Grading practices

NorQuest College uses two systems for the reporting of final grades in credit courses. All final grades are reported to the Office of the Registrar.

Courses may have a passing grade higher than "D" or "50-54". For these courses, anything below the minimum pass will be graded as an "F".

Other Grades

Grade	Explanation
ADV	Advanced Credit This grade is assigned when transfer credit has been granted for a course successfully completed at another post-secondary institution. “ADV” grades are not calculated within the grade point average (GPA).
AUD	Audit Students may be allowed to audit courses and will be charged an audit fee as indicated in the calendar. This grade indicates that the student is registered in the course; however, no credit or grade is expected or provided.
AW	Registered as an auditor and withdrew.
COM	Complete
CON	Continuing This grade is awarded when a course is not passed or failed, but may be repeated.
INC	Incomplete This grade is assigned in extenuating circumstances and indicates that part of the course has not been completed or evaluated in the time period allotted. The “INC” grade reverts to an “F” after 30 calendar days if no final grade is submitted.
P or F	Pass/Fail This grade is assigned to courses with P (Pass) or F (Fail) as the only grades used.
PL	Prior Learning Assessment Recognition This grade is assigned when prior learning credit has been granted. “PL” grades are not calculated in the grade point average.
W	Withdrawal (Before the academic penalty date) This grade is assigned to courses that the student has withdrawn from after the drop date and before the midpoint of a term or session. A “W” grade is noted on a transcript, but not calculated in the grade point average.
WF	Withdraw Fail (After academic penalty date) This grade is assigned to courses that the student has withdrawn from after the midpoint of a term or session. A “WF” grade is calculated as a 0% or 0.0 in the grade point average.

GPA calculation

A grade point average is a weighted average of a student’s grades. GPA is calculated according to the formula using the credits assigned to each course and the grade points received. The calculations used in recording a student’s grades are:

• Grade Points = Credits x Grade Point Value if 4.0 grade scale is used, or percentage grade if Percentage Grade Scale is used
• GPA = Total Grade Points/Total Credits taken

Example:

Course	Grade	Credits Taken	Grade Points	Total Grade Points
HEAS 1000	In Progress	—	—	—
ANPH 1001	B+	3.0	3.3	9.9
ENGL 2550	C-	3.0	1.7	5.1
PSYC 1060	W	—	—	—
SOCI 1000	F	3.0	0.0	0.0
Total		9.0		15.0

Total Grade Points = 15.0, Total Credits taken = 9.0, GPA = 15/9 = 1.67

Term and cumulative GPA

NorQuest College calculates a term GPA at the end of each summer, fall, winter, and spring term. The term GPA appears on the transcript. A cumulative GPA is also calculated and appears on the transcript. The cumulative GPA is the average GPA maintained over all credit courses taken at NorQuest. The cumulative GPA is calculated separately for foundational/academic upgrading courses and post-secondary courses.

Term and cumulative GPA - repeated courses

If a course is repeated, credit for the highest grade will be used in the calculation of the GPA. The college may limit the number of times a credit course may be repeated.

Honours criteria

Post-secondary certificate and diploma programs (excluding employment certificates) recognize the Honours distinction for outstanding academic achievement. The college honours criteria is an overall grade point average of 3.7 or greater, with no courses having been failed or repeated. Honours distinction will be noted on the transcript and parchment of qualified graduates.

Auditing students

NorQuest College provides opportunities for the privilege of registering in a course(s) as an auditor, upon written approval by the program chair.

An audited course is not credited toward the requirements of any college credential. There will be no course evaluation, progress report, and no grades calculated towards a grade point average awarded to the student (the grade denoted on the transcript is “AUD”). Participation in the classroom is left to the discretion of the instructor. Some courses may be closed to auditing at the discretion of the program chair if the course is oversubscribed or equipment is limited.

Auditing is not allowed in practicum or lab courses and in some designated programs. A change in status from regular to audit is permitted only within the first two meetings of the class. Auditors must adhere to the standard add and drop periods. See Registration for further details.

Auditing fees

Fees for auditing a course or program are 50% of the tuition fee, and the full cost for the program and supplies fee and book rental fee (if applicable). Auditing students do not pay a Students’ Association fee or student services fee, and are ineligible for the health and dental plans.

Prior learning assessment and recognition

NorQuest College supports the recognition of previously acquired skills, competencies, and knowledge through study, work, and life experiences.

If you have accepted an offer of admission to a NorQuest College program and can demonstrate prior learning that directly relates to the learning outcomes of courses within your program, you may qualify to receive college credits toward a ministry-approved program.

To request prior learning assessment and recognition (PLAR) credits:

1. First, contact your program chair to determine your eligibility. Your program chair will provide information on the types of prior learning assessment that may be conducted (i.e. portfolio assessments, formal or informal training, etc.) and help you determine if you are eligible for PLAR credits.
2. After meeting with your program chair, email plar@norquest.ca to request assessment of individual courses within your program. The cost for assessment is 50% tuition plus a $25 PLAR administration fee for each requested course.

Challenge exams

Some post-secondary programs may allow students to write challenge exams to obtain credit for specific courses. If you have acquired skills or knowledge, which are relevant to the outcomes of a specific course, you may request permission from the program chair to enrol in and complete a challenge exam. A challenged course will appear on a student’s transcript with the grade obtained in the exam and will contribute to the grade point average. Some courses may not be eligible for challenge exam at the discretion of the program chair.

Refer to Challenge exams for more information.