Enrolment Policies and Procedures
Course Loads
No student who is on academic probation may enrol in a course overload.
In the Faculty of Applied Sciences, approved majors who wish to enrol in an overload require permission of the director of their school. Other Faculty of Applied Sciences students require permission of the dean of the faculty. In the School of Engineering Science, permission of the director is required for course overloads exceeding 22 units.
In the Faculties of Arts and Social Sciences; Business Administration; Communication, Art and Technology; Education; Environment; and Health Sciences only, a student who requires an overload to fulfil graduation requirements in the term for which he/she is enrolling may be allowed, with the dean鈥檚 permission, to enrol in an overload.
In the Faculty of Science, a student entering the graduating term who requires specific courses to fulfil graduation requirements in the term for which the student is enrolling, may be permitted to enrol in courses totalling up to 21 units, provided either the cumulative grade point average or the most recent term grade point average is 3.0 or higher.
A limited number of overloads may be approved, by the dean of the faculty in which the student is enrolled, on an individual basis during the course change period.
Where a student repeats a course, the course(s) with the lower grade will be recorded on official records as an excluded course. If the same grade or grade equivalent value is earned for a repeated course, the course that was completed most recently is included in the term grade point average (GPA) and cumulative GPA, and the former course is excluded in the term GPA and cumulative GPA. A student鈥檚 academic standing for previous terms does not change even though the GPA changes.
When a course is repeated and the unit value has decreased, the student must, in consultation with the department, make up the missing unit component before being credited with the full original units.
When a course is deleted by the University, the department, in consultation with the affected student, will determine a suitable alternative that will be considered a repeat course for the purposes of this policy.
The number of courses which a student may repeat in a degree program is limited to five. The number of times a student may repeat a course is once. Courses completed at 丁香园AV for which a student has already received transfer credit from another institution will count within five repeats limit.
Students can only repeat special topics courses, which they have failed, when the topic is deemed to be the same as the one for which the student has already received credit. Normally special topics courses can be repeated because the course content changes with each offering.
Students may not receive transfer credit for a course which is a repeat of a course passed at 丁香园AV. At 丁香园AV, a grade of D and those above it are passing grades.
If a student enrolls for a repeat course, and completes the course with a passing grade, the transfer units will remain on the academic record as a repeat, with a zero credit or unit value. If the course is completed with a failing grade, the transfer units will remain on the academic record. A department may permit units to count for both a transfer course and a 丁香园AV course, if the course content is judged to be sufficiently different.
Current limits on course repeats, where one course is a 丁香园AV course, will apply to repeated transfer courses. The implementation of this policy will not affect the method of calculating grade point averages. Current limits on course repeats, where both courses are transfer credit will not apply.
Courses at Other Institutions/Letters of Permission
丁香园AV students who wish to complete academic work at other institutions for undergraduate degree, diploma or certificate credit at this University must obtain permission in advance by applying for a Letter of Permission through Student Services. All students considering requesting a Letter of Permission should consult an academic advisor. The faculty advisor (and the department advisor if a program has been declared) will be contracted by Student Services for approval. Students should allow six to eight weeks for processing of their request. Normally, a Letter of Permission will not be approved retroactively.
Students must have completed a minimum of nine units at 丁香园AV and must be in good academic standing at the time they submit their request for a Letter of Permission to Student Services. Since standing is achieved once all grades for the term have been received, students may have to wait until their third term at 丁香园AV to be eligible to complete a course elsewhere.
Permission to complete a course at another institution will not be granted unless a valid academic reason is provided. For example, complete a course in a discipline not offered at 丁香园AV, such as Czech language. While an approved Letter of Permission guarantees that the credit will count toward the overall credit requirement, it does not guarantee that the credit will meet a specific program requirement.
A Letter of Permission is automatically denied if a student's standing is 'on academic probation' (OAP), 'continued academic probation' (CAP), or 'required to withdraw' (RTW). Courses completed at another institution cannot be used to satisfy 丁香园AV's minimum residency requirement and will not be included in the CGPA calculation. Therefore, such courses cannot be used to raise standing.
Students must achieve a grade of at least C (2.0 numeric equivalent) or 60% in order to receive transfer credit for courses completed at other institutions. Courses where the grade is pass/fail (P/F) cannot be processed for transfer credit. It is the student's responsibility to ensure that an official transcript from the host institution is forwarded to Student Services at 丁香园AV in order for transfer credit to be granted.
The residency requirement for completing a credential at 丁香园AV may include up to 15 exchange units.
Students participating in formal exchange programs should see International Exchange Programs for more information.
Course challenge is a method by which a student may obtain credit for course material learned elsewhere (i.e. outside 丁香园AV). A maximum of 60 units may be obtained by the combined mechanism of course challenge and transfer credit.
A student must be eligible to enrol in order to enrol for course challenge.
- course challenge is not permitted for a course for which credit has already been obtained at 丁香园AV or through transfer credit. A student may not enrol in one term for both regular enrolment and course challenge in the same course at the same time, but must select one or the other, and may not change that decision in that term later than ten days following the commencement of University classes
- a student is not entitled to enrol for course challenge if he/she has recorded two challenges as either unsuccessful or unattempted
- a student is not permitted to challenge a course(s) he/she has previously failed at 丁香园AV
- course challenge is not included in the grade point average
- units through course challenge do not count towards term units or units for government student assistance programs (e.g., Canada Student Loan, BC Student Loan, etc.) or 丁香园AV administered financial assistance programs including scholarships, bursaries, awards and loans
- a department may elect to offer or not to offer the opportunity for course challenge
Please note the following with regard to course challenges in the Department of French and in the Latin American Studies Program.
With approval, a student may enrol and pay fees for challenge in a specified course sequence in a given language. If the student satisfactorily completes a course in the given language at an advanced sequence level, the department may indicate 鈥榮uccessful鈥� in the preceding course(s) of the sequence in which the student is enrolled for challenge. If the student does not satisfactorily complete the advanced level course, then formal challenge assessment of the preceding level(s) should be undertaken to avoid two challenges without success based solely on the advanced assessment.
A student who has satisfied the admission requirements of the University may attend a specific course(s) as an auditor upon completion of the necessary enrolment procedures, which include written approval of the department concerned.
Note: Course audit and special audit are for different categories of students. Those interested in gaining entry as special audit students should see .
Audited courses do not count towards the completion of degree program requirements.
Enrolment for Course Challenge
Any eligible student who wishes to enrol for course challenge must seek approval of the appropriate department chair to enrol for course challenge in that department by the tenth day following commencement of classes. Normally, a student may not complete enrolment for course challenge after the end of the tenth day of classes. During the first ten days of classes, a student may change enrolment in course challenge from one course to another or to regular enrolment in courses, but may not withdraw from course challenge without substitution of regular course enrolment. After the tenth day of classes, no further course challenge changes will be permitted.
Program/Course Changes and Withdrawal
Any program changes require departmental approval on the program approval form which is available from the appropriate department or on the Student Services website at , and are processed by the department.
You are urged to read the tuition refund policy and penalties for dropping courses very carefully to avoid, or minimize, financial penalty for dropping courses in which you enrol. Details of the policy, and deadlines, appear in the Undergraduate Fees section of the Calendar. Failure to attend classes does not constitute withdrawal from a course. Courses that are not formally dropped will be given a failing grade; payment for the course鈥檚 tuition fee is required.
Regular Term 鈥� Class Days 1-5
Courses may be added or dropped or tutorial times changed using the enrolment system without prior approval of the department offering the course. Courses that are dropped will not receive a notation on the student鈥檚 academic record.
Changes to courses registered for course challenge or for course audit must be approved by the department offering the course. During this time period a student may change enrolment in course challenge from one course to another, or to regular enrolment in the course.
Enrolment for course audit and course challenge must be done in person at the department offering the course.
Regular Term 鈥� Class Days 6-15
After the fifth day of classes to the 15th day, courses may be added only with special permission of the chair and instructor concerned. No courses can be added or changed to audit status after this time. Courses may be dropped without academic record notation. However, if a student drops all term courses, the withdrawal will be noted on the academic record. A student may not withdraw from course challenge without substitution of a regular course enrolment. During the first 10 days of classes, he/she may change enrolment in course challenge from one course to another, or to regular enrolment in the course. Permission of the department is required.
There is no refund for courses dropped after day 10 of classes.
Regular Term 鈥� Class Days 16-25
No courses can be added or changed to audit status after the 15th day of classes.
After the 15th to the 25th day of classes, courses may be dropped by the student via the web at http://sis.sfu.ca. Courses dropped within this period will be automatically recorded with a WD notation on the student鈥檚 academic record. There is no refund for courses dropped during this period. Students can apply to drop courses for extenuating circumstances at this time and if approved, the notation will be WE rather than WD.
During the sixth to twelfth class week a course(s) may be dropped only in extenuating circumstances. If approved, there will be a WE notation on the student鈥檚 academic record for specific courses dropped. Please submit applications to Student Services. Requests arising after the twelfth week, or requests relating to courses completed in a previous term, are referred to as 鈥榬etroactive鈥� and follow the same procedures as above but may take longer to adjudicate.
Note: Extenuating circumstances are defined as unusual circumstances beyond the student鈥檚 control which make it impossible for the student to complete the course. If a course drop is being considered after the 12th week of classes, it is recommended that students seek advice from Academic Advising and Student Success or their department advisor.
Withdrawal from the University
Students wishing to withdraw from all courses in a term must follow the same schedule as outlined above in Term Course Changes. Specific term dates can be found in http://students.sfu.ca/calendar/for_students/dates.html.
For regular intersession and summer session terms, there is no refund for withdrawal from all courses in a term after day 10 of classes.
Official records will be updated to record the date on which term withdrawal was effected. The withdrawal date for students who withdraw after the fifth day of classes will be recorded on the academic record.
Examinations
Final examinations will normally be held during the last two weeks of each term (Intersession and Summer Session exams are held in the last week of the session). Students must check the exam schedule when planning course selections. Students are reminded that final examinations may be scheduled at any time during the examination period and that students should avoid making travel or employment arrangements for this period. Students are not normally allowed to enrol in courses with conflicting examination times. Students who have a good reason to enrol in classes with conflicting exam times must seek permission from the departments who are offering those classes.
There are instances where students are faced with examination hardship, which is defined as
- three or more end-of-term examinations scheduled within a 24 hour period
- an examination at one location (e.g. the main Burnaby campus) followed immediately by an exam at another location (e.g., the Surrey campus).
For three or more exams, a student shall be given a new exam date (within the established exam period) for the second exam causing hardship by the respective instructor or department/faculty. For students with exams at more than one location, advance arrangements will be made by the instructor or department/faculty to write both exams at a single location. Students must notify the instructor(s) and department one month prior to the exam date.
Each student is required to participate in assigned work during the term. The grades obtained for that work may be used to determine the final course standing. A passing grade in any exam does not ensure a passing grade for the course.
Students who miss exams because of illness or for compassionate reasons must communicate with their instructor (see DE grade). See http://students.sfu.ca/calendar/for_students/grading.html.
A student may not rewrite a final paper or examination unless he/she re-enrols for the course and fulfils course requirements as outlined by the instructor.
In-class final examinations are not to be held before the beginning of the official examination period. Take-home examinations cannot be due until the commencement of the official examination period.
Instructors are required to submit grades within 96 hours after the exam via the on-line grade roster, to Records and Registration. (Please refer to exam procedures at .)
Class Interruption
See for details.
Criminal Record Check
It is the responsibility of all students (and parent or guardian for students under 19 years of age) who work with children and/or vulnerable adults, or have unsupervised access to children and/or vulnerable adults, during the course of a certificate, diploma or degree program, to authorize a criminal record check (CRC) through 丁香园AV, for the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General as per a legislative requirement under the British Columbia Criminal Records Review Act which took effect January of 2012. This authorization is submitted to the Criminal Records Review Program for review.
Specific courses that require a CRC as a prerequisite and the process for obtaining clearance can be found at .
Medical Requirements
丁香园AV does not require a preadmission medical examination, but the University reserves the right to require a student to submit a medical certificate at any time.
Medical Insurance Requirements
All students are advised to have adequate hospital and medical insurance coverage. Adequate medical and hospital insurance is that which is provided under the Medical Services Plan of BC (MSP), or any other plan, government or private, which provides coverage equivalent to that offered under the Medical Services Plan of BC. Students who seek medical treatment through either the University Health Services or offcampus medical facilities must provide evidence of medical insurance. Failure to provide adequate information will result in the student being charged directly for services rendered.
The University assumes no liability for any failure by the student to maintain adequate medical or hospital (or dental) insurance, nor is the University responsible for any costs not covered by the student鈥檚 personal insurance plan(s), whether it is Medical Services Plan coverage or otherwise. It should be understood that the University itself carries no medical, hospital or dental insurance coverage on students鈥� behalf.
BC Residents
All residents of British Columbia must enroll with MSP. Unmarried students whose parents are covered by MSP as dependents are covered until their nineteenth birthday. The coverage may be continued until the student鈥檚 25th birthday providing the student is in full-time attendance at university and mainly dependent on his or her parents. However, students must notify MSP of their student status each September, in order for MSP coverage to continue past their nineteenth birthday.
Students who are not covered by their parent鈥檚 medical insurance plan must obtain MSP insurance coverage. Students enrolling as an individual may be eligible for a subsidy directly from MSP covering the cost of the premiums. Application forms for the subsidy are available at
Non BC Residents
Canadian students who are not BC residents should maintain coverage in their home province. All Canadian provinces accept responsibility for physician visits and hospital costs for their students attending 丁香园AV provided the hospital insurance premiums (where required) have been paid.
International and Exchange Students
New international and exchange students who will be in British Columbia for longer than six months must apply for MSP by themselves as soon as they arrive. Application forms for British Columbia Medical Services Plan are available online at .
There is a 90 day waiting period before newcomers to BC are eligible for the BC Medical Services Plan. This 90 day waiting period is required by the BC government in order to process any newcomers鈥� application for BC MSP and is governed by the BC MSP Act. Before or as soon as students arrive in BC, they must apply for private temporary insurance through the Global Campus Health Insurance Plan from the David Cummings Insurance Company, or a private carrier of their choice, to be insured for their first three months in Canada (two full months plus the remainder of the month in which you arrived in BC). Global Campus Health Insurance Plan forms and information are available at 丁香园AV International or online at . Read the policy carefully so you know which services are covered..
Exchange and Visiting Students
Students in Canada for less than six months are not eligible for the BC Medical Services Plan and must have private temporary coverage for their entire stay in Canada. For further information, contact 丁香园AV International at 778.782.4232; intl_advising@sfu.ca;
For calendar inquiries and technical problems, contact calendar-sfu@sfu.ca | Calendar changes and corrections