; the new marking scheme must also be distributed in written form.

In courses where percentages are used as a means of reporting grades on individual pieces of work, the conversion table is used in converting percentage grades to letter grades, unless alternative provisions for scaling and/or conversion are announced to students in writing within the first two weeks of classes.

Grade Reappraisals

Please refer to the Policies and Regulations section of the Undergraduate Calendar for further information about grade reappraisals.

Students may, with sufficient academic grounds, request that a final grade in a course be reappraised (which may mean the review of specific pieces of tangible work). Non-academic grounds are not relevant for grade reappraisals; in such cases, students are advised to petition to their home Faculty. Students are normally expected to first contact the course director to discuss the grade received and to request that their tangible work be reviewed. Tangible work may include written, graphic, digitized, modelled, video recording or audio recording formats, but not oral work.

Students need to be aware that a request for a grade reappraisal may result in the original grade being raised, lowered or confirmed.

In the event that students are still not satisfied with the final grade or the course director is not available to review the work, they may submit in writing a formal request for a grade reappraisal to the school/department or unit in which the course is offered. The Senate approved deadline for submitting grade reappraisals is February 15 for fall term grades, June 15 for fall/winter session and winter term grades, September 30 for summer session grades or a minimum of 21 days from the release of grades, whichever is later. When a submission deadline occurs on a weekend or holiday, requests will be accepted up until the end of the next available business day. Exercising discretion about minor delays in meeting the deadline which result from slow mail delivery or extraordinary circumstances is reasonable.

Grade Reappraisal Appeal

Students may appeal a negative decision on a request for a reappraisal or the result of the reappraisal itself to a Faculty-level appeals committee in the Faculty in which the course is offered only on the ground of procedural irregularity.