Course Credit

Accumulation of Credit

All course credits earned are recorded on the student's academic record. Whether credit for a course applies toward a degree or diploma is determined by the regulations governing the program. In the case of a course taken more than once, the unit value will be shown on the student's record in each instance, but units are awarded only once unless the course is designated as one that may be repeated for additional credit.

Advanced Placement or Exemption Without Unit Credit

In exceptional circumstances, undergraduate students may qualify for an exemption from a required course or for advanced placement in a program through independent study or other experience.

Students requesting advanced placement or exemption should apply to the department offering the course or program.

Advanced placement or exemption from a required course carries no unit credit.

Completing Program Requirements

A student who has not met the course requirements for the lower years of a program may only proceed to courses in a higher year if the student concurrently takes all courses required to clear any requirements.

Credit by Course Challenge

Course challenge is intended to allow registered undergraduate students to receive credit in undergraduate courses on the basis of knowledge or experience acquired outside the University. A student challenging a course must undertake a special examination or other form of assessment administered by the department in which the course is offered.

Course challenge is not offered by all departments. Where not specifically referenced in the departmental calendar entry, a student should consult the department directly to determine if course challenge is permitted. Where it is offered, the following regulations apply:

• Students who are unclassified or have non-degree status may not challenge a course.
• A course challenge examination/evaluation normally must be completed before the end of the period for adding courses in both Winter Session and Summer Session, at a time determined by the department.
• Credit by course challenge is limited to 15 units or, for students in a diploma program, a maximum of 3 units.
• A student may not challenge any course whose equivalent appears on the student’s secondary school, college or university transcript, whether or not the student successfully completed the course.
• A student who receives credit in a course at one level may not challenge its prerequisite in the same subject.
• A specific course may be challenged only once.
• The result of the course challenge examination or assessment will be entered on the student’s academic record whether or not the challenge is successful. The grade received will be used in determining the student’s sessional standing.

For more information, or a course challenge application form, contact Undergraduate Records.

Students are urged to complete challenge examinations before the end of the period for adding courses, so that they can make any course changes needed for that session.

Duplicate and Mutually Exclusive Courses

A course may be taken only once for credit unless the course description states that it may be taken more than once for credit.

Students are solely responsible for checking calendar descriptions, including those for assigned transfer credit, prior to and after registration, for any reference to duplicate, mutually-exclusive or cross-listed relationships.

Duplicate (DUP-same course) or mutually exclusive courses (M/X-different course/number, same content as another course) will be identified and recorded on a student’s academic record.

Students should note that for Canada Student Loan purposes, courses identified as duplicate/mutually exclusive will not be counted toward the minimum required course load of 4.5 units per term. Students should contact Student Awards and Financial Aid for information about their student loan status.

The grade received for a duplicate or mutually exclusive course will be used in calculating a student’s sessional grade point average, but credit for the course will not be granted a second time.

In the case where a course registration has been partially duplicated by transfer credit, the partial transfer credit will be deleted from the student's record on completion of the "duplicate" course. The student will be assigned full credit for the course at UVic. Transfer credit that is a DUP or M/X of course work previously awarded by UVic will be reduced to 0.0 units on the student's record.

Credits in Established International Exchange Programs

UVic students may receive exchange credit to a maximum of 15 units, or other limit as approved by a faculty and the Senate, for course work completed on an exchange program established by a signed agreement between the University and another institution. The exchange credits are treated as UVic course credits in determining whether the student has met the minimum requirements for graduation and the student’s standing at graduation. Students who participate in an exchange program should be aware that normally 18 units of the required minimum 21 senior units should be completed at UVic.

Courses completed on approved exchange programs are entered on the student’s academic record as exchange credit. Letter grades are not assigned; a Com/Fail is recorded for each recognized exchange course. In instances where no direct equivalent course exists, non-specific level credit will be assigned and recorded on the transcript. The transcript will also indicate that the courses were completed on an exchange program at another institution. Exchange credit may not be recognized for all courses.

Students interested in applying for a UVic International Exchange program should complete both the UVic International Exchange Program application and the Proposed Study Plan form, which are available from the International and Exchange Student Services Office. An information session is held in the fall each year prior to the January application deadlines (see IESS for dates).

Before leaving on an exchange program, each student must complete the Official Exchange Contract and Liability Waiver. Students should be aware that they could be unable to register in some or all of the exchange courses they plan to take at the exchange institution due to timetable conflicts or course cancellation.

On completion of the exchange, students must request the host institution to forward an official transcript directly to Undergraduate Records at UVic. It is the student's responsibility to obtain all course descriptions, course outlines and syllabuses, including the contact hours per course. In addition, a notarized translation of documents issued in a language other than English will be required for all but language courses. Students should NOT submit additional supplementary documentation (such as completed assignments, course texts, etc.) unless specifically requested to do so by Undergraduate Records. The determination of course equivalencies cannot proceed until the above-noted official transcript and documentation are received. Exchange credit may not be recognized for all courses.

Policies and procedures may differ for exchange programs administered by individual academic units. Students in the Peter B. Gustavson School of Business and the Faculty of Law should consult their faculty.

Please see Student Exchange Programs for more information.

Canadian University International Study Abroad Program (CUSAP)

CUSAP is offered at the International Study Centre, located at Herstmonceux Castle in East Sussex, UK (for more information, see here). The program allows UVic students to study abroad while receiving credit toward their UVic program. Upper-year students may choose from a number of interdisciplinary programs, including Fine Arts, Languages, Humanities, Social Sciences, Business and Law.

All current UVic students are eligible to apply. Information about the program and the upper-year application form are available at <http://uvic.ca/cusap>.

Credit Limit—Beginning Level Statistics Courses

Students may receive credit for a maximum of 3 units of beginning level statistics courses chosen from the following: ECON 245 (or 240); GEOG 226 (or 321); PSYC 300A; SOCI 271 (or 371A or 371); Statistics 100-level or 200-level transfer credit; one of STAT 252, 254, 255, 260 (or 250).