University Academic Standing and Academic Warnings
The UFV policy on continuance was changed last year. Now students must have a term GPA of at least 2.0 to remain enrolled in good academic standing.
Students whose term GPA is less than 2.00 will be placed on academic warning. This is done once all term grades have been received. The approximate timeline for each term is as follows:
Fall term - end of January
Winter term - end of May
Summer term - end of September
FAQ's for students:
How do I know what my standing is?
What is program standing?
What does university/continuance academic warning mean to me?
Which GPA is used?
How do I improve my GPA?
How many kinds of academic warnings are there?
How do I know what my standing is?
Once the term end standing has been computed (approximately a month after end of term) students can view their standing in myUFV under Academic Standing on the same page as the final term grades.
Students who are put on academic warning under the continuance policy will be advised by email to their student.ufv.ca account. For Fall 2009 they will also be sent a letter to their current address.
There is also a combined standing shown on the registration information screen. This standing includes both the university or continuance standing and the program standing.
What is program standing?
Students must meet the continuance requirements set by their program in order to remain enrolled in the program. The program heads will review student’s standing in the program and determine if the program requirements are being met. If they are not, then the program head will put the student on academic warning and give conditions that are to be met in order to remain in the program. Failure to meet these conditions will result in being withdrawn from the program.
Students in Degree programs should contact the Arts & Science Advice Centre or their Degree program advisor.
Program standing is usually determined after the university/continuance standing has been recorded. Each program will notify their students of either program academic warning or a requirement to withdraw.
Program standing will be added to the student record. It does not show on the web view of the student record, but can be seen as part of the combined standing that is shown on the registration information screen.
What does university/continuance academic warning mean to me?
The Continuance policy allows three consecutive terms with a GPA less than 2.00 before students are withdrawn from the university. At that point they may apply to continue in a developmental studies level program, such as ABE in the Upgrading and University Preparation department or ESL; otherwise they may not return for two terms..
Students who return after two terms as above are admitted on probation. Students on probation whose term GPA is 2.00 or less for three more consecutive terms are withdrawn from the university and may not return for two terms.
A term GPA of 2.00 or higher will return a student to good standing at the university.
Good university standing does not mean that the program standing is also good. Programs may have higher GPA requirements or require a minimum program GPA, i.e. the GPA calculated over all courses in the program.
Which GPA is used?
The GPA (grade point average) is based on course grades and credits. The grades CR and NCR do not count in the GPA. Letter grades do count in the GPA; they have different weights, also called grade points. For example an A+ has 4.33 points and a P has only 1.00. An explanation of how to calculate your GPA is in the calendar under Regulations, Grading and Policies.
The student records system calculates a GPA based on level of the courses taken. Courses may be at the developmental, vocational, undergraduate or graduate level. Most students have only one GPA. However, about five per cent are taking courses from more than one level. For example, a student may take MATH 095 in Upgrading and University Preparation (developmental level) and ENGL 105 (undergraduate level). This results in two GPAs for the term. A combined GPA is calculated in order to meet the requirement of the Continuance policy.
If someone takes only one course and it is graded as CR or NCR, these grades are not included in the GPA. There is no resulting GPA. In order to implement the Continuance policy these grades are given grade point values of 2 and 0 respectively. The resulting “continuance” GPA is used only for the Continuance policy.
How do I improve my GPA?
The term GPA is based on the courses taken in a term. Many non-academic factors can affect a student's term GPA. Students should consider all factors related to their success to determine what might be done to improve a GPA.
Students are strongly encouraged to seek advice from their program advisor, or the educational advisors or counsellors in Student Services.
How many kinds of academic warnings are there?
Academic warning is a way that students are told that they are not meeting the requirements of a course, program or the university. These warnings are governed by the Academic Warning policy.
A warning includes: (i) a description of the unacceptable performance; (ii) a description of the required performance improvement; (iii) the schedule for demonstrating improved performance; and (iv) the consequences, which may include withdrawal, for failing to remedy the situation in the specified timeframe.
Performance requirements may be different for a program and the university. It is possible to be in good standing in a program and on university/continuance academic warning, or vice versa. Students should ensure they understand their program requirements. They are described in the Calendar.
