3.4 Faculty of Veterinary Medicine - Student Standing
For continuation of study in the DVM program in the UCVM, a student must satisfy the conditions as presented below.
The regular University grading system will normally apply to all courses in the DVM program.
Grade Point Average
In the determination of grade point average, courses are weighted by the unit value of the course as published in the University Calendar.
Courses that are given a grade of Pass/Fail will not be included in the calculation of the GPA.
Flexible Grade Option (CG Grade)
Students in the UCVM will not be allowed to pursue the Flexible Grade Option (CG Grade) for any course that applies to the degree.
Promotion Requirements
A student who has passed and completed all courses, and maintained a GPA of 2.0 or higher for the year under review will retain the standing of satisfactory academic performance and will be promoted to the next year of studies.
A student who has an unsatisfactory academic performance, will be placed on probationary status, and will not be promoted to the next year of studies if their grades cannot be raised by supplemental examination.
A student with a GPA of less than 1.7 in any year under review will either be required to withdraw from the DVM program or based on the recommendation of the Continuation of Studies Committee, be required to repeat all the courses in that year.
Note: Normally, students may carry only one grade of “D” or “D+” in their program. Students who receive a grade of “D” or “D+” in a second course will be considered to have failed the subsequent course and must raise the grade to “C-“ through a supplemental examination before being considered for promotion to the next year of the program.
Probationary Status
When a student is placed on probation, they will be advised in writing.
A student who has been placed on probation in either year 1 or 2 of the program will have their probationary status cleared if they attain a GPA of at least 2.00and pass all courses by the end of year 2 or 3 respectively.
A student on probation will be required to withdraw from the DVM program if their GPA at the end of the following year is less than 2.0. This is consistent with University regulations, which state that students will be required to withdraw rather than be placed on probation for a second time.
Students will not be permitted to proceed to year 4 of the DVM program if they are in a probationary status, i.e.: if they have a GPA of less than 2.0 in year 3 or if they have failed courses and are not granted supplemental examinations. If appropriate, the Continuation of Studies Committee will establish appropriate remediation requirements that must be fulfilled in order for the students to clear probation and obtain the standing of satisfactory performance in year 3. These remediation requirements may include repeating a component of a course, one or more entire courses or an entire year.
Supplemental Privileges and Failures
Supplemental Privileges
At the discretion of the Associate Dean, Curriculum, supplemental privileges may be granted to a student who fails a course (“F”) or who has received a “D” or “D+”.
The student must make application in writing to be offered supplemental examination to the Associate Dean, Curriculum within 7 days of the notification of final grade. The Associate Dean, Curriculum, upon receiving written application from a student, and after consulting with the instructor, the Continuation of Study Committee, if appropriate, and reviewing the student’s academic performance since last review, will determine whether a supplemental privilege should be granted.
Any student granted a supplemental privilege must meet with the Associate Dean, Curriculum who will inform the student of resources available that might help the student with his/her academic difficulties.
A student may be granted supplemental privileges only once for a particular course.
Students may only be granted a maximum of two supplemental examinations in the courses taken in one year. Students may only be granted a maximum of four supplemental examinations over the whole program.
Successful completion of a supplemental exam will not result in a grade higher than “C-“ being awarded. If a student completes the supplemental course and receives a grade lower than a D, the previously achieved D will stand.
A grade of at least “C-” on the supplemental examination is required to obtain credit for a failed (“F”) course and be considered to have passed.
Failures
A student will be deemed to have failed a course if they attain an “F” and are not eligible for a supplemental privilege, or if they fail to attain a “C-” on a supplemental exam.
If a student has failed one course, following a review of the student’s overall academic performance, the student may be required to withdraw from the DVM program, repeat the failed course or courses, or to repeat the entire year. If a student has failed more than one course, following a review of the student’s overall academic performance, the student may be required to withdraw from the DVM program, or repeat the entire year.
If allowed to repeat, students must normally repeat a failed course, or year, in the academic year immediately following that in which the failure occurred.
A student will be allowed to fail a particular course only once. Any student who fails the same course twice will be required to withdraw from the DVM program.
A student will only be allowed to repeat one year of the program. If they fail to meet the promotion requirements in a subsequent year, they will be required to withdraw from the program.
Students required to withdraw from the DVM program will not normally be considered for re-admission.
Interruption of Studies
The UCVM recognizes that there may be legitimate reason for a student to request a temporary leave of absence (LOA) for documented, personal reasons. The Associate Dean, Curriculum, in consultation with the Continuation of Studies Committee and the Associate Dean, will consider these requests utilizing the following guidelines.
Where the LOA is for a substantial portion of a semester, the Continuation of Studies Committee will evaluate the impact of the interruption on the completeness of the student’s program and make the appropriate recommendation which may include repeating that semester or that entire year of studies.
In the event a student satisfactorily completes the first semester but is unable to commence or complete second semester, permission may be granted for the student to recommence in the second semester in the following academic year without repeating the first semester.
Where the LOA is for a complete term or longer, the student may be required to repeat that particular year of studies.
Where the LOA is longer than one year, the student may be required to permanently withdraw from the program or to repeat the entire program beginning at Year I.
In all cases, no student may take longer than two years LOA during their studies. If a student can’t return to the program after two years LOA then they are required to withdraw.
Completion of Studies
Normally, students must complete the requirements of the DVM program within 6 years of first enrolment. Failure to complete the program within this time will normally result in the student being required to permanently withdraw from the program.
Withdrawal from the Program
Students who have voluntarily withdrawn from the DVM program and who wish to return must re-apply to the program through the regular Admissions Office if they withdrew from year 1 or for advanced standing through the Associate Dean, Curriculum in the DVM Program Office if they withdrew from year 2-4.
Students contemplating a withdrawal from the program are cautioned that there is an enrolment limitation for the program and that re-entry will be conditional on the availability of space. Further, it is not normal practice to accept students who have withdrawn from this or any other DVM program (see admissions requirements).