Academic Record

In This Section:

 

Grading and Course Marks

Marks Review Procedure

The Faculty of Arts & Science implements the Grading Regulations, reviews course marks submitted by academic units, and posts the official marks. Official marks are communicated to students via ACORN.

Each academic unit has an appointed faculty member (e.g., a Chair, Program Director, Vice Principal) who is responsible for reviewing marks submitted by instructors. This appointed faculty member may ask for clarification of any anomalous results or distributions, or disparity between sections of the same courses. Both the appointed faculty member and the Dean have the right, in consultation with the instructor of the course, to adjust marks where there is an obvious and unexplained discrepancy between the marks submitted and the perceived standards of the Faculty. Final marks are official, and may be communicated to the students only after the review procedure has taken place. Marks, as an expression of the instructor’s best judgment of each student’s overall performance, will not be determined by any system of quotas.

Course Marks

Percentage Letter Grade Grade Point Value* Grade Definition
90-100 A+ 4.0 Excellent Strong evidence of original thinking; good organization; capacity to analyze and synthesize; superior grasp of subject matter with sound critical evaluations; evidence of extensive knowledge base.
85-89 A 4.0
80-84 A- 3.7
77-79 B+ 3.3 Good Evidence of grasp of subject matter; some evidence of critical capacity and analytic ability; reasonable understanding of relevant issues; evidence of familiarity with literature.
73-76 B 3.0
70-72 B- 2.7
67-69 C+ 2.3 Adequate Student who is profiting from their university experience; understanding of the subject matter; ability to develop solutions to simple problems in the material.
63-66 C 2.0
60-62 C- 1.7
57-59 D+ 1.3 Marginal Some evidence of familiarity with subject matter and some evidence that critical and analytic skills have been developed.
53-56 D 1.0
50-52 D- 0.7
0-49 F 0.0 Inadequate Little evidence of even superficial understanding of subject matter; weakness in critical and analytic skills; with limited or irrelevant use of literature.

* The grade point values above apply to marks earned in individual courses; grade point averages are weighted sums of the grade points earned, and thus do not necessarily correspond exactly to the scale above.

In order to obtain final standing in a course, a student must receive at least a passing grade (50%)/P/CR in that course. A Grade of “F” is a failure. There are no supplemental examination privileges in the Faculty. 

Transcript notations that may appear in lieu of a final mark and have no grade point value are:

Notation Definition
AEG Aegrotat Standing on the basis of term work and medical evidence
CR/NCR Credit/No Credit
EXT or XTR or X Extra
GWR Grade Withheld pending Review
IPR (Course) In Progress
LWD Late Withdrawal After the Drop Date
NGA No grade available
P/FL Pass/Failure. In cases where the FL grade is used in calculating grade point averages, the symbol “FL %” is used and a grade point value of 0.0 is assigned
SDF Standing Deferred; granted only by petition
WDR Late Withdrawal without academic penalty after the relevant deadline; granted only by petition

 

Grade Point Average

The Grade Point Average (GPA) is the weighted sum (a full-credit course is weighted as 1.0, a half-credit course as 0.5) of the grade points earned, divided by the number of courses in which grade points were earned. GPAs are calculated for degree students, non-degree students, and visiting students. For non-degree students who have completed a degree in the Faculty, the cumulative GPA includes all courses taken both as a degree student and as a non-degree student.

Four types of grade point averages are calculated: 

  • Sessional GPA (SGPA): The SGPA is calculated up to three times per year, based on marks obtained during each of the Fall term (September-December), the Winter term (January-April), and the Summer Session (May-August). 
  • Annual GPA (AGPA): The AGPA is calculated once, based on courses completed during the Fall/Winter Session as a whole.
  • Cumulative GPA (CGPA): The CGPA is calculated on the same schedule as the SGPA and takes into consideration all the marks for all individual courses completed by the student to that point. 
  • The Concurrent Teacher Education Program (CTEP) GPA: Takes into account all Bachelor of Education courses and is only calculated for CTEP students.

Courses that are not included in the GPA calculation are: 

  • courses noted with AEG standing
  • transfer credits
  • courses designated Extra
  • courses taken as CR/NCR
  • courses evaluated on a Pass/Fail basis in which a grade of Pass (P) is achieved

If a grade of Fail (FL) is achieved in a course evaluated on a Pass/Fail basis, a grade point value of 0.0 may be assigned in which case the course is included in the GPA.

 

Assessment of Academic Standing

There are four kinds of academic standing: 

  • In Good Standing 
  • On Probation 
  • On Suspension 
  • Refused Further Registration 

Academic standing is assessed for the first time at the end of the Session in which a student achieves final standing in at least one 0.5 credit in the Faculty of Arts & Science, excluding:

  • courses noted with AEG standing
  • transfer credits
  • courses designated Extra
  • courses taken as CR/NCR
  • courses evaluated on a Pass/Fail basis in which a grade of Pass (P) is achieved

If a grade of Fail (FL) is achieved in a course evaluated on a Pass/Fail basis, a grade point value of 0.0 may be assigned in which case the course is included in the GPA and therefore contributes to the assessment of academic standing. 

Academic standing is assessed twice a year:

  • At the end of the Fall/Winter Session; the GPAs used for this assessment are the annual and the cumulative GPAs.
  • At the end of the Summer Session; the GPAs used for this assessment are the sessional and the cumulative GPAs.

In Good Standing

Students are described as In Good Standing if their cumulative GPA is 1.50 or higher, that is, they have not been assessed as On Probation, Suspended, or Refused Further Registration. 

Probation, Suspension, and Refused Further Registration

Students are on academic probation if they 

a) have a cumulative GPA of less than 1.50 or
b) return from suspension

Students On Academic Probation may take no more than 2.5 credits in each of the Fall and Winter terms, and no more than 1.0 credit in each of the Summer terms (see Number of Courses Taken).

Students who are on probation and, depending on individual enrolment, at the end of the next Fall/Winter Session or Summer Session when academic standing is assessed:

  • have a cumulative GPA of 1.50 or more: will be in good standing 
  • have a cumulative GPA of less than 1.50 but an annual GPA of 1.70 or more (Fall/Winter Session) or a sessional GPA of 1.70 or more (Summer Session): will continue on probation
  • have a cumulative GPA of less than 1.50 and an annual GPA of less than 1.70 (Fall/Winter Session) or a sessional GPA of less than 1.70 (Summer Session): will be suspended for one calendar year unless they have already been suspended for one year, in which case they will be suspended for three years. 

Students who, having been suspended for three years, when next assessed have a cumulative GPA of less than 1.50 and an annual GPA of less than 1.70 (Fall/Winter Session) or a sessional GPA of less than 1.70 (Summer Session): will be refused further registration in the Faculty.

 

Recognition of Academic Achievement

Dean’s List Scholar

This designation is given at the end of the Fall/Winter Session and/or Summer Session to Faculty of Arts & Science degree students who complete their fifth, tenth, fifteenth, or twentieth degree credits in the Faculty and obtain a Cumulative Grade Point Average of 3.50 or higher.

The following courses are included in the credit count for the Dean's List, as long as the student receives a final mark of 50% or higher or a status of CR or P:

  • Faculty of Arts & Science courses (H1/Y1/H0/Y0) completed for degree credit
  • Courses in other divisions (for example the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM), University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC), or the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design (Daniels)) completed by a degree student registered in the Faculty of Arts & Science 
  • Faculty of Arts & Science courses (H1/Y1/H0/Y0) completed while a student was registered in another division (for example, UTM/UTSC/Daniels) and the student subsequently transferred to the Faculty of Arts & Science 

The following courses are not included in the credit count for the Dean’s List: 

  • Transfer credits from secondary school (e.g., AP, IB, GCE, etc.) and/or post-secondary institutions 
  • Courses in other divisions completed while a student was registered in the other division 
  • Courses designated Extra 
  • Courses with a final mark of 49% or lower, or with a status of NCR or F
  • EDU courses taken as part of the Concurrent Teacher Education Program (CTEP)

A “Dean’s List Scholar” notation is added to each qualifying student’s transcript in late June (for students who satisfy the criteria at the end of the Fall/Winter Session) and in late October (for students who satisfy the criteria at the end of the Summer Session). Dean’s List Scholar notations are not applied at the end of the Fall term. There is no monetary value. 

Students who satisfy the criteria but do not receive a transcript notation by the dates above for the appropriate session can contact the Office of the Faculty Registrar, Faculty of Arts & Science, at ask.artsci@utoronto.ca. 

Distinction and High Distinction

Students who graduate with a Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA)* of 3.50 or above are described as graduates “With High Distinction.” This achievement is noted on the diploma and transcript.

Students who graduate with a Cumulative GPA* of 3.20 to 3.49 are described as graduates “With Distinction.” This achievement is noted on the diploma and transcript.

*Note that the Cumulative GPA must be based on at least 5.0 credits taken for Faculty of Arts & Science degree credit.

Faculty of Arts & Science Scholarships

The Faculty offers many academically-based scholarships and other awards to exceptional degree students. Full details of these scholarships are available on the Faculty website.

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