Academic Standing and Promotion Policy

To provide a consistent, equitable, and transparent process that facilitates Cambrian College (the “College”) student progression through their chosen program of studies to graduation.

This policy applies to all students enrolled in courses leading to a Cambrian College credential.

Academic administrator: for the purposes of this policy, an Academic Administrator is a Dean or Chair.

Academic standing: a measure of a student’s academic achievement relative to their program requirements that determines their eligibility to be admitted to and/or proceed in their academic program and to qualify for graduation.

Attempt: a final grade for a course constitutes an attempt (withdrawals do not count).

GPA: grade point average

Learning plan: a document used to plan learning, usually over a defined period. The Program Coordinator, in discussions with the student, develops the learning plan.

Program GPA: calculated by multiplying the number of credit hours assigned to a course by the value of the grade earned for each completed course included in the program of study. Pass/fail courses/grades are not included in the calculation of program GPA.

Program of Study (program): a set of courses defined by the College – in compliance with standards established by the Ministry of Colleges and Universities (MCU) – for a particular area of study. These courses provide students with an integrated continuum of learning from basic to complex.

Semester: refers to an established cluster of courses identified in the program of study.

Term: the period of delivery for a particular level of a program.

Term GPA: is calculated by multiplying the number of credit hours assigned to a course by the value of the grade earned for each course taken in that term. Courses taken during the term are included in the term GPA, regardless of whether they relate to the program of study. Pass/fail courses are not included in the calculation of term GPA.

Version: the program of study being followed by a student and is usually the version that was in place at the time the student was admitted to semester 1 of the program.

1. Credentials and Programs of Study

1.1. The College assigns credentials for all programs consistent with the Ontario Qualifications Framework and Cambrian’s Program Development Framework.

1.2. The College defines each program of study and identifies the courses required for each credential.

1.3. A program of study may be organized across one or more semesters and/or may be non-semestered (e.g. microcredentials / other programs of short duration).

1.4. Programs of study are regularly reviewed, and changes may be made as part of the annual curriculum review cycle.

1.5. Students are required to complete the version assigned when admitted (or re-admitted) to their program.

2. Passing Grades

2.1. A minimum passing grade of 50% is required in all courses offered at the College.

2.2. Some courses may require a higher minimum standard. In such cases, the Academic Administrator responsible for those courses approves the higher minimum passing grade.

3. Prerequisites and Co-Requisites

3.1. Courses that have a prerequisite may not be taken until the prerequisite course(s) have been taken and passed.

3.2. A student wishing to enroll in a course for which they do not have the stated course prerequisite(s) and/or co-requisite(s) must receive permission from the Chair to register without a prerequisite.

4. Repeated Courses

4.1. A student may attempt a course two times.

4.2. A student wishing to attempt a course for a third time must have approval from the Academic Administrator with responsibility for the program in which the student is registered.

4.3. A student who has exhausted the number of available attempts to complete a course may not be able to graduate from a program in which the course is required.

4.4. A student’s ability to repeat a course may be subject to availability of seats in that course. For example, in the case of placement courses or other courses with a limited number of seats, a student may not be able to repeat a course due to capacity restrictions.

4.5. In certain programs, and in cases where a student has failed a course (e.g. semesters with co-requisites), students may be required to repeat a full semester. In such cases, a student’s ability to repeat a course is subject to the College’s re-admission procedure.

4.6. In the case of repeated courses, the calculation of the program GPA includes only the best result. However, the student’s transcript records all course attempts.

5. Interruption of Studies

5.1. In cases where a student’s studies are interrupted for more than one year, the College may require the student to repeat courses.

5.2. Courses completed in the last five years are normally considered current, but Academic Administrators may impose stricter standards in cases where significant changes have occurred and/or where currency of information and/or experience is of paramount importance to a student’s success and/or integrity of the credential.

6. Advancement from One Semester to the Next

Academic standing is calculated for full-time students at the end of each term and includes all courses taken in that term. Academic Standing is calculated for part-time students after the completion of every nine credits.

6.1. Promotion With Good Academic Standing

1. Students progress from one semester to the next upon achievement of a minimum term GPA of 2.0.

6.2. Promotion with Academic Probation (P1)

1. Students progress with academic probation from one semester to the next upon achievement of a term GPA of 1.0-1.99.
2. Students placed on academic probation (P1) must meet with their Program Coordinator to map out a learning plan. Students are also encouraged to meet with an Academic Advisor to review success strategies.

6.3. Promotion with Academic Probation (P2)

1. Students that achieve a term GPA of 1.0 – 1.99 for a second consecutive term will be placed on academic probation 2 (P2).

6.4. Academic Dismissal

1. Students will be placed on academic dismissal if their term GPA is below 1.0 or after failing to clear probation status after two terms.
2. Students placed on academic dismissal are no longer eligible to continue in their original program for a period of two terms. After two terms, students wishing to return to the program from which they have been dismissed must apply for re-admission.
3. Students placed on academic dismissal may follow the procedure outlined in the Academic Appeal Policy to appeal for consideration to continue in their program on probation (P2).
4. Academic dismissal is at the program level. Students may be eligible to apply for admission to another program and should consult the Admissions Policy for more information.

7. Graduation Requirements

7.1.Grade Requirements

1. To qualify for graduation, students must complete all courses as defined in the program of study and achieve a minimum program GPA of 2.0.

7.2. Timelines for Graduation

1. Programs must normally be completed within the following time limits:

Credential	Length	Timelines of Graduation
Ontario College Certificate, Ontario College Graduate Certificate, Board-Level Certificates	2+ semesters, one year	Up to 200% of program length
Ontario College Diploma	4 semesters, two years	Up to 200% of program length
Ontario College Advanced Diploma	6 semesters, 3 years	Up to 200% of program length
Degrees	6 to 8 semesters, 3 to 4 years	Up to 175% of the program length
Board-Level Certificates, Certificates of Completion, Certificates of Achievement, Recognition of Achievement	Non-semestered, less than 500 instructional hours	Up to 18 months from the start of the first course

2. These timelines align with ministry guidelines.
3. Approval of the Academic Administrator with responsibility for the program is normally required to extend these time limits. However, extended time limits may also be granted for students with a documented accommodation with the Glenn Crombie Centre for Accessibility and Wellness.

8. Residency Requirements

Students must complete a minimum number of credits at Cambrian College to be eligible for a Cambrian College credential.

8.1. Students must earn a minimum of 25% of the credits for their program at Cambrian College.

8.2. For students completing a second program at Cambrian, a minimum of 25% of courses from the second program must be completed at Cambrian and be unique to the second program.

9. Graduation Standing

9.1. The College awards to students (on their transcript) a designation for programs governed by the Ontario Qualifications Framework of:

1. Cambrian Scholar: the student has completed all program requirements with a program GPA between 3.50 and 4.00.
2. Graduated with Honours: the student has completed all program requirements with a program GPA between 3.00 and 3.49.

10. Program and Course Withdrawal

10.1 Official dates and deadlines are published on the College website and student portal. These dates and deadlines vary by term and by program.

10.2. Students who officially withdraw from the College within the first ten days of a term will have all courses removed from their transcript.

10.3. Students who withdraw from the College after the first ten days (but within the period of withdrawal without academic penalty) receive a “W” (withdrawn) for all courses on their transcript. “W” grades are not used in the calculation of the student’s GPA.

10.4. Notwithstanding B and C above, students who fail a clinical or placement course due to a critical incident before official withdrawal dates are not able to withdraw (the failing grade stands).

10.5. Students who withdraw from the College after the last day to withdraw in a term without academic penalty will receive an “F” (failure) for all courses on their transcript.

10.6. Students who do not officially withdraw receive grades earned in their course reflected on their transcript.

10.7. A student cannot withdraw from a course after a final grade has been submitted.

11. Promotion Meetings

11.1. Academic Administrators schedule promotion meetings at the end of each term for each program and review grades and promotion statuses with program faculty members before final grades are released to students.

12. Posthumous Awarding of Credentials

12.1. A Cambrian College credential may be awarded posthumously on the recommendation of the Dean, to a student in good academic standing and who successfully completed at least 75% of their program requirements.

 

Vice President, Academic is responsible for:

• Ensuring that this policy and associated procedures are reviewed, communicated, and fully implemented.

Deans/Chairs are responsible for:

• Setting academic criteria, program requirements, and performance outcomes.
• Overseeing application and administration of these criteria/requirements.
• Leading promotion meetings.

Registrar is responsible for:

• Producing and distributing grade reports and transcripts.
• Administering the processes of grade collection and transcript production.
• Informing students of their grades, promotion status, and eligibility for graduation.
• Producing and granting diplomas and certificates.
• Maintaining the official convocation and graduation records.
• Monitoring and interpreting this policy.

Faculty Members are responsible for:

• Evaluating students and submitting course grades, program promotion status, or standing to the Registrar in a timely manner.
• Communicating academic requirements to students and document these requirements in course outlines and other official college materials.
• Participating in promotion meetings.

Withdrawal and Refund Procedure

Re-admission Procedure