Undergraduate Marks

Academic Regulation 10 (PDF) explains the system of letter grades used in the Faculty of Arts and Science as well as the system for marks given in special cases where work cannot be completed by the end of a course.

Starting in the summer term 2011, final marks for all undergraduate courses will be recorded on your transcript as letter grades; any grades you received in prior terms will continue to appear as percentages. In addition to letter grades, your transcript will show a cumulative grade point average (GPA), calculated according to the following table:

If you wish to calculate your GPA based on your older marks recorded as percentages, you may use the GPA Calculator on the Faculty of Arts and Science web site.

Important Thresholds

Dean’s Honour List

Achieving the following GPA on all courses taken during an academic year (from 1 Sept to 31 Aug) will place a student on the Dean’s Honour List.

Requirements to Graduate

To graduate, students must have the following minimum cumulative GPA on all courses taken at Queen’s:

Important Note: While any grade above F is sufficient to pass a course, a cumulative GPA between 0.1 and 1.59 (i.e., corresponding to the range of grades from D- to D+) is not sufficient to graduate. It is therefore technically possible to pass all your courses but still not be eligible to graduate.

Academic Standing

To remain in good academic standing, students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 1.6 or above. Students who fail to achieve the following cumulative GPA standards when they are evaluated in May of each year may receive an academic sanction:

The first time a student is required to withdraw, it will be for a period of one year; the student may then return to Arts and Science on academic probation. If he or she is required to withdraw a second time, it will be for a period of three years. Details of GPA and Academic Standing may be found in Academic Regulations 12 (Dean’s Honour List), 13 (Academic Standing), and 16 (Requirements to Graduate) of the revised Academic Regulations of the Faculty of Arts and Science.

Thresholds Specific to the English Department

What if one cannot finish course-work by the end of a course?

In special cases where illness or emergency prevents students from completing a course on schedule, they may apply to the instructor or the Associate Dean (Studies) for special arrangements as follows. Note especially that arrangements for IN and ED marks must be made with your instructors in advance of the relevant completion dates.

IN (incomplete) marks: Students may request a mark of IN (“incomplete”) from the instructor if they cannot complete course-work. This includes requests for a deferred exam. Requests for marks of IN should be made before the end of the course (i.e., by the last class meeting) and should ordinarily include documentation of the special circumstance that necessitates delayed completion (e.g., a medical note). The student and instructor should agree beforehand on the due date(s) for all outstanding work and should both sign a Permission for an Incomplete Mark Form (PDF). The revised due date(s) should ordinarily be set for the near future, and if possible they should fall before the beginning of the next term in order to avoid interference with subsequent courses. According to Academic Regulation 10.2.4, outstanding work must by submitted by the end of the subsequent term. The instructor submits a mark of X / IN, where X equals the student’s final mark as it would stand if no further work were submitted. If the work and the revised mark are not submitted within the year, the registrar’s computers will automatically revise any mark of X / IN to X, which will stand as the student’s final mark for the course.

AG (aegrotat) marks: Aegrotat marks are granted only in the most extraordinary circumstances. As Regulation 10 explains, “Aegrotat estimated standing in a course is reserved for situations in which a student, who has completed and passed at least 60 per cent of the work for a course, but because of illness or other extenuating circumstances beyond his or her control, is unable to complete all the work of the course (see Academic Regulation 6). Aegrotat grades will be included in the student’s grade point average and can be used as credit earned towards a degree program.”

CR (credit standing) in a course “is reserved for situations in which a student, who has completed and passed all of the work of the course, including the final examination, but because of illness or other extenuating circumstances beyond his or her control, earned a substantially lower grade than might have been expected, normally a grade of C or lower (see Academic Regulation 6). A course with credit standing will not be included in the student’s grade point average but can be used as credit earned towards a degree program. For the purposes of determining prerequisite requirements, a CR grade shall be considered equivalent to a C- ….”