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Academic regulations

For undergraduate students

The Undergraduate Calendar contains everything you need to know about being a student at Concordia. Its length can be a challenge, but remember that not all of it applies to you, considering that it includes descriptions of all programs and courses offered at the university.

Academic Information: Definitions and Regulations contains the rules and regulations pertaining to definitions and regulations that relate to academics at Concordia.

We’ve provided this page as a handy reference so you can quickly find the information you need. Below, you can find brief definitions and links to information about Concordia's credit system, how to calculate your GPA, the definition of full-time status, how to withdraw from a course and a lot more.

Academic Year defines Concordia’s academic year, when it begins and its semesters of study.

Credit System defines a university credit and how credits relate to full-time or part-time student status.

Residence Requirements defines the number of credits that you must take at Concordia to fulfill a degree’s requirements.

Cancellation of Classes declares when a class is considered cancelled without notification.

Withdrawal outlines the regulations that concern a student’s withdrawal from a course or the university.

Studies at Other Universities specifies the procedures, regulations and deadlines you must follow if you wish to take courses at another university in Quebec, in Canada or abroad.

Student Request Committees evaluate a student’s request to be exempted from specific academic regulations. These exceptions cover requests such as permission for course overloads, course substitutions or course registration or withdrawal after the deadline. This section defines the members of the Student Request Committee, the types of requests and the deadline to submit them.

Modifications to Academic Programs and Regulations defines the university’s right to modify or phase out degree programs, as well as its responsibilities to students registered in those programs.

Degree Regulations refers you to the degree requirements for each Faculty.

Concentration Requirements: Every undergraduate program requires a cohesive sequence of courses. This section defines the number of credits required to complete an honours, specialization or major within the university’s undergraduate programs.

Evaluation declares that instructors will evaluate student performance through assignments, tests, level of participation, exams and other methods and activities. This section also specifies the deadlines for instructors to submit final grades.

Language of Instruction and Examinations specifies that courses at Concordia University are normally taught in English. This section also informs students that they may write assignments and examinations in French if they prefer, and how to make this request.

Grading System defines the letter grades used by the university and their respective grade points.

All administrative Notations defines the university’s notations used on transcript to describe various circumstances of a student’s participation in a course or exam such as DEF, MED, PEND, RPT, WRKT and more.

Late completion of courses: If you are in a situation that will interfere with the completion of coursework, you can ask for permission to submit any assignments after the course deadline. This section defines the procedure you must follow to make such a request.

In Progress (IP) notations defines the circumstances when an instructor may submit an IP (in progress) notation. The section also specifies when the student must submit or complete the work.

Academic Re-evaluation describes the process to follow if you feel that you received an unfair grade and want to ask the university to re-evaluate your course work. Though this process should be considered as a last resort, this section outlines the steps you must take, your responsibilities, the deadlines to submit your request, and how to file an appeal of a decision.

Examinations describes the procedures for centrally administred examinations, including deferred, replacement, and supplmental.

Academic Performance describes how the university calculates your grade point average (GPA).

High Academic Achievement defines the university’s criteria for granting degrees “With Distinction” or “With Great Distinction”.

Repetition of Courses describes when a student may repeat a course.

For graduate students

Students are responsible for being familiar with the rules and regulations concerning graduate registration and with Academic regulations. This information is available in the Graduate Registration and Academic Regulations sections of the Graduate Calendar.

The deadlines for registering and dropping courses can be found in the Academic Calendar section of the Calendar. Students are responsible for meeting these deadlines. If a student has not met these deadlines due to circumstances beyond their control, they may submit a Student Request through their department.

Graduate Academic Standing

The academic performance of graduate students is monitored on a periodic basis. Academic performance is based on different factors including GPA, C grades, F grades, PhD progress reports. Please note some programs may have more stringent requirements than those listed in the general section of the Graduate Calendar. Please refer to the information in the calendar on Academic Standing.

The grades for Concordia graduate courses transferred into a graduate program now appear on the student record and transcript and are calculated in the Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA). This helps in addressing the concerns expressed by students that their CGPA does not reflect their actual performance. For further information please contact your program or the School of Graduate Studies.

Academic Code of Conduct

The integrity of University academic life and of the degrees, diplomas and certificates the University confers is dependent upon the honesty and soundness of the instructor-student learning relationship and, in particular, that of the evaluation process. As such, all students are expected to be honest in all of their academic endeavours and relationships with the University.

For further information visit the Academic Integrity section or go directly to the Academic Code of Conduct.

Graduate Academic Appeals Procedure

Graduate students are entitled to appeal decisions which affect their academic standing. It is assumed that initiating an appeal is the last recourse. Please review the appeal procedures for detailed information.

Graduate Re-evaluation

It is the right of students to request a re-evaluation of coursework which includes tests, examinations, essays and other work that contributed to the grading of a course. For details on the process please review the Academic Re-evaluation procedures.

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