Academic Support

Credit/No Credit Grade Changes

 

Credit/No Credit

A Credit-No Credit (CR/NCR) grade change provides a GPA-neutral grading option in place of a letter grade for students experiencing exceptional extenuating circumstances when other solutions (such as retroactive withdrawal) are not appropriate. To be considered an extenuating circumstance, the situation must be unforeseen or unpredictable, and result in a significant personal crisis for the student, demonstrably impacting their academic performance. 

How to Submit an Appeal for a Grade Change

Students who have exceptional circumstances can submit their request to the Assistant Dean/Delegate from their Faculty/School using an academic waiver:

Undergraduate students: Apply through DalOnline > Web for Students > Apply for Academic Waiver. Select the ‘grade change’ type. Enter relevant information in the comments section (Course, term).

Graduate Students will need to use the PDF form Waiver of an Academic Regulation [187KB] to their graduate coordinator/administrator. The arguments and expectations of the petitioner must be clearly stated.

Final grades must be received before students can appeal for the grade change.

Students are responsible for demonstrating the extenuating circumstances and the impact on academic performance. They may be asked to provide supporting documentation as requested by the Assistant Dean/Delegate.

Deadlines

  • Fall term courses - Feb 1
  • Winter and regular term (September - April) courses - Jun 1
  • May - June courses - Aug 1
  • May - August courses - Oct 1
  • July - August courses - Oct 1

Items to Note

Instructors are not able to change grades to Credit/No Credit. All appeals for grade changes must be submit through the academic waiver process and will be reviewed by the student's Assistant Dean/Delegate.

Not all courses are eligible for the credit/no credit grade change. Students will need to consult with their individual faculty for more information.

With the approval of the Assistant Dean/Delegate, students may normally convert no more than the equivalent of one term of full-time coursework to CR/NCR.

If the appeal is not approved, students still have the option of appealing through the Faculty Appeals Committee process.

If a student is submitting their waiver application for the grade change after the deadline they will need to include the reasons the appeal is late in the comments section of the form.

If you have questions about a grade or if you are conisdering an appeal, meet with an academic advisor for assistance.

Frequently Asked Questions

I have a PND grade due to an academic integrity allegation, can I change my grade?

Credit/No Credit grade changes can not be applied as a grade change until your academic integrity case is resolved. 

My academic integrity case is resolved, can I appeal to change my grade?

This depends on the outcome of your case:

  • If your final grade is a passing grade, you can appeal for a change to a Credit (CR) .
  • If you received a failing grade which was assigned as a penalty, you can’t change your grade.
  • If you received a failing grade which was an indirect result of your penalty, e.g. you received a decrease in your final grade, or a piece of work was excluded, you can appeal for a change to No Credit (NCR).
     

Will a Credit (CR) grade satisfy pre-requisite requirements?

When we convert your grade to a Credit (CR), the previous letter grade is still used for the purpose of calculating pre-req requirements. This means that if you received a C- grade, your Credit (CR) would not allow you to register on a course which has a B- pre-req requirement. You would need to request an instructor override to add this class.  

Will a Credit (CR) grade satisfy honours requirements?

When we convert your grade to a Credit (CR), the previous letter grade is still used for the purpose of calculating honours eligibility requirements. This means that if you received a C- grade, your Credit (CR) would not allow you to count this towards your honours hours. 

It's important that you meet with your honours advisor and your Assistant Dean regarding regarding this appeal for a grade change.

 

I’m repeating a course, what happens if I appeal and receive a grade change to Credit (CR)/No Credit (NCR) grade??

The repeat policy allows students to retake courses to earn a higher grade. Our practice is to always include the higher grade on your academic record. For the purposes of applying the repeat policy, we’ll use your previous letter grade to calculate which grade should be applied. 

If your new grade is higher than the previous grade earned in the course, the neutral Credit/No Credit grade will be included in the GPA calculation. 

If your new grade is lower than the previous grade earned in the course, the neutral Credit/No Credit grade will be excluded in the GPA calculation. 

Taking this option for a repeated course may have GPA implications, so it’s important to discuss this with your Assistant Dean.
 

I have a multi-term course; can I have this changed to a Credit (CR)/No Credit (NCR)?

You’ll need to wait until you have a final letter grade for your multi-term course before you can submit an appeal for a Credit/No Credit grade change. 

This would not prevent you from submitting an appeal for fall term if you have experienced extenuending circumstances provided you have final grades recorded.  

Does a Credit (CR)/No Credit (NCR) grade change affect my scholarship or student loan?

If you have a scholarship, it is important to note that Credit (CR) and No Credit (NCR) grades do not count towards your eligible GPA hours for renewable scholarships.

If you have a student loan, Credit (CR) and No Credit (NCR) grades are considered final grades.

I’m taking a class at another institution; can I appeal for a Credit (CR)/No Credit (NCR) Grade Change?


The Credit/No Credit Grade Change policy only applies to courses taken at Dalhousie. Your host institution may have a similar policy in place – contact them to see what the options are for converting your grades.

If your host institution does not have a similar policy, then your grade can not be changed.