Grades

Access to Grades

Students may review their grades and progression decisions at any time via Laurier's Online Registration and Information System (LORIS) on the university website. Refer to the steps listed earlier in this chapter in the Program Selection section.

 
Grading System

A student's progress within a program will be evaluated on the basis of the grade point average (GPA). For purposes of calculation, the grade point (GP) earned in a 0.5 credit will be given half the weight of that earned in a 1.0 credit. Likewise the GP earned in a 0.25 credit will be given a quarter of the weight of that earned in a 1.0 credit.

For example, a student with an A (11.0) in a 1.0 credit, a C- (2.0) in a 0.5 credit and a B+ (2.25) in a 0.25 credit will receive a GPA of 8.71. (15.25 grade points divided by 1.75 credits)

Where letter grades are derived from percentages, the following conversion will be adopted unless the instructor announces otherwise, in writing, at the outset of a course.

Letter grades and their grade point equivalents are as follows:

Letter
Grades
Grade
Points

Percentage
Conversion

A+ 12 90-100
A 11 85-89
A- 10 80-84
B+ 9 77-79
B 8 73-76
B- 7 70-72
C+ 6 67-69
C 5 63-66
C- 4 60-62
D+ 3 57-59
D 2 53-56
D- 1 50-52
F 0 0-49
XF* 0 0-49
DR** 0 0-49
GNR
-
Grade not Reported
UR***
 -
Under Review

* Final exam not written - failed course.
Where an X appears beside a final passing grade, the final examination was not written and the grade is based upon term work with a 0 on the final exam.

** Dropped after academic deadline - failed course. A grade of DR (dropped-failure) will be assigned if the course is dropped in writing after the withdrawal deadline but before the start of exam period.

*** Grade decision pending the resolution of an academic misconduct investigation

Transcript Symbol Grade Points Definition
AUD n/a Audit
CR n/a Credit (Exchange Programs)
P n/a Passed
S n/a Satisfactory
U n/a Unsatisfactory
UR
n/a
Under Review: carries no weight toward credit counts nor GPA calculations.
WD n/a Voluntary withdrawal without failure after two thirds of course completed (granted by Petitions only) [Refer to note below.]
Not Accountable n/a Granted only through a faculty petitions committee decision due to extenuating circumstances.
Appears on an official transcript adjacent to grades that are not used in the GPA calculation. [Refer to note below.]
By Challenge
0-12
Grade obtained via the Challenge for Credit procedure.

If a Petitions Committee approves the 'Not Accountable' designation, a refund of fees will not be considered since the courses and grades remain on a student's transcript.
If a WD is approved for a course, it appears on a transcript, and is not eligible for refund consideration.

 
Term Grade percentage Prior to Withdrawal deadline

That, normally, first and second year undergraduate courses be structured so that at least 15 percent of the final grade is assigned and communicated before the final course withdrawal date.

 
Calculation of Course Grade: Final Examination Not Written

The final course grade for a student who does not write a final examination (or a deferred examination) for a course in which an examination is required shall be calculated by assigning "0'' to the final examination. It should be noted that an instructor may require a student to take the final examination in order to qualify for obtaining a passing grade in the course.

 
Calculation of Grade Point Average: Repeated Course

When a course is repeated the grade received in the second attempt will be used to calculate the GPA. Special averages (i.e., those calculated for distinctions) do not conform to this practice. Students in degree programs may repeat courses up to a maximum of 2.0 credits. When a course is repeated, the first attempt will remain on a student's transcript, and will not be used for credit toward the program.

 
Grade Appeals

Grade appeals must be submitted as outlined below, no later than six weeks following the formal release of grades from the Office of Enrolment Services. Students should follow the protocol outlined in the following section Grade Reassessment. When the instructor involved in the grade appeal is also the chair, the functions herein assigned to the chair shall be performed by the dean of the faculty concerned.

 
Grade Reassessment

The course instructor bears primary responsibility for assigning the final grade.

Students who believe that the final grade received in a course does not reflect their academic performance should informally consult with the course instructor. The instructor may review the final examination with the student.

If the course instructor is unavailable, or if the student remains dissatisfied, an official request for a grade reassessment may be submitted to the chair of the department offering the course (in the case where the chair is the instructor, the dean of the faculty shall assume the functions of the chair). The request shall be filed in writing and shall contain a statement of the specific reasons for the belief that the grade does not reflect the student's academic performance in the course and must be accompanied by any relevant assignment or test, which has been returned to the student. The student may review the final examination in the department office in order to prepare the official request. The request to the chair for grade reassessment shall be filed with the chair no later than six weeks following the formal release of grades from the Office of Enrolment Services.

The chair shall provide the student with a written decision regarding the request for grade reassessment within four (4) weeks of receipt of the official request. The student may, following the release of the chair's decision, submit a petition to the faculty offering the course, the procedure for which is found in this chapter under Academic Regulations: Petitions. A fee of $25.00 per course, refundable if the faculty petitions committee finds in the student's favour, must accompany the petition.

Note: In the event the course is part of an interdepartmental major and not offered by a particular department (e.g., Muslim Studies), the co-ordinator of the program will act in the place of the chair.

 
Grade Submission

Undergraduate course final grades must be submitted no later than the end of the first business day which falls at least 7 calendar days after the writing of the final examination. Where no final examination is scheduled, undergraduate course final grades must be submitted no later than the end of the first business day which falls 7 calendar days after the last day of the exam period.

The following example outlines the way in which the policy would be administered:

  • Exam written on Saturday, December 10th; grades to be submitted by 4:30 p.m. on December 19th
  • Exam written on Tuesday, December 13th; grades to be submitted by 4:30 p.m. on December 21st
  • Exam written on Thursday, December 22nd; grades to be submitted by 4:30 p.m. on January 3rd
  • For those courses with no final examination, grades to be submitted by 4:30 p.m. on January 3rd

 
Grade Revisions

Should a grade change be required, the revision must be submitted by the instructor or the chair to the Office of Enrolment Services, with the rationale for the change.

 
Dean's Honour Roll

Undergraduate students registered in a degree seeking program will be eligible for Dean's Honour Roll if they have achieved a minimum overall GPA of 10 (A-) in all courses taken from September 1 to August 31. Assessment for the Dean's Honour Roll will be completed in the following Fall term by the Faculty in which the student was most recently registered.