The past couple of weeks have been particularly demanding as we have transitioned to online learning and exams as part of the social and physical distancing measures designed to reduce the rate of the infection of the COVID-19 virus. Given these extraordinary measures there is need for more grading flexibility related to your courses. Consequently, we are permitting Credit/D/Fail and withdrawal (W) academic concession options for this term. Your instructor remains your best contact for concessions related to specific class activities and assignments prior to the final exam. However, for whole-course or final exam/project academic concessions, consult the revised information below and reach out as early as possible to discuss your options with our office: dap@sauder.ubc.ca

For this term only, rather than receive a percentage grade, you can request an academic concession to be evaluated on a Credit/D/Fail basis or you can choose to withdraw (i.e., “W”) from a course. You can request either of these options now or when you have received your course  final grade. Please note that this is not an all-or-nothing concession approach; you can choose Credit/D/Fail or “W” for any, all of your courses, or none of your DAP courses. We ask that you submit your request(s) as early as possible, but no later than Wednesday, May 6, 2020, which can be done through the online academic concession request form (the form will be updated to include the Cr/D/F option as a concession type next week).  

As Cr/D/F grading is being offered as a new option for DAP courses for this term only, please review the UBC calendar policy  before submitting a request for this change. In particular, please note:

• A Cr or D standing earned in any of the core foundation or senior-level courses will meet the requirements to pass the given course for the purposes of graduation and meet the pre-requisites for higher-level courses (where applicable); an F standing will not.
• The Cr/D/F standings are awarded as follows: Cr for grades of 55% or higher; D for grades of 50-54.9%; F for grades less than 50%.  
• If you request to change your grade in the course to a Cr/D/F standing before your final grade is posted, you will not be able to revert back to the normal percentage grading for that course.
• As there are no percentage grades attached to the Cr/D/F standing, any credit earned with the Cr/D/F standing will not be included in sessional average calculation (50% minimum required from Winter Term 1 and 2 courses for continuation) or in the average calculation of the required senior-level courses for graduation (BUSI 353, 354, 355, 450, 453 and 455). In both cases, only the grades from courses completed with a percentage grade will be included in the respective calculations.
• To qualify for the Outstanding Student Award for DAP graduates, or other awards, all senior-level courses must be completed with a percentage grade; students who hold the Cr/D/F standing in any of these courses will not be considered.
• The CPA Western School of Business (CPAWSB) has confirmed that they will accept course graded with a pass/fail mark towards meeting their pre-requisite requirements, and these courses will not be factored in the calculation of applicants’ overall 65% GPA requirement for entry into the CPA Professional Education Program. However, how firms or other employers treat courses with this grading will be at their discretion, as would it would be for graduate schools for Master’s program admission.

We hope you are keeping safe and healthy during these extraordinary times.

Please feel free to contact the DAP office if you have any questions about your options. Our staff can be reached by e-mail at dap@sauder.ubc.ca while the office is working remotely.