Faculty of Education Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) Option for Winter 2020

Instructors will give the usual letter grades. Students will then have the option to transform the letter grade to a “satisfactory” or “unsatisfactory” that will appear on their transcript. The S/U grade in the transcript will be identified as occurring during the COVID-19 health crisis. Moreover, this S/U grade will not be calculated in a student’s GPA.

With the sudden shift in social norms due to the COVID-19 situation, McGill University understands that this health crisis may negatively affect people’s capacity to perform. The option is available to reduce stress to students so they needn’t put added pressure on themselves to achieve a certain grade or maintain a certain level of GPA.

The Faculty of Education is offering the S/U option for undergraduate and graduate students as well as for all course given by the Faculty. If you have questions about courses you are taking outside the Faculty, please consult with your Student Advisor.

Yes, the S/U option will contribute to credits completed. Courses for which the S/U option is exercised this semester indeed count toward a student’s major or minor requirements.

For the Winter 2020 semester, any and all courses you are currently enrolled in are eligible for the S/U grade. All previous standards for using the S/U option (i.e. up to 10% of your credit degree courses) have been suspended.

There is a general understanding that consideration will be given to the special circumstances. The Faculty of Education is in discussions with other universities and academic institutions as well as the various teaching and psychologist accreditation bodies to determine the official answer to this question. In the interim, please consult with your Student Advisor or Program Director.

Students have until May 22, 2020 to decide and submit. This timeline will enable students to see their letter grade before deciding to use the S/U option. Decisions are final and can not be reversed. Students are encouraged to think carefully when making their decisions and to consult their advisor as needed.

The deadline for selecting a Withdrawal from a course in Minerva has been extended to April 15, 2020. This will result in a student receiving a notation of “W” on their transcript for the course in question, which means it is excluded from any GPA calculation or to credits completed. 

UNDERGRADUATE student grades are calculated as per this rubric:

GRADUATE student grades are calculated as per this rubric:

• If your course grade is below your CGPA, then the S/U will prevent your CGPA from being lowered.
• If the course is a prerequisite for a program or school that you are applying to, you should check with the admission people for that program or school to see how they view S/U grades. Normally we would caution against using S/U on a prerequisite for admission, but conditions have changed due to the COVID-19 health crisis.

• If your course grade is higher than your CGPA. Your CGPA will rise if you leave the grading as is. The S/U option will prevent your CGPA from being raised.
• The course is a requirement for a school or program to which you are applying, and they insist on a regular grade. (If you failed, then S/U the course and try again.) Always verify the requirements for any school or program to which you plan to apply, as these may change in the coming weeks.

Please note that the process to select this option is still in progress but a webform should be available as of April 13, 2020. Please check the Student Records website or check back with this Faculty of Education COVID-19 FAQ page. 

No. If you receive a passing grade, this grade (either “S” or a letter grade) will be automatically submitted to your transcript. 

The eligibility criteria to receive and/or renew scholarships have been amended to require 12 graded credits for the 2019/20 academic session (Fall and Winter) instead of the traditional 27 graded credits. This temporary policy is published in yellow alert boxes within the relevant Scholarship Regulations on the Scholarships & Student Aid website.