B+ Highly satisfactory. Work that shows a sound command of research, writing and reading skills but that may be flawed in some visible and correctable way.

B Satisfactory. Work that meets minimum expectations of a graduate student in research, writing and reading skills.

C Conditional. Unsatisfactory work; flawed in methodology or critical assumptions; incoherently organized, poorly written or superficially researched.

F Failure.

I Incomplete.

 

NOTES ON GRADING
1. A student who has received in total any of the following combinations of grades for graduate courses may not continue to be registered in the Faculty of Graduate Studies and in a graduate program unless this continuation is recommended by the Program Director and approved by the Dean:

(a) two C grades for full courses;
(b) one C grade for a full course and one C grade for a half course; or
(c) a total of three C grades for half courses.

In no case will grades be averaged.

2. A student will be required to withdraw from a graduate program and registration in the Faculty of Graduate Studies will be terminated if the student receives in total for their graduate courses during enrolment at York University:

(a) one F grade for a full course or two F grades for half courses; or
(b) one F grade for a half course and one C grade for a full or half course.
In no case will grades be averaged.

INCOMPLETES
The rules of the Faculty of Graduate Studies allow a grade of Incomplete for a limited length of time (maximum 4 months for a full-course, 2 months for a half-course). Use of the Incomplete to defer in-term work is, however, strongly discouraged. The following rules apply:

1. Incompletes are permitted only to those in unusually strained circumstances.

2. To apply for an Incomplete, the student must present a written petition to the course director involved. The petition should specify exactly what work will be left incomplete as of the end of term, when it will be completed, and why the work will probably not be completed on time.

If the course director endorses the petition, it is forwarded to the Director of the Program. The deadline for arrival of this endorsement petition in the Program Office is two weeks prior to the last course meeting. 

3. The Director, after consultation with the course director and with members of the Graduate Study Committee, makes a decision and informs both petitioner and course director. 

4. Failure to comply with this procedure will result in a grade of “F”.

APPEALS ON ACADEMIC GROUNDS
If a student is dissatisfied with the grade awarded on an essay, the following procedure must be followed.

1. The student should first discuss the matter informally with the instructor involved.

2. If no resolution is reached, then the student should submit to the Graduate Program Director the following documents:

- a written request for a reappraisal which briefly explains the academic grounds for the appeal;

- a statement that the matter has been discussed with the instructor;

- a description of the assignment which the essay addressed;

- one copy of the essay with the instructor’s original grade (dated and signed) and comments (the identifying copy);

- one copy of the essay without the instructor’s original grade or comments and without any identifying references to the student or instructor (the unidentified copy).

Such documentation should be submitted to the Graduate Program Director within one calendar month of the date on which the essay grade was dated.

If there are genuine reasons (i.e., logistical, perception of harassment, strong personality conflict) why the student cannot meet with the instructor to discuss the matter, then this must be detailed in the written request to the Director for a reappraisal in place of the statement that the matter has been discussed with the instructor.

APPEALS ON PROCEDURAL GROUNDS
Appeals on procedural grounds must be filed with the Graduate Program Office within one calendar month of the alleged procedural violation. Such an appeal will be handled by the Executive Committee at its next meeting. Procedural grounds include (but are not limited to) failure to observe the procedures and deadlines above, harassment of a racial or sexual nature, and failure to observe the proper weighting of grade components as announced in the course outline.

APPEALS ON ORAL PRESENTATION
Grades on oral presentations/seminars and class participation are not open to appeal. However, instructors are required to give students a grade in writing (and further comments where appropriate, such as when an essay is to be based on a seminar) within one calendar month of any oral presentation/seminar.