14.0 GRADING SYSTEMS

Grades will be reported in percentages or as special grades as described in Section 14.4, Special Grades. A pass in each course is 50%, unless otherwise stated in the course outline or in the Program Exception list below.  Credit will be earned only for courses with passing grades.

Program exceptions to the 50% Passing Grade

Bachelor of Science Nursing
Students must achieve a minimum passing grade of 60% in all core required courses and a 50% passing course grade for non-core/breadth electives of the Bachelor of Science Nursing program. 
Bachelor of Engineering
Students must achieve a minimum passing grade of 60% in all core required courses and a 50% passing course grade for non-core/breadth electives of the Bachelor of Engineering degree programs

Humber calculates three Grade Point Averages, a Term GPA, a Cumulative GPA and a Program GPA. 

Term GPA
The Term GPA is calculated at the end of each term of study and includes all course attempts and resulting grades.  The Term GPA is used to determine academic standing and progression and progression in a program.  It is also used to determine eligibility for the Dean’s Honour List.  The Term GPA is recorded and available on the Official College Transcript.

Cumulative GPA
The Cumulative GPA is calculated at the end of each term of study and includes all course attempts and resulting grades for a particular level of study.  The Cumulative GPA s recorded and available on the Official College Transcript.

Program GPA
The Program GPA is calculated at the end of each term of study and excludes repeated courses where the student has taken a course more than once and achieved a higher grade.  The Program GPA also excludes courses that are not considered part of the student’s program of study.  The Program GPA is used to determine eligibility for graduating with honours.  The Program GPA is not recorded on the official transcript.

Humber calculates a weighted Grade Point Average (GPA). All graded courses taken: including those completed within and outside of a program, will be calculated in the student’s GPA. Courses with higher credit values are weighted higher in the calculation.

Where a student repeats a course, all course attempts will show on the student’s Official Transcript.  A repeated course grade will continue to be calculated in the Term GPA and the Cumulative GPA.  The highest passing course grade in a repeated course situation will be used to calculate the student’s overall Cumulative Program Grade Point Average (CPGPA).

A student may take the same course a maximum of four (4) times, unless the program is listed as an exception.

Program exceptions for repeated courses

Bachelor of Science Nursing 
A student may attempt both nursing and non-nursing required courses a maximum of two times (one repeat). Students who are not successful would be required to withdraw from the program. Beyond that, the student must obtain the permission of the Associate Dean responsible for the governance of that specific course to repeat beyond the two attempts.

The following notations are not used in the CPGPA calculation:

AEG

=

Aegrotat

AUD

=

Audit

CR

=

Credit Earned

DEF

=

Deferred Grade

EXM

=

Transfer Credit/Equivalency

GNE

=

Grade Not Earned

INC

=

Incomplete

IP

=

In progress

LOP

=

Letter of Permission

NCR

=

No Credit Granted

RTW

=

Required to Withdraw

RTWP

=

Required to Withdraw from Program

SAT

=

Satisfactory

TRC

=

Transfer Credit/Equivalency (Fall 2014 onward)

UNS

=

Unsatisfactory

WTH

=

Course Withdrawal

#

=

Awarded based on the basis of a petition for late withdraw

WL =

Withdrawal-Late (Special Grade for Winter 2020 Only)

The following special grades, and their appropriate codes, will be used on official student transcripts, where applicable.

Aegrotat Grade (AEG)

An Aegrotat grade is a final estimated grade assigned in a course where a student was physically unable to write the final exam. To qualify, a student must have experienced a severe and unanticipated personal emergency. The student is required to provide the Associate Dean with detailed documentation that supports the application. To be eligible to be considered, the student must have completed at least 60% or more of the coursework and be passing the course. Courses in which Aegrotat standing has been granted will not count toward the computation of the student’s standing in the program. The Office of the Registrar grants an Aegrotat grade to a student on the recommendation of the Associate Dean.

Audit (AUD)

An Audit grade is awarded to students who successfully audit a course. See Section 7.7, Audited Courses for information regarding the process of gaining Audit status in a course. A student must obtain written permission to audit a course from the appropriate Associate Dean. The Associate Dean will submit appropriate authorization to the Office of the Registrar and the faculty member teaching the course so that they are aware of the student’s status in the course. The request to obtain audit status in a course must be submitted and approved prior to the fifth (5th) day of class. The Associate Dean, in consultation with the faculty member, will provide documentation to the student prescribing the extent to which the student may participate in the content of the course.

The procedures for registration and course changes of audited courses are the same as for regular course registrations, except that, after the end of the fifth (5th) day of classes, a student who is registered under audit status for a particular course is committed to that status and may not convert to credit status for the same course. With the approval of the Associate Dean, a student may change from credit to audit status up to the end of the fifth (5th) day of class. Students who are auditing courses will not be evaluated, nor will credits be earned for that course. The regular course fee will apply.

Audited courses will not be used in the determination of eligibility for continuation of study.

Audited courses are part of the normal course load for the term, but not for the purposes of assessing eligibility for Financial Assistance (OSAP).

Credit Earned (CR)

Credit Earned notations on a transcript reflect the satisfactory completion of a course, where the assessment method does not lend itself to the awarding of a specific percentage grade.

Deferred Grade (DEF)

In special circumstances, students who are unable to finish the examination (exam) requirements by the end of the examination period (or the specified end of a course) may request and be granted a Deferred grade in order to complete the final examination and have it calculated in their final grade. Deferred grades are issued at the end of the examination period and are not factored into the students CPGPA at the end of term.

In order to be evaluated and counted toward the student’s grade, the requirements for the final examination must be completed within a period of time assigned by the College/Faculty/Program (usually by the end of the course change period in the following term). Failure to meet the deadline will result in the Deferred grade being changed to permanently represent the student’s grade in that course. This grade will be assigned at the end of the course change period in the following term, and will constitute the grade earned at the time the Deferred grade was assigned.

The Deferred grade is not intended to be a permanent grade. It is only a temporary acknowledgment of a legitimate reason for granting a one time, limited, extension to the time normally allowed to complete all course examination requirements.

Note: A Deferred grade for a prerequisite course must be completed prior to being allowed to proceed to a higher-level course unless otherwise approved by the Associate Dean. More information is available in Section 10.4, Deferred Privileges.

Course Exemption (EXM)

A student may be granted an exemption from a course based on the completion of a body of academic work that does not align itself with the course for course Transfer Credit/Equivalency (TRC) process. 

Letter of Permission (LOP)

This process applies to degree students only. Once a student has been admitted to a degree program, with written approval a student may register in and complete a credit course at another institution and apply the credit(s) to their Humber degree.

Transfer Credit / Equivalency (TRC)

Transfer Credit/Equivalency is granted for coursework undertaken outside of Humber at a recognized postsecondary institution that is equivalent in content to the course at Humber. Transfer credit may also be granted for diploma level course work into a degree level program.  This notation is not factored into the calculation of the student’s CPGPA.

Grade Not Earned (GNE)

A student is awarded a grade of GNE if the student registered, but did not attend or submit work for evaluation, and did not officially withdraw from registration in the course.

Incomplete Grade (INC)

In special circumstances, students who are unable to finish coursework by the end of a term (or the specified end of a course) may request and be granted a grade of Incomplete in order to have all coursework counted toward their final grade. Incomplete grades are issued at the end of term and are not factored into the students CPGPA at the end of term.

In order to be evaluated and counted toward the student’s grade, additional course work must be completed during a period of time assigned by the College/Faculty/Program. Failure to meet the deadline will result in the Incomplete grade being changed to permanently represent the student’s grade in that course. The partial grade, representing the work the student has completed in the course, will be assigned six (6) weeks following the end of the term, and will constitute the grade earned at the time the Incomplete was assigned.

The Incomplete grade is not intended to be a permanent grade. It is only a temporary acknowledgment of a legitimate reason for granting a one time, limited, extension to the time normally allowed to complete all course requirements.

Note: An Incomplete grade for a prerequisite course must be completed prior to being allowed to proceed to a higher-level course unless otherwise approved by the Associate Dean.

In Progress (IP)

A student is awarded an IP grade if the course is currently in progress.

No Credit Granted (NCR) 

No Credit Granted notations reflect the unsatisfactory completion of a course.

Satisfactory Grade (SAT)

Satisfactory notations on a transcript reflect the satisfactory completion of a course, experiential learning, or a PLAR assessment where the assessment method does not lend itself to the awarding of a specific percentage grade. This notation is not factored into the calculation of the student’s Term GPA, Cummulitive GPA and Program GPA.

Unsatisfactory Grade (UNS)

Unsatisfactory notations reflect the unsatisfactory completion of a course or experiential learning. This notation is not factored into the calculation of the student’s Term GPA, Cummulitive GPA and Program GPA.

# (Notation)

In cases of illness or other extenuating circumstances a student may petition the College to have a grade removed from the GPA calculations.

WL (Withdrawal-Late) Special Grade for Winter 2020 term only

The Withdrawal-Late Grade was applied to any failing grade for the Winter 2020 term as a result of the COVID19 Pandemic.  The Withdrawal-Late notation will not count towards course completion and is not to be considered as a passing grade for a given course(s).  This notation is not factored into the calculation of the student's Term GPA, Cummulitive GPA and Program GPA.
 

Humber Admission Requirements and Academic Regulations