Academic standing matters are the jurisdiction of the Student Standing and Promotions Committee. This committee is composed of faculty and student representation and meets at least three times a year to review the performance of all students in the School of Nursing.
The committee reviews the student record, professional conduct, and general performance and makes decisions on all matters relating to standing, promotion and graduation. The committee also receives and determines responses to requests for leave of absence, grants or denies permission to write deferred and/or supplemental examinations (in nursing and non-nursing courses), assesses that students have fulfilled the Registration with the Profession (
Immatriculation or Licensing during the Course of Study) requirements of the
Ordre des infirmières et infirmiers du Québec - OIIQ (Order of Nurses of Quebec) (
section 8.3.2 “Registration with the Profession (Immatriculation or Licensing during the Course of Study)”), assesses that students have fulfilled the Vaccination/Immunization requirements of the Faculty of Medicine, receives requests for reassessments and rereads in examinations, and receives inquiries and/or complaints related to student conduct issues (as per McGill
Handbook of Student Rights and Responsibilities, and/or Professional Code of Ethics of Nurses). The Committee refers any disciplinary issues to the Associate Dean and Director of the School of Nursing.
A student is allowed to write a final examination in a course only after the course requirements have been fulfilled. Courses can be graded either by letter grades or in percentages, but the official grade in each course is the letter grade.
For students in the B.Sc.(N.) and B.N. (Integrated) programs, a passing grade in all courses is a “C”. Letter grades are assigned grade points according to the table shown above.
A student's academic standing will be determined on the basis of a grade point average (GPA), which is computed by dividing the sum of the grade points accumulated by the total course credits attempted.
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Σ (course credit x grade points)
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The term grade point average (TGPA) is the GPA for a given term calculated using all the applicable courses in that term. The cumulative grade point average (CGPA) is the grade point average calculated using the student's entire record in the program.
CGPA calculations will, therefore, include all passing grades, grades of D or F, grades from supplemental examinations, and grades from repeated courses.
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Pass: Pass/Fail grading is restricted to certain clinical courses (e.g., NUR1 530) only. In such cases all grades in these courses are recorded as either Pass or Fail. Not included in GPA calculations.
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Absent: to be recorded for the student who did not write the final examination and had not been granted deferred status, or who did not complete an essential part of the course requirements without a valid reason. This is a failure and is calculated in the TGPA and CGPA as a failure. Appearing at the incorrect time for an examination is not a sufficient reason for a J grade to be replaced by a grade of L (deferral).
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Incomplete: deadline extended for submission of work in a course (maximum four months). (Note: this option is rarely used in the Undergraduate Nursing Program and can only be given after discussion with the Assistant Director of the respective program; if used, a 'K contract' must be signed.)
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Incomplete/failed: failed to meet the extended deadline for submission of work in a course. This is a failure and is calculated in the TGPA and CGPA as a failure.
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Deferred: for students whose final examinations or papers have been deferred, for reasons such as illness, at the time of the examination. The “L” grade must be cleared as soon as possible (maximum four months). A medical certificate or appropriate document must be submitted to the Nursing Student Affairs Office as per McGill University deadlines. In particular, such recommendations will not be considered if medical reasons are brought forth after a grade is assigned. By commencing to write any examination, the student waives the right to plead medical causes for deferral or permission to write a supplemental examination, unless the medical problem occurs in the course of the examination and is documented by examination authorities.
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Further deferral: permitted to defer examination for more than the normal period.
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Withdrew with approval: a course dropped, with permission, after the change of course period. Not included in GPA calculations.
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Withdrew failing: a course dropped, with special permission in exceptional case, after faculty deadline for withdrawal from course, the student's performance in the course at that stage being on the level of an F; not included in GPA calculations.
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No grade. Student withdrew from the University.
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In certain instances, students may designate elective courses to be graded under the S/U option. Only one course (3 credits) per term, to a maximum of 10% of a student's credits taken at McGill to fulfil the degree requirements, may be taken in this way. Grades will be reported in the normal fashion by the instructor and those of A through C will be converted to “Satisfactory” (S), and grades of D and F will become “Unsatisfactory” (U). The decision to have an elective course graded as S/U must be made by the student before the end of the Drop/Add period, and no change can be made thereafter. The courses taken under the S/U option will be excluded from the grade point average calculations, but they will be included in the number of credits attempted and completed. The S/U option is not available for Required or Complementary Courses.
The S/U option has very limited application in the School of Nursing; students considering it should seek guidance from the Assistant Director of their respective program. To be considered for in‑course awards and/or the renewal of entrance scholarships, students must complete at least 27 graded credits in the regular academic session exclusive of courses completed under the S/U option.
The student who has not met the criteria of Satisfactory Standing (see above) and who has been allowed to continue in the program is placed on probationary standing in the following conditions when the student has:
Students in probationary standing may continue in their program, but must carry a reduced load (maximum 14 credits per term). They must maintain a TGPA of a minimum 2.5 and obtain a CGPA of 2.0 or above at the end of the next academic year to return to satisfactory standing (see above). Students on probation must also meet any requirements outlined by the Student Standing and Promotions Committee. Any student on probation should see their faculty adviser to discuss their course selection and degree planning.
Any student who obtains a grade of C or C+ in a clinical course or in NUR1 220 Therapeutic Relationships or whose pattern of performance during the clinical evaluation period indicates steady decline or whose conduct in the areas of professionalism or moral/ethical behaviour is a concern (but meets minimum standards) or the student has been out of clinical studies for two or more semesters, is placed on Clinic Alert. Students who have failed a clinical course and have been allowed to repeat this course are placed on Clinic Alert. The student is allowed to continue into the subsequent clinical course but must meet the criteria outlined in the learning plan that is established between the student and clinical course coordinator. Failure to meet the learning plan criteria results in a grade of F. Only one Clinic Alert is allowed in the program of study. The clinic alert standing is not recorded on the student's Minerva record.
Students in unsatisfactory standing have not met the minimum standards set by the School of Nursing. Students in unsatisfactory standing are required to withdraw from the program. These students should consult their nursing adviser for guidance as their status in the University may be deemed satisfactory in programs with less rigorous standing requirements.
Any student who, after only one semester of studies in the program, does not meet satisfactory standing requirements, is granted an interim standing (e.g., interim probation; interim unsatisfactory). Students in interim standing may continue in their program, but must meet with their faculty adviser to evaluate their course load and reduce it as appropriate.
Only standing decisions that place the student in Unsatisfactory Standing or require the student to withdraw from the program of study can be appealed. In such cases, the student makes a written appeal to the Student Standing and Promotions Committee, within 14 days of the decision, stating the reason(s) for the appeal.
Further appeals are dealt with by the Associate Dean and Director of the School of Nursing. Complete details on the appeals process are found in the
School of Nursing Faculty and Student Handbook found in pdf format at
www.mcgill.ca/nursing/students.
Students who have a grade of D, J, F, or U in a course and who have a CGPA of
≥ 2.2 in U0 or U1 or
≥ 2.3 in U2 or U3 are eligible to apply for supplemental examination on Minerva (as per McGill deadlines).
Only under very special circumstances will a student be permitted to write more than two supplemental examinations throughout the program.
An examination may be “deferred” for reasons of illness or family crisis
only by permission of the Program Director. This verification (generally a medical certificate or appropriate document) must be supplied
as per McGill deadlines posted on the web at
www.mcgill.ca/students/exams/supdefer.
Students who are unable to write their deferred exam(s) as scheduled due to documented illness, family affliction, or other crisis, must contact the Nursing Student Affairs Office to initiate a withdrawal from the deferred exam(s). If the withdrawal is not approved, a final grade of “J” (absent) will appear on the student's transcript, and will count as zero in the grade point average (GPA).
Requests for reassessments are made to the Student Standing and Promotions Committee within 10 working days after the graded material has been made available for student viewing. An impartial reviewer recalculates the grade based on the allocation of grades and, rather than re-correct the work and grade it as they would have done themselves, reviewers assess the appropriateness of the original grade based, for example, on the application of the grading key to the student's work. Reassessments are free.
A written request for a reread is submitted to the Student Standing and Promotions Committee (see deadlines below). A reread involves a cost to the student. Grades are either raised, lowered, or remain the same, as the result of a reread. Rereads for courses not administered by the School of Nursing are subject to the deadlines and regulations of the relevant faculty.
Reassessment is done free of charge. Computer marked examinations can be reassessed but not reread. There is a fee for the
reread of a final examination or paper. Visit
www.mcgill.ca/student-accounts/fees/adminfees for details.
Reassessments or rereads are not available for supplemental examinations.
