Science – Regulations Governing Examinations and Academic Standards

Grading System

Refer to Grades and Grading Schemes within the Academic Information section of this publication.

Note that percentages are not part of the official grading scheme and are only to be used as guidelines. The letter-grade system is the fundamental system of assessment of performance in undergraduate programs at York University. Note also that grades submitted by an instructor are subject to review by the teaching unit in which the course is offered and by the Faculty Council through its Committee on Examinations and Academic Standards. Grades appear on grade reports and transcripts as soon as they are submitted to the Registrar’s Office and are not official until they have been reviewed and approved. Final course grades may be adjusted to conform to program or Faculty grades distribution profiles.

Pass/Fail Grading Option

A pass/fail grading option is available to Faculty of Science students under the following conditions:

the student is in good standing (i.e. not under academic or debarment warning);
the student has successfully completed at least 24 credits before they apply to take a course under this option;
courses that may not be taken on a pass/fail basis include those in the major and minor subject area(s), those taken to satisfy general education, science breadth, or certificate requirements (refer to the Regulations Governing Undergraduate Degree Requirements section), required 1000-level science courses, and non-major courses required to satisfy program requirements;
a maximum of 12 (passed) credits may be counted towards an Honours program and a maximum of six (passed) credits from pass/fail graded courses may be counted towards a bachelor program;
the grade obtained in a pass/fail graded course is not included in grade point average calculation;
the option must be exercised within the first two weeks (10 class days) of the term, with the approval of the course director on a form available from the Pass/Fail Option web page at http://www.registrar.yorku.ca/enrol/passfail/index.htm which must be returned to Registrarial Services by this deadline;
the student may change the designation of a course from pass/fail back to the letter-grade system until the last day for withdrawal without academic penalty with formal notification, including the student's and course director's signatures, to be received by the Registrar’s Office by this deadline.

Repeated Courses

Students are allowed to repeat a passed or a 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.

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. Regardless of whether or not the student repeats a course a third time, the second grade remains the grade of record. Students are required to petition in order to gain permission to repeat a passed course more than once for academic credit towards a degree or certificate program. The record of each time a course was taken will appear on the student’s transcript, with the all such attempts except the second being designated as NCR (No Credit Retained).

A student must be declared eligible to proceed in a degree or certificate program in order to be eligible to repeat a course. That is to say, when a student fails to achieve sufficient standing to proceed in a degree or certificate program, or when they are required to withdraw, they would not be eligible to repeat a course or courses.

Academic Standards for Bachelor and Honours Programs

Bachelor Programs

To graduate in a bachelor program. A minimum overall grade point average of 4.00 (C) is required in order to be eligible to graduate in an undergraduate bachelor program.

Students in a bachelor program who have passed 90 credits in accordance with Faculty and program requirements, but whose cumulative overall grade point average is below 4.00 (C), may attempt to raise their average by taking up to 12 additional credits, to a maximum of 102 credits. These courses must be above the 1000 level and must be taken at York University. Regulations on equivalent and excluded courses apply.

Honours Programs

Honours students are classified by year according to the number of credits they have obtained (see below):

Year	Credits
1	Fewer than 24
2	Fewer than 54
3	Fewer than 84
4	At least 84

Subject to the selection criteria of the major departments, students will be registered in the Honours program who, upon completion of each academic session, have a cumulative average as follows:

Year	Cumulative Overall Average
1	4.00
2	4.25
3	4.80
4	5.00

Students who have taken 84 credits, and who wish to proceed in an Honours program must have a cumulative grade point average of 5.00 overall.

To graduate in an Honours program requires successful completion of all Faculty requirements and departmental required courses and a minimum cumulative credit-weighted grade point average of 5.00 (C+) over all courses completed, subject to the exception.

Note: that some programs may require a higher standard - consult the program of study requirements in the Faculty of Science Programs of Study section.

Academic Standing Requirements for Visiting Students

Individuals who wish to enrol in undergraduate credit courses, but who do not intend to complete a degree or a certificate may be admitted to York as a visiting student (refer to the Admissions section for more information). There are three categories of visiting students:

those who hold an undergraduate degree (three-year bachelor’s degree minimum) from an accredited university/university-level institution;
those who do not hold an undergraduate degree but wish to enrol in York courses to fulfill the academic, upgrading or professional development requirements of a professional designation;
those who are currently attending another recognized university and wish to take York courses on a letter of permission issued by their home institution.

Grade Point Average (GPA) Requirement

Students in categories a) and b) whose overall cumulative grade point average (OCGPA) falls below 4.00 on at least 24 credits attempted will not be allowed to enrol in any subsequent session as visiting students. Students who are not permitted to re-enrol must apply for re-admission through the Admissions Office.

Note: repeated course legislation does not apply to visiting students but only to academic degrees and certificates. Therefore, all courses attempted or taken will count in the OCGPA.

Credit Limits

Students in category b) who have maintained on OCGPA of 4.00 throughout their studies and who have completed 30 credits will not be allowed to enrol in subsequent sessions and must either reactivate to proceed as visiting students or may choose to apply for admission to a degree or certificate program.

Designation of Honours or Bachelor Program

Automatic Honours designation. Students are automatically considered to be in an Honours program provided they achieve and maintain the minimum grade requirements for Honours described under the Academic Standards for Bachelor and Honours Programs section above.

Automatic bachelor designation. Students are automatically considered to be in a bachelor program if they fail to achieve or maintain the minimum grade requirements for Honours described under the Academic Standards for Bachelor and Honours Programs section above.

Option to graduate with a bachelor program. Students registered for an Honours degree may opt to graduate with a bachelor degree if they fulfill bachelor program requirements. Refer to Graduation in the Faculty of Science Advising, Enrolment, Registration, Graduation and Other Administrative Procedures section for details.

Examinations

Students must maintain a standard of work in their courses of instruction satisfactory to the departments or divisions concerned, and must attend the required tests and examinations, unless prevented by illness or by some other special circumstance.

Identification is required when writing tests and final examinations. Generally this will be the YU-card with a photo or the YU-card without a photo plus a photo-bearing form of identification such as a driver’s licence or passport. Chief invigilators control the conduct of tests and examinations, including such measures as:

the seating of students;
whether or not questions are permitted;
when students may leave the examination hall;
collection of examination answer sheets/booklets.

Unauthorized aids may not be taken into the examination halls.

A student observed deriving assistance from any unauthorized source is subject to the procedures and penalties defined under the Senate regulations regarding academic honesty (refer to the University Policies and Regulations section).

Examination booklets, used and unused, must be submitted intact, with no insertions and no pages removed. All students must remain seated at the conclusion of the examination period until examination papers have been collected. Final examination answer sheets/booklets become the property of the teaching unit. Students have the right to review their graded tests and examinations once the grades have been published by the Registrar’s Office.

Deferred Examinations / Aegrotat Standing

A student may request aegrotat standing, permission to write deferred examinations (in respect of final examinations only) or permission to submit a final assignment after the Faculty's deadline for submission of term work, on the grounds of sickness or misfortune. There is no provision for rewriting a final examination to improve a grade.

It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that full documentation (medical or other) is provided in support of requests for deferred standing or aegrotat standing. A request submitted on the grounds of illness must include the attending physician's statement form completed by the petitioner's physician. Appropriate forms and guidelines are available from the Deferred Standing Web page at http://www.registrar.yorku.ca/exams/deferred/index.htm.

Deferred standing agreement. In the Faculty of Science, deferred standing may be arranged with the course director by means of a form called a deferred standing agreement (DSA). The DSA form and supporting documentation must normally be submitted within one week following a missed examination or the last day to submit course work.

Deferred standing petition. A petition for deferred standing may be submitted if the course director indicates on the DSA form a refusal to approve deferred standing. The petition application, together with other written evidence to be taken into consideration, must normally be submitted to the Registrar’s Office within one week following a missed examination or the last day to submit coursework.

Aegrotat standing petition. In exceptional circumstances, a petition for aegrotat standing may be submitted in cases where a student cannot be expected to complete coursework. If granted, the phrase AEG “aegrotat standing” (from the Latin for “she/he is ill”) is substituted for the grade on the transcript. Aegrotat standing is seldom granted in respect of final examinations; instead, the student may be granted permission to write deferred examination(s).

Term Work

All final grades, including those assigned after deferred examinations, are calculated in a way which assigns a specific weighting to the term work done in addition to the final (or deferred) examination. The weighting is set by the course director and must be announced and available in writing within the first two weeks of classes. If possible, information about assignments, marking schemes and evaluation should be made known to students at or before the first class meeting. A previously announced marking scheme for a course may be changed by the course director with the consent of students enrolled in the course; the new marking scheme must also be distributed in written form.

Prior to the final date to withdraw from a course without receiving a grade, 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 must be received by students in all courses (excepting the following: those senior undergraduate courses, such as honours theses, where course work consists of a single piece of work, 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). Students who, in the absence of recognized extenuating circumstances, fail to complete such course work cannot use the lack of feedback as grounds for withdrawal.

No examinations or tests collectively worth more than 20 per cent of the final grade in a course will be given during the final 14 calendar days of classes in a term. The exceptions to the rule are classes which regularly meet Friday evenings or on Saturday and/or Sunday at any time, and courses offered on a compressed schedule.

All tests in a given section of a course must be given during the class or tutorial times listed in the lecture schedule for that section of the course. The only exception is the scheduling of common tests administered to multiple-section courses; in such cases students with a conflict must be given reasonable accommodation.

Term work in any course may not be submitted later than the first day of the final examination period for the course. Earlier final dates for the submission of term work may be set at the discretion of the department/division concerned.

The student is responsible for ensuring that all written term work is received by the instructor concerned.

Reappraisal of Final Grades

Students may, with sufficient academic grounds, request that a final grade in a course be reappraised. Students are normally expected to first contact the course director to discuss the grade received and to request that their tangible work be reviewed. Further information may be obtained from the department/division offering the course. Students applying to have a grade reappraised in a Faculty of Science course should note the following:

requests for reappraisal must be filed with the unit offering the course within 21 calendar days of the release of the final grade in the course;
students may request the review of specific pieces of work, or the overall course grade. Normally, however, only written work can be reassessed;
when a student asks for reappraisal, an original grade may be raised, lowered or confirmed;
students wishing to request the reappraisal of a final grade should fill out the appropriate form available from the department/division offering the course and submit it to the same office;
the decision of the department/division may be appealed to the Faculty of Science Executive and Planning Committee only on grounds of procedural irregularity or new evidence.

Recognition of Excellence

Dean's Honour Roll

The annual Dean's Honour Roll recognizes academic excellence by assigning the notation “Member of Dean's Honour Roll” to the grade report and transcript of a student who achieves a sessional credit-weighted grade point average of 7.50 or higher on a minimum of 24 credits, or, in the final year of study, a minimum of 18 credits.

Students coregistered in the Faculty of Education, who are registered in a minimum of 24 credits overall (of which at least 18 credits are for the bachelor or Honours degree in the Faculty of Science) and who achieve a sessional credit-weighted grade point average of 7.50 or higher on their credits for the bachelor or Honours in the Faculty of Science, are also eligible to be on the Faculty of Science Dean's Honour Roll.

First-Class Degrees

The Faculty of Science rewards exceptional students by designating their degrees “first class” or “first class with distinction”.

First-class standing is normally awarded to students whose cumulative overall credit-weighted grade point average is 7.50 or higher.

With distinction is normally added to the first class degree of students whose cumulative overall credit-weighted grade point average is 8.00 (A) or higher.

Warnings and Sanctions (BA)

Academic Warning

Students whose cumulative overall grade point average falls below 4.00 (C) at the end of any session or who enter the Faculty with a grade point average equivalent to less than 4.00 (C) receive an academic warning.

Academic Warning Conditions

Students on academic warning must achieve a cumulative grade point average of at least 4.00 within the next 24 credits taken, or earn a sessional grade point average of at least 5.00 in the session in which that 24th credit is taken and in each subsequent session until the cumulative grade point average reaches 4.00, or be required to withdraw. Students whose cumulative grade point average on at least 24 York credits is below 2.50 will be required to withdraw for 12 months.

Failure to Meet Academic Warning Conditions

BA students on academic warning who fail to meet the academic warning conditions must withdraw for 12 months.

Required Withdrawal

Students whose academic record shows marked weakness may be required to withdraw from their studies for twelve months, during which they are encouraged to identify and remedy any problems which may have contributed materially to their failure to perform up to their potential, and to reflect on their reasons for pursuing a university education. The following regulations apply to required withdrawal:

Grade point average below 2.50: students whose cumulative grade point average on at least 24 credits is below 2.50 must withdraw for 12 months.
Students whose grade point average is below 4.00 and equal to or greater than 2.50: students who have received an academic warning for a cumulative grade point average below 4.00 must satisfy the academic warning conditions as specified above or be required to withdraw for 12 months.

Reactivation After Required Withdrawal

Students who have been required to withdraw may apply for reactivation after the requisite period of absence by submitting a request at the Reactivation Web page at http://www.registrar.yorku.ca/enrol/reactivate/index.htm. Students who return to their studies after such a required withdrawal (as well as those who have been allowed to continue their studies by virtue of a petition to the Petitions Committee) receive a debarment warning.

Debarment Warning

Students who have been required to withdraw in the Faculty of Science, or the equivalent in another Faculty at York University or elsewhere, receive a debarment warning upon continuing their studies in the Faculty.

Debarment Warning Conditions

Students on debarment warning must achieve a cumulative grade point average of at least 4.00 within the next 24 credits taken or earn a sessional grade point average of at least 5.00 in the session in which the 24th credit is taken and in each subsequent session until the cumulative average reaches 4.00, and must then maintain this average. Students who do not fulfil these conditions will be debarred from the University.

Debarment

Students who have been debarred may be re-admitted in some subsequent session only if they give convincing evidence that they can profit from university work. Applications for re-admission are not normally entertained in less than two years from the date of debarment. Applications must be submitted to the Admissions Office http://futurestudents.yorku.ca. Students who are re-admitted (as well as those who have been allowed to continue their studies by virtue of a petition) receive an academic probation.

Academic Probation

Students who have been debarred and who subsequently resume their studies in the Faculty whether by petitioning to continue without interruption or by applying for readmission, receive an academic probation. Students on academic probation must meet the debarment warning conditions outlined above; otherwise, they will be debarred.

Warnings and Sanctions (BSc, BSc (Tech), iBSc)

Note: the following applies to students admitted to the Faculty for Fall 2013 and subsequent sessions. Students admitted before Fall 2013 should consult the York Undergraduate Programs Calendar of the year in which they were admitted for information regarding warnings and sanctions which apply to them.

Academic Warning

Students whose cumulative overall grade point average falls below 4.00 (C) at the end of any session, or who enter the Faculty with a grade point average equivalent to less than 4.00 (C) on the York scale receive an Academic Warning.

Academic Warning Conditions

Students on Academic Warning must achieve a cumulative overall grade point average of at least 4.00 within the next 24 credits taken, or earn a sessional grade point average of at least 5 in the session in which that 24th credit is completed and in each subsequent session until the cumulative grade point average reaches 4, or be required to withdraw.

Required to Withdraw

Students whose academic record shows marked weakness may be required to withdraw from their studies for one year, during which they are encouraged to identify and remedy any problems which may have contributed materially to their failure to perform to their potential, and to reflect on their reasons for pursuing a university education. The following regulations apply to Required Withdrawals:

Grade Point Average Below 2.5: Students whose cumulative grade point average on at least 24 York credits is below 2.5 must withdraw for 12 months.
Failure to satisfy Academic Warning conditions: Students who fail to meet the Academic Warning Conditions above will be required to withdraw.

Petition to Continue Without Interruption

Students who have been required to withdraw may submit a petition to their home Faculty Petitions Committee requesting permission to continue their studies without interruption. Students granted such a petition will be allowed to continue their studies on Debarment Warning.

Reactivation after Required Withdrawal

Students who have been required to withdraw must apply for reactivation after the requisite period of absence by submitting a reactivation request to the Registrar’s Office. Students who return to their studies after a Required Withdrawal (as well as those who have been allowed to continue their studies by virtue of a petition to the Committee on Petitions) receive a Debarment Warning.

Debarment Warning

Students who have been required to withdraw receive a Debarment Warning upon continuing their studies in the University.

Debarment Warning Conditions

Students on Debarment Warning must achieve a cumulative overall grade point average of at least 4.00 within the next 24 credits taken or earn a sessional grade point average of at least 5 in the session in which that 24th credit is completed and in each subsequent session until the cumulative grade point average reaches 4, and must then maintain this average in order to continue.

Debarment

Students who fail to meet the Debarment Warning Conditions outlined above will be Debarred from the University. Debarment, the minimum period for which is normally two years, means that the student is no longer a student at York University.

Petition to Continue Without Interruption

Students who have been Debarred may submit a petition to their home Faculty Petitions Committee requesting permission to continue their studies without interruption. Students granted such a petition will be allowed to continue their studies on Academic Probation.

Reapplying after Debarment

Students who have been Debarred and who wish to resume their studies must apply for admission through the Admissions Office, and must provide persuasive evidence that they are ready and able to complete a degree program. Students who are readmitted (as well as those who have been allowed to continue their studies by virtue of a petition to the Petitions Committee) continue on Academic Probation.

Academic Probation

Students who have been Debarred and who subsequently resume their studies at the University, whether by petitioning to continue without interruption or by reapplying for admission, continue on Academic Probation. Students on Academic Probation must meet the Debarment Warning Conditions outlined above; otherwise, they will be Debarred again.

Academic Honesty

Refer to the York University Senate regulations regarding academic honesty in the University Policies and Regulations section. For further information contact the Office of Science Academic Services.

Note: students cannot drop any courses in which they have been penalized for a breach of academic honesty.

Petitions

Students may petition on reasonable grounds, in writing, any Faculty of Science regulation. In some instances, circumstances affecting a student’s performance in initial University course work will be accepted as grounds for petition. All enquiries about regulations and petition procedures should be addressed to the Registrar’s Office. For information regarding petitions for deferred examinations, refer to Deferred Examinations in this section of the calendar. Petition forms must be submitted to Registrarial Services.

Normally petitions for late withdrawal from a course will only be considered if they are submitted within 30 days of the last day of classes of the relevant course. Such petitions may be considered for a period of up to one year if they are based on special circumstances.

Appeals Procedures

Appeals by students and/or faculty members against rulings of the Petitions Committee and/or the Committee on Examinations and Academic Standards of the Faculty of Science (with the exception of appeals on academic honesty rulings - see below) must be filed in writing with the secretary of the appeals panel of the Executive and Planning Committee, 349 Lumbers Building, within 15 calendar days of the date of notification of the decision.

Appeals against rulings of the petitions committee and/or the committee on examinations and academic standing will be heard by a panel of two faculty members of the executive and planning committee and one student member selected from student members of the Faculty council. In the rare event that a decision of a panel of the executive and planning committee, or of the Senate Appeals Committee, requires a completely new (de novo) hearing, the matter will be heard by a panel of three faculty members of the executive and planning committee and one student member selected from student members of the Faculty council. These panels will be constituted, as required, from available members, by the secretary of the appeals panel.

Members shall disqualify themselves if they are involved as a party or witness in the case, or believe that they could not be impartial. Where members disqualify themselves, alternate members will replace them.

Appeals are heard only on the following grounds:

a) new evidence; i.e. evidence that, through no fault of the appellant, could not reasonably have been presented at an earlier level (as a guide, events or performance subsequent to the decisions of the petitions committee and/or the committee on examinations and academic standing are not to be construed as new evidence);

b) evidence of procedural irregularity in the previous consideration of the case by the petitions committee and/or the committee on examinations and academic standing. This may be understood to include actions taken by the Faculty of Science, its officers, committees or members with respect to the case which would violate or nullify any of the following:

normal and written procedures of the Faculty;
recognized custom of the Faculty;
the principles of natural justice and fairness.

Students and faculty members have the right to represent themselves at appeal hearings to hear and answer allegations and to present their arguments. Appeal hearings are not open to anyone not directly involved in the case being considered. The committee's decision is taken in camera.

All appeal decisions are reported in writing to the students and the faculty members concerned, the Office of Science Academic Services, the home Faculty and the Registrar’s Office.

Further appeals may be made to the Senate Appeals Committee. Enquiries about these appeals, and the grounds upon which they may be filed, should be directed to the Senate Secretariat, 1050 York Research Tower.

Appeals on academic honesty rulings are also made directly to the Senate Appeals Committee. Appeals are heard only on the same grounds as cited above.