II. General Regulations
Academic Standings
Grade Interpretation
Course grades help to determine who may or may not continue in a program to completion, to recommend advancement to a subsequent degree, and to determine eligibility for in-program scholarships and possible consideration for awards upon graduation. However, graduate coursework represents a smaller fraction of the student's overall evaluation than do undergraduate course grades. Performance in research is a key component of evaluation at the graduate level.
| Percentage Grade | Letter Grade | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 90-100 | A+ | Outstanding. The student demonstrated a mastery of the course material at a level of perfomance exceeding that of most scholarship students and warranting consideration for a graduation award. |
| 80-89 | A- to A | Very Good to Excellent. The student demonstrated a very good understanding of the material at a level of performance warranting scholarship consideration. |
| 70-79 | B | Acceptable to Good. The student demonstrated an adequate to good understanding of the course material at a level of performance sufficient to complete the program of study. |
| 65-69 | C | Minimally Acceptable. The student demonstrated an understanding of the material sufficient to pass the course but at a level of performance lower than expected from continuing graduate students. |
| 0-64 | F | An inadequate performance. |
A graduate student who receives a grade of less than 65 per cent in any course (graduate or undergraduate, prescribed or additional) is deemed to have failed the course. The advisory committee must then take action . A student may not register for any course they have previously passed unless the course is a varying content course (such as a Special Topics course) or unless so directed by the Admissions and Progress Committee of the Board of Graduate Studies.
Unannounced evaluations or surprise assessments may not be used for course assessment purposes or to determine course grades.
Grade Interpretation prior to Fall 2012 may be referenced in prior graduate calendars or at: http://www.uoguelph.ca/registrar/calendars/graduate/2011-2012/genreg/genreg-as-gradeint.shtml
| Grade | Description |
|---|---|
| AUD | An "audited" course (additional courses only). |
| INC | Incomplete or course not completed. It is required that the INC be replaced by a grade or an INF (incomplete failure) within the next registered semester.* |
| INF | Incomplete: failure. Students not completing the course requirements within the prescribed time limit (see INC above) of receiving an INC will receive an INF grade for that course.* A grade value of 0 (zero) is attached to an INF grade. |
| INP | In progress. Multi-semester courses that are in progress will receive the INP interim grade designation in each semester prior to the semester of completion. Students registered in multi-semester courses must register in each semester in which they are actively engaged in course requirements. A grade is recorded in the final semester of offering. |
| MNR | Mark not reported. Grade has not been reported to the Office of Registrarial Services by department or school by the last day for grade reports for the semester. It is required that the MNR be replaced by a grade or an INF (incomplete failure) within the next semester.* |
| SAT | Satisfactory. Used for evaluation of certain seminar and practicum courses |
| UNS | Unsatisfactory, considered a failure. Used for evaluation of certain seminar and practicum courses. A grade value of 0 (zero) is attached to an UNS grade. |
| WDF | Withdrawn: failure. Identifies a course from which the student withdrew after the announced last date for dropping courses. A course dropped prior to this last date is not recorded. A grade value of 0 (zero) is attached to a WDF grade. |
* Any student who receives an INC or MNR grade and for whom the final grade is not received in the Office of Registrarial Services prior to the first day of the next semester, must complete the course in the next registered semester, at the end of which it is required that the INC be replaced by a grade or an INF (incomplete: failure). If the student is not registered in the semester in which the course is completed, any submitted grade will not be accepted and the student will receive INF as a final grade. Note that the student does not register for the incomplete course again; when a grade is received, the grade will replace the INC or MNR grade originally recorded. Students who are registered may have, at the department/school graduate committee's discretion, up to the end of that subsequent semester to finish the course requirements before the grade of INF is automatically recorded. Exceptions to the above, for compassionate reasons, may be considered on appeal to the Admissions and Progress Committee of the Board of Graduate Studies.