Year Promotion and Academic Standing
Year Promotion
Students will be promoted according to the following criteria:
- to second year: successful completion of 24 or more credits of prescribed first-year courses.
- to third year: successful completion of 54 or more credits, and all the required first-year courses. Students who do not meet this requirement will not normally be permitted to enrol in third-year or higher-level courses in the Faculty.
- to fourth year: successful completion of a total of 89 or more credits, including completion of all first- and second-year courses.
Program Deficiency
Students are expected to register in the courses required of their degree program. Students who take an excess of courses outside their program of study, when evaluated at the end of the Winter Session, through the “Sessional Evaluation” process, may receive the designation of “Program Deficiency.” Students deemed to be in Program Deficiency may be required to discontinue from the Faculty regardless of their Academic Standing, as described below. Students who are assigned Program Deficiency in two consecutive years will be required to discontinue from the Faculty, regardless of their Academic Standing, as described below.
Academic Standing
There are three categories of Academic Standing: Good Academic Standing, Academic Probation, and Failed Year Standing. The criteria for Academic Standing depends on the number of credits that a student is registered in during the Winter Session (September to April). Academic standing evaluations are called “Sessional Evaluations,” and are completed at the conclusion of each Winter Session (in May of each year).
A. Good Academic Standing
To achieve Good Academic Standing, students must meet one of the following:
- If registered in 15 or more credits: have a sessional average of 60% or greater, and fail no more than 6 credits.
- If registered in fewer than 15 credits: pass a minimum of 50% of credits attempted, have a sessional average of 60% or greater, and fail no more than 6 credits.
B. Academic Probation
Students will be placed on Academic Probation when one of the following conditions is met:
- If registered in 15 or more credits: pass a minimum of 60% of credits attempted and have a sessional average between 50% and 59.9% or;
- If registered in 15 or more credits: pass a minimum of 60% of credits attempted and have failed more than 6 credits or;
- If registered in fewer than 15 credits: pass a minimum of 50% of credits attempted and have a sessional average between 50% and 59.9% or;
- If registered in fewer than 15 credits: pass a minimum of 50% of credits attempted and have failed more than 6 credits.
A student who is assigned two or more years of Academic Probation (consecutive years or non-consecutive years) may be required to discontinue from the Faculty for a period of at least one academic year, after which an application for readmission will be considered. See below for “LFS Guidelines for Readmission.”
C. Failed Year
Students will be assigned Failed Year Standing when one of the following conditions is met:
- Their sessional average falls below 50% or;
- If registered in 15 or more credits: have not passed a minimum of 60% of attempted credits or;
- If registered in fewer than 15 credits: have not passed a minimum of 50% of attempted credits or;
- If a student has previously been assigned Academic Probation and meets the conditions of Academic Probation for a second time.
A student who is assigned Failed Year Standing (consecutive or non-consecutive years) may be required to discontinue from the Faculty for a period of at least one academic year, after which an application for readmission will be considered. See below for “LFS Guidelines for Readmission.”
If students present two or more years of Failed Year Standing (consecutive years or non-consecutive years), they may be required to permanently withdraw from the University.
LFS Guidelines for Readmission
Students who have been required to discontinue from the Faculty are permitted to apply for readmission only after successfully completing a minimum of 30 transferable credits in another program offering courses transferable to UBC. This program must be applicable to the student's degree program. Students should be completing these 30 credits within one Winter Session (September to April), rather than spread across multiple sessions, to demonstrate a readiness to return.
Readmission is not guaranteed, but students are advised to achieve at least 60% ("C") on these 30 credits with no failures to be competitive for readmission. Normally, a student with Failed Year Standing will not be eligible for direct admission to another UBC program, and will be required to complete these 30 credits at another post-secondary institution.
Students should also consult the communication they receive from the Faculty of Land and Food Systems when notified of their academic standing (normally sent via email) for additional requirements, and familiarize themselves with the University’s readmission guidelines.
