Academic Policies

The end-of-term examination schedule is developed by the Registrar’s Office. It will be posted in the Classroom Building, in the Administration Building and on the website. Students are advised to look up both the course number and lecture section (e.g., PSYC 201-1) to ensure they have the correct day, time and location of their examinations. This is important because courses with several sections may have examinations on different days. Students are advised that courses with laboratory sections may have laboratory examinations separate from the lecture examinations.
Students are allowed to bring writing implements and only those aids explicitly permitted by the professor into the examination room. Instructors will inform students which items, if any, will be allowed. Cell phones, electronic devices and headsets are prohibited.

Students will not be allowed to leave the examination room during the first 30 minutes of the examination and the last 15 minutes of the examination. Students are not allowed to speak or communicate in any way with other students under any circumstances whatsoever, or to expose written papers to the view of other students.

If a student is scheduled to write two examinations at the same time or three examinations within a 24-hour period, the student must submit a Final Exam Conflict form at least four weeks prior to the scheduled examination period. The Enrolment Services Office will reschedule one of the conflicting examinations after consultation with the instructor(s). The student will then be informed of the details of the rescheduled examination.

An examination may be deferred on account of illness or severe personal difficulty. Reasons such as misreading the examination schedule and travel plans will not be approved. Students must apply to the Enrolment Services Office for a deferred examination no later than 24 hours after the scheduled examination. Applications for a deferred examination must be made with an Application for Deferred Final Examination form and must be accompanied by the appropriate fee and supporting documentation, such as a physician’s note.
A deferred examination will differ from the set examination and may not necessarily follow the same format. Deferred examinations will be scheduled at the end of the examination period and before the end of the term.

Students who miss a deferred examination are denied further consideration and are assigned a grade of zero for the examination.

A student may be denied permission to write the final examination on the recommendation of the instructor and approval of the Dean. Grounds for such debarment are:

• failure to complete a substantial part of the written assignments for a course
• frequent absence from class
• failure to complete a sufficient amount of the required practical or lab work in a course

Students who have acquired skills or knowledge through experience and/or related courses may be granted credit for certain courses by requesting and passing a challenge examination. Application to write a challenge examination is initiated by the student through the Enrolment Services Office by submitting a Challenge Examination Request.
Approval of the challenge request is given by the course instructor, the Area Chair and the Registrar. The fee for the challenge examination is 50% of the course fee per challenge examination. The fee is non-refundable and must be paid prior to writing the challenge examination.

A grade of C- or greater must be achieved on the Challenge Examination and the grade recorded for a successful exam is CR. While the challenge credit may be used to meet the prerequisite requirement for another course or a degree requirement, the course will not be included in the student’s cumulative earned credit total or GPA. It is the student’s responsibility to determine whether another institution will accept the challenge examination for transfer purposes.

Students who have failed a course at St. Mary’s University will not be allowed to write a Challenge Examination for that course within two years of failing that course. Conversely, students that have passed a course with a D or greater will not be allowed to write a Challenge Examination.

Re-writes for a Challenge Examination will not be allowed.

Normally, course work (excluding the final examination) that is not completed by the last day of lectures is given a grade of zero. In extenuating circumstances, a student may petition the instructor on or before the day of the last lecture for a grade of incomplete (“I”) for the course. The student and the course instructor must complete and sign an Application for Incomplete Grade and submit it to the Registrar with appropriate supporting documentation. The contract must include a completion date, normally within four weeks after the last scheduled examination of the term.
If approved, the student must submit the completed work to the instructor on or before the date designated on the contract. A student who does not complete the required work before the deadline will be assigned a grade of zero for the incomplete work. The instructor will submit a Grade Change form upon completion of the work.

Should no grade change be submitted, the “I” grade will revert to an “F” grade for the course.

All grades with a grade point value are used in the calculation of a term GPA, both for purposes of the official transcript of record and for the cumulative GPA used for the determination of student’s progress through the academic program.
The GPA is determined by dividing the total grade points earned by the number of credit hours attempted, as follows:

Final grades will only be available to you via their secure access to My.StMU, normally within two weeks after the final examination for an individual course.

Transcripts are the permanent record of all matters relating to a student’s academic standing, including courses (attempted and earned), credits, grades, academic standing and probation.
Transcripts, official and unofficial, are issued upon the written request of the student. A Request for Transcript of Academic Record form is available from our website, or students can request transcripts from My.StMU. There is a nominal charge for each transcript issued by the Enrolment Services Office, both official and unofficial. Students are able to print a copy of their unofficial transcript at no cost from My.StMU.

Official transcripts are signed by the Registrar, stamped with the official institution seal, placed in a sealed envelope and normally mailed directly to an institution. Transcripts can be given directly to the student to forward as long as the envelope containing the transcript remains unopened. Other institutions may require the transcript to be mailed directly to them in order for it to be considered official.

Transcript requests are processed in the order in which they are received. Transcripts will not be released if money is owed to St. Mary’s University.

A student who is dissatisfied with a grade must first discuss the grade with the course instructor within 15 days of receiving the grade. If this does not resolve the matter to the student’s satisfaction, the student may wish to discuss the matter with the Area Chair. The Chair will require a copy of the instructions given to the student and the assignment or test in dispute and any other relevant materials.
Formal Appeal
If the student is not satisfied with the appeal to the instructor and Area Chair, and still believes that an error has been made, feels an injustice has been done, or has substantial new evidence, the student may make a formal grade appeal.

All formal grade appeals must be made by completing a Formal Grade Appeal Request form within 30 days of receiving the grade. The form must include a descriptive letter stating the basis of appealing the grade (e.g. an error has been made, injustice has been done, etc.). The student will pay a $25 fee for each grade appealed. This fee will be credited back to the student’s account only if the appeal results in an increase in the grade.

The Registrar will notify the Dean, who will form a Grade Appeal Committee comprising the Dean, the Area Chair and a subject specialist to hear the appeal. The final grade may be raised or lowered as a result of the reappraisal. The Registrar’s Office will notify the student of the result in writing. All decisions of the Grade Appeal Committee are final.

All students are responsible for notifying the Enrolment Services Office of their intention to graduate. They must submit an Application to Graduate by October 1 of the academic year they intend to graduate.
If St. Mary’s University does not receive a student’s Application to Graduate by October 1, they will be ineligible to graduate that academic year. The student will have to wait until the next convocation before receiving the degree, diploma or certificate.

Students will be notified in writing if they are eligible to graduate and will be asked to pay a $100 graduation fee. The graduation fee is mandatory for all graduating students regardless of the student’s attendance at the convocation. Students with outstanding fees, fines or other charges on their account will not be permitted to graduate or participate in convocation.

Students’ names will appear on the parchments as they are recorded in their academic records. Students are encouraged to verify the accuracy and spelling of their names when they submit their Application to Graduate. Any name changes must be supported by legal documentation.

Baccalaureate honours are awarded upon graduation from a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree based upon a student’s cumulative GPA calculated at the end of the Winter term of their graduating year. The honours distinction is not available to BEd graduates.
Undergraduate students who have achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.5 to 3.74 with no failed courses will graduate “Cum Laude.” Students who have achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.75 to 3.89 with no failed courses will graduate “Magna Cum Laude.” Students who have achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.9 or higher with no failed courses will graduate “Summa Cum Laude.”

Cum Laude is defined as “with praise;” Magna Cum Laude is defined as “with great praise;” and Summa Cum Laude is defined as “with the highest praise.” Students who qualify to graduate with honours will receive the designation on their parchment and it will be recorded on their academic transcripts.

Valedictorian is an academic honour granted to an undergraduate student graduating from a first-degree program at St. Mary’s University. The recipient of the honour will have a minimum of a 3.5 cumulative grade point average calculated at the end of the Fall term of their graduating year, have normally been a full-time student and have proven involvement in campus life at St. Mary’s University.

The valedictorian will be chosen from a short list of academically qualified prospective graduates by committee.

Convocation, for the conferring of degrees, diplomas and certificates, will be held annually in June. Please refer to the academic schedule for the date.
To be eligible to graduate in June, a student must have completed all required courses and met all other graduation requirements by the end of the Winter term of the same year.

A convocation package will be sent to all students who submit an Application to Graduate and who meet the graduation requirements. Upon receipt of this package, all graduands must notify the Enrolment Services Office at least six weeks prior to the ceremony as to whether or not they will attend.

Graduands who do not attend the convocation ceremony will have their degrees conferred “in absentia.” Parchments will be available at the Enrolment Services Office for pickup after convocation. Parchments not picked up after 30 days will be mailed.

With the approval of the Academic Council, a degree, diploma or certificate may be awarded posthumously to deceased students who had completed or were in the final term of their program. Posthumous awards will be noted on the transcript.

St. Mary’s University reissues parchments that are lost, stolen or damaged. Graduates must submit a reprint request in writing to the Enrolment Services Office. A fee will be charged.

Advanced credit may be given for some International Baccalaureate (IB) courses with grades of at least 5 upon receipt of final/official transcripts from the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO). IB transcripts can be requested through the IBO website and must be sent directly to St. Mary’s University. A list of IB courses available for transfer credit follows:

Courses completed more than ten years ago are typically not accepted for transfer credit but may be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

In order to be granted a degree, a student must complete at least half of the required credit hours at St. Mary’s University. In addition, some degree programs may require specific courses to be completed at St. Mary’s University. Please refer to the Programs section of the University Calendar for more details.

A Letter of Permission (LOP) is a formal authorization for a student to take a course at another post-secondary institution for credit toward their St. Mary’s University degree.

Important Facts about Letters of Permission:

• students must currently be pursuing a St. Mary’s University degree and must be in good academic standing with a grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 or higher in order to be considered for a Letter of Permission
• Letters of Permission are not granted in a student’s final term
• the course to be taken may not be a duplication of material already covered
• equivalent courses offered at St. Mary’s University may not be considered for a Letter of Permission
• credit will be granted for a course successfully completed with an equivalent grade of C- or above as indicated on the transcript
• transfer credit has no numeric value and will not be included in grade point average calculations
• students are expected to complete the approved course during the term specified in the letter. Any extensions and/ or changes to a Letter of Permission will require permission from the Registrar
• courses being taken at another post-secondary institution will be included in the maximum allowable credits (15 in Fall, Winter and Spring/Summer terms at St. Mary’s University)
• the number of courses that may be completed elsewhere is limited by the number of transfer credits permitted toward a current program

A Letter of Permission does not:

• ensure admission to another post-secondary institution
• ensure that prerequisites, required by another post-secondary institution, have been previously completed

To Request a Letter of Permission

• meet with an academic advisor to determine if the desired course fits into your degree plan
• complete the Request for Letter of Permission form and attach the course description. Note: In some cases, a Course Syllabus will be required to determine course content
• Enrolment Services will submit the Letter of Permission to the visiting institution
• upon completion of the course, the student must request an official transcript be forwarded from the visiting institution to St. Mary’s University if the institution is not a participating member of ApplyAlberta

Normally a student may transfer credit to St. Mary’s University for courses completed at another accredited institution.
The student must:

• provide an official transcript from the original institution if it is not a member of ApplyAlberta
• obtain a grade of C- or better
• be working towards a degree at St. Mary’s University

Transfer credit is limited by the residency requirement, which stipulates the number of credit hours that students must complete at St. Mary’s University in order to earn a St. Mary’s University degree.

Courses from other institutions in Alberta for which there is an equivalency in the Alberta Transfer Guide are generally accepted. If the course is not part of the Alberta Transfer Guide or if the institution is outside Alberta, the student may be asked to submit a copy of the course outline and details of the qualifications of the course instructor or other indicators of course content and quality. While transfer courses do appear on the student’s transcript, the grade is not included in the student’s term or cumulative GPA.

Students who wish to transfer to another institution should refer to the Alberta Transfer Guide, which lists all courses and program transfer agreements between post-secondary institutions in Alberta, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. See the Alberta Transfer Guide for full transfer information.

Students wishing to transfer to other Alberta institutions should refer to the Alberta Transfer Guide, which lists all course and program transfer agreements. The guide and other transfer information are available online at transferalberta.alberta.ca. St. Mary’s University academic advisors are available to help students interpret the guide and make course selections. An appointment with an academic advisor can be made by calling 403.531.9130 or by emailing advising@stmu.ca.

Students wishing to transfer to institutions outside Alberta are advised to contact the institution they plan to attend regarding transfer policies and required courses.

Students who would like to pursue a degree in Biology can begin their university studies at Medicine Hat College. Students complete Year 1 and Year 2 at Medicine Hat College before transferring directly into the Bachelor of Science, Biology degree program at St. Mary’s University.

If transferring into a business degree it is strongly recommended that you consult with an academic advisor prior to course registration as the requirements for each institution and program will differ.
Students may complete up to half of the required credits at St. Mary’s University before transferring to the University of Lethbridge’s Bachelor of Management program or Mount Royal University’s Bachelor of Business Administration program. Students are admissible with Mathematics 30-1, Mathematics 30-2, or equivalent.

Due to the specific nature of the transfer admission to the University of Calgary’s Bachelor of Commerce program, the possibility of this transfer route will depend on St. Mary’s University’s course offerings each year. Students are admissible with Mathematics 30-1 or equivalent.

Students who have completed courses in the Siksika Knowledge Certificate Program at Old Sun Community College may transfer up to 60 credits into a St. Mary’s University degree program, depending on the program requirements.