7.2 Enrolment Policies and Procedures
7.2.1 Enrolment
After registration, students enrol with their graduate units and arrange programs of study (courses, research topics, supervisors, and so on). Students should contact the graduate unit for enrolment procedures. Enrolment should be completed by the deadline noted in the Sessional Dates.
Most of the formal classes and seminars in the fall session begin in the week of September following Labour Day. However, starting dates are determined by the graduate units, and students are urged to contact the relevant graduate units for information.
Not every course will be given in any one year. Consult the graduate unit concerning course availability.
7.2.2 Deadlines for Enrolment Changes
Graduate units may establish earlier deadlines for course changes. Courses must be dropped by completing a Course Add/Drop Form (www.sgs.utoronto.ca/informationfor/students/inform/stuforms.htm) or by using the Student Web Service (www.rosi.utoronto.ca), if the department permits access. In order to avoid academic penalties, courses must be dropped by the following deadlines:
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Sep. 26, 2011 |
Deadline to add full courses (Y) and half courses (H). |
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Oct. 31, 2011 |
Deadline to drop a fall session full course or half course without academic penalty. |
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Jan. 23, 2012 |
Deadline to add winter session full courses (Y) and half courses (H). |
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Feb. 27, 2012 |
Deadline to drop a full course (Y) or winter session half course (H), or withdraw from a program without academic penalty. |
Students enrolled in coursework-only programs who drop all courses by the deadlines, must withdraw from the program. See General Regulations, section 7.1.15 Withdrawal from a Graduate Program.
7.2.3 Completion of Coursework and Grade Submission
Coursework must be completed and grades submitted by the following dates:
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Jan. 13, 2012 |
Fall session (Y, H) courses |
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May 11, 2012 |
Fall/winter session (Y) and winter session (Y, H) courses |
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Jul. 20, 2012 |
May/June summer session courses |
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Sept. 14, 2012 |
July/August summer session courses and extended courses |
Graduate units may establish earlier deadlines for completion of coursework and may prescribe penalties for late completion of work and for failure to complete work, provided that these penalties are announced at the time the instructor makes available to the class the methods by which student performance shall be evaluated.
7.2.4 Coursework Extensions
Students are expected to meet the course deadlines, both of the School of Graduate Studies and of the graduate units in which they are registered, and are advised to plan their research projects accordingly. Students who find themselves unable to meet SGS deadlines for completing coursework can, under certain conditions, receive extensions for completing the work after the date set by SGS.
7.2.4.1 Petitions
The authority to grant an extension for the completion of work in a course beyond the original SGS deadline for that course rests with the graduate unit in which the course was offered, not the instructor of the course. Students will petition the graduate unit for extensions, using a standard form provided by SGS at www.sgs.utoronto.ca/informationfor/students/inform/stuforms.htm.
The deadline for requesting an initial extension is the deadline for completion of coursework and grade submission for courses offered in the relevant session, as specified in this calendar.
A student on extension who is unable to complete the required coursework in the extension period specified by the graduate unit may apply to the graduate unit for a continuation of the extension (subject to the time limits and deadlines for extensions, set out below); however, the student must make such a request before the expiry date of the extension period in place.
7.2.4.2 Grounds
Legitimate reasons for an extension can be academic in nature (e.g., unexpected problems of research in a course) or non-academic (e.g., illness). In order to ensure as much uniformity and fairness as possible in the granting of extensions (or continuations of extensions), the relevant graduate unit must be reasonably certain that:
- the reasons for the delay are both serious and substantiated: the student must provide a statement detailing the reasons, together with a physician’s letter in the case of illness;
- the student would not be granted an unfair academic advantage over fellow students in the course;
- the student would not be placing in jeopardy the normal and satisfactory completion of new coursework; and
- the student does have a reasonable chance of completing outstanding requirements within the time to be allotted.
7.2.4.3 Time Limits
If a graduate unit grants a petition for an extension, it must specify an extension period, which is not to run beyond the SGS deadline for completion of coursework and grade submission following the original SGS deadline for the course. Thus, the deadlines for course extensions are as follows:
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May 11, 2012 |
Fall session (Y, H) courses |
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Sept. 14, 2012 |
Fall/winter session (Y) and winter session (Y, H) courses |
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Jan. 11, 2013 |
Summer session courses and extended courses |
A graduate unit may grant a continuation of an extension that is already in place provided that it does not extend the total period of the extension beyond the foregoing deadlines.
Extensions beyond these deadlines will require the approval of both the graduate unit and the SGS Admissions and Programs Committee.
7.2.4.4 Grade-Reporting Procedures
The graduate unit will assign the temporary course report of SDF (Standing Deferred) to a student on extension, pending receipt from the instructor and graduate unit of a final course report. The final course report is due no later than the SGS deadline for completion of coursework and grade submission following the original one for the course. If, by that date, the student has not submitted the outstanding coursework, the submitted grade should be the actual grade earned in the course, calculated with zero assigned to any coursework that is still incomplete. If there are compelling reasons for a further extension, and a graduate unit-supported request is approved by SGS, then the temporary report of SDF will be maintained until either a final course report is received by SGS, or the relevant deadline has expired. Use of non-grade course reports such as WDR or INC, and amendments to submitted grades, must be approved by the SGS Admissions and Programs Committee.
7.2.4.5 SGS and Graduate Unit Notification
Graduate units are to notify SGS of extensions no later than the original deadlines for submitting grades for the relevant courses or, in case of continuations, no later than the expiry dates of the original periods of extension, providing in each case the new deadline for completion of coursework.
In addition, a graduate unit should notify the graduate unit in which the student is registered when it is not the same as the one granting the extension.
7.2.5 Extra Courses Not Required for the Degree
Graduate units may permit students to enrol in additional courses not required for the degree. Such courses must be so designated on the student’s enrolment form. These courses are subject to the same regulations regarding withdrawal, failure, and failure to complete work as are courses required for the degree, except that repetition or replacement of failed or incomplete courses may be waived by the graduate unit.
7.2.6 Prerequisite Courses
At least B- is required in all prerequisite courses but some graduate units may require a higher average; students should consult the graduate unit in advance.
7.2.7 Auditing of Graduate Courses
Graduate units determine if they wish to allow auditing of their courses and which groups of students and non-students specified in the University of Toronto’s Policy on Auditing of Courses (www.governingcouncil.utoronto.ca/policies/phoct2094.htm) they wish to allow. When auditing is allowed, the final decision to permit an individual to audit rests with the instructor of the course. In all cases, students registered in the university who wish to audit courses have priority over others. An auditor may attend lectures and other class meetings, take part in class discussions, and, when the appropriate fee is paid, receive written confirmation of attendance. An auditor will not receive evaluations of participation and will not be allowed to submit assignments or write examinations and tests except by special and express permission. Audited courses are not recorded on the student’s official transcript. The University of Toronto’s Code of Student Conduct (online at www.governingcouncil.utoronto.ca/policies/studentc.htm) applies to auditors. Further information about access, certificates of attendance, and fees for auditing may be obtained from the office of the Director of Student Services at the School of Graduate Studies.
7.2.8 Transfer Credit and Exemptions
Transfer credit for graduate work completed in another program is limited to 1.0 full-course equivalent (FCE) or 25% of the course requirements for any degree, whichever is greater, provided that the courses have not been credited towards another degree, diploma, certificate, or any other qualifications. Such credit may be given on the recommendation of the student’s graduate unit and with the School of Graduate Studies’ approval, normally upon admission. Exceptions to the limit are allowed when approved for specific degrees.
Students participating in an approved exchange program on the recommendation of their graduate unit may receive transfer credit for up to 50% of the course requirements for their degree. They may also complete language requirements while on the exchange. When recommended by the unit and approved by the SGS Dean, that percentage may be exceeded by doctoral students. In all cases, transfer credit arrangements for exchange program participants must be approved in advance by the SGS Dean or designate.
Transfer of credit and course exemptions include the following categories:
- Transfer Credit: Course Equivalent
Credit received for course completed in a prior program is considered to be equivalent to course offered by the graduate unit, thus reducing the overall course credit requirements for degree. - Transfer Credit: General Equivalent
Unassigned credit for course not identifiable with course offerings but which is evaluated as being appropriate for academic credit on transfer, thus reducing overall course credit requirements for degree. - Course Exemption
The graduate unit may exempt a student from a specific course requirement permitting the substitution of another course to meet degree requirements. Overall course credit requirements for degree are not reduced.