Note: The University of Ottawa has made extensive changes to several academic regulation. These changes came into effect on September 1, 2016. A grandfather clause applies to academic regulation B-7 Academic Standing, Probation and Mandatory Withdrawal for Undergraduate Programs
(Approved by the Senate on April 17, 2023, effective May 1, 2023)
Unless otherwise indicated, this regulation does not apply to the faculties of Law (Common Law and Civil Law sections), Education, Medicine, except for the Honours Bachelor of Science in Translational and Molecular Medicine.
No decision regarding academic standing can be retroactively modified as a result of a repeated course or of an academic reset request.
B-6.1. Academic standing
(Approved by the Senate on February 18, 2020, and effective May 1, 2020)
In bachelor’s programs, students must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of least 4.0 to be considered in good standing.
In honours bachelor’s programs, students must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 5.0 to be considered in good standing, except for specific programs as otherwise approved by the Senate.
In undergraduate certificate programs, students must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of at least 3.5 to be considered in good standing.
B-6.2. Academic probation and lifting probation
(Approved by the Senate on February 18, 2020, and effective May 1, 2020)
Students whose cumulative grade point average is below the minimum required for their program are put on academic probation.
For bachelor’s and honours bachelor’s programs, the decision to put a student on academic probation is not made until the student has taken (successfully or not) at least 24 units.
For undergraduate certificate programs, the decision to put a student on academic probation is not made until the student has taken (successfully or not) at least 9 units.
For bachelor’s and honours bachelor’s programs, decisions on lifting academic probation or requiring a student to withdraw are made only after the student has taken (successfully or not) another 24 units, in accordance with the conditions of the student’s academic probation.
For undergraduate certificate programs, decisions on lifting academic probation or requiring a student to withdraw are made only after the student has taken (successfully or not) another 9 units, in accordance with the conditions of the student’s academic probation.
Academic probation is lifted when the student’s cumulative grade point average reaches the required minimum for the program.
Students in honours programs with a cumulative grade point average below 5.0 may re-enrol in the honours program with academic probationary status or enrol in a bachelor’s program. In the latter case, students will be put on academic probation only if their grade point average is below 4.0.
B-6.3. Withdrawal
(Approved by the Senate on October 21, 2024 and effective immediately)
In addition to the cases of mandatory withdrawal set out in the University’s regulation on academic fraud and any cases covered by faculty regulations approved by the Senate, withdrawal from a program or a faculty is mandatory in the following situations:
Withdrawal from the program:
- in general, two failures in compulsory work terms, including in programs where participation in co-operative education is compulsory;
- at the Faculty of Health Sciences, withdrawal from the Honours Bachelor of Science in Nursing or the Honours Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics in the case of a cumulative grade point average below 4.0 ;
- at the Faculty of Health Sciences, withdrawal from the Honours Bachelor of Science in Nursing in the case of two failures in courses with an NSG course code worth 3, 6 or 9 units, or three failures or more in courses with an NSG course code where the sum of course units is 6 or more; and withdrawal from the Honours Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics in the case of two failures in courses with NUT course codes, regardless of whether the failed courses were repeated and subsequently passed;
- at the Faculty of Education, in undergraduate programs, a second grade of “F” for the same compulsory course or elective course. If students repeat and pass that course, they can be readmitted to the B. Ed. program.
Withdrawal from the faculty:
- a cumulative grade point average below 3.0 after having taken (successfully or not) 24 units in the case of a bachelor’s or honours bachelor’s program, or 9 units in the case of an undergraduate certificate program (withdrawal from the faculty);
- cumulative grade point average below the minimum average required after being placed on academic probation and after having taken (successfully or not) 24 additional units in the case of a bachelor’s or honours bachelor’s program or 9 additional units in the case of an undergraduate certificate program, in accordance with the conditions of the student’s academic probation (withdrawal from the program or the faculty, depending on the situation).
Students have the right to appeal their mandatory withdrawal to their academic unit. The appeal must be submitted in writing within 10 (ten) working days of receiving the withdrawal notification.
New admission following withdrawal
In the case of a withdrawal from a bachelor’s or honours bachelor’s program, students may be eligible for admission to another program of the faculty. A student who wishes to enrol in the original program after taking (successfully or not) 24 units following withdrawal must submit a change of program request and fulfill the current admission requirements. At the Faculty of Health Sciences, a new admission to the program while retaining already completed NSG and NUT course units is not possible when two failures in courses with NSG or NUT course codes, of which at least one was a clinical or practicum placement course, prompted the withdrawal from the Honours Bachelor of Science in Nursing or the Honours Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics.
In the case of a withdrawal, from a faculty, for a bachelor’s or honours bachelor’s programs, students who wish to enrol in the faculty after taking 24 units (successfully or not) following withdrawal must apply for admission, meet the academic upgrading conditions required by the faculty, and fulfill the current admission requirements.
In the case of a withdrawal from an undergraduate certificate program, students who wish to enrol after taking 9 units (successfully or not) following withdrawal must apply for admission, meet the academic upgrading conditions required by the faculty, and fulfill the current admission requirements.
Applications for admission from students withdrawn from a faculty will be evaluated on the basis of the average they obtain during the period of academic upgrading. The requirements for averages for university transfers apply in cases of admission following mandatory withdrawal.
B-6.4. Enrolment in courses over and above program requirements
(Approved by the Senate on January 20, 2020, and effective May 1, 2020)
Undergraduate students can enrol in courses over and above their program requirements.
B-6.5. Interruption of studies
Students whose studies at the University of Ottawa are voluntarily interrupted for six or fewer consecutive terms may re-enrol in the same faculty without having to re-apply for admission. Students whose studies at the University of Ottawa are interrupted for more than six consecutive terms must re-apply for admission.