OOR Updates and FAQs

In courses where students have already completed at least 60% of course requirements, professors may give a final course grade based on the evaluation of achievement in the term work of the course. Students would not be required to complete an Exam Alternative.

In some cases, an assignment may take the place of the final exam. This could take various forms:

• Essay
• Open-book exam
• Production of an artifact (slide deck, video or audio recording)
• Group project/recorded presentation

The due date for the Alternative Summative Project will be no sooner than the end of the regularly-scheduled exam time for the course.

For small-enrolment courses, a technology-mediated oral exam may be possible (using Zoom or Skype).

In rare cases, it may be possible for professors to give a grade of Pass/Fail in the course. The goal of P/F is to ensure students are able to progress into courses or programs for which the current course serves as a prerequisite. This option requires approval of the Dean.

The University is making every effort to ensure that students who are registered in Western courses will receive a final grade in each course.

No. The option for each course is decided by the Department or Faculty. Please see the "Grades" section for information on changing a course grade to Pass/Fail and the "Dropping a Course" section for information on withdrawing from a course.

Professors are asked to inform their class about the decision by March 30.

Professors have made their best effort to meet the learning objectives of their classes and to assess them in a fair way. If a student feels these are unreasonable in their current situation, the University has extended the deadline to drop a second-term or full-year course without academic penalty to May 15, 2020. Students can carefully consider the new grading scheme and have the opportunity to drop without academic penalty if they choose.

While it will depend partly on the practices of the partner university, credit will be given wherever possible. In some cases, students may be asked to submit a summative project for evaluation. Contact the Associate Dean (Academic) of your Faculty for more information.

Teams across campus are working hard to ensure we deliver the very highest quality learning and student experience we can in September. Keeping the campus community safe is incredibly important and is a responsibility shared by all.

Western will offer a full fall term for every student whether you are new to Western or returning. Our “mixed model” will see some of our courses (or parts of them) delivered online and others in-person. We are working to preserve as much of the in-person educational experience as possible and will enable on-campus experiences and supports while strictly following the advice of public health authorities.

In the coming days and weeks, your home faculties will share more details specific to your program.

Updates will also be posted to Western’s COVID-19 website.

The Fall/Winter Academic Timetable states for each course component (lecture, lab, tutorial) whether it is online or in-person. If all course components, including lecture, lab, and tutorial, that you register in are listed as online, your course is fully online and will not require your presence on campus. If at least one of your lecture, lab, or tutorial components is listed as in-person, you will be expected to attend campus for those components. Note that in some cases, students have the option to select between online or in-person components.

Yes, if your lecture, lab, or tutorial is identified as "online," all aspects of the lecture/lab/tutorial component can be completed online. Note that other components of the same course may require your presence on campus unless they are identified as online as well.

No, you need not attend in person. Even if a course introduces face-to-face meetings as an option at some later date, you will still be able to complete all aspects of the course online.

No. All fully online courses (i.e., which do not require your presence on campus) will have an online option for any tests or exams. This will be the case even if in-person sections are available as an option, and even if the option of a face-to-face test or exam is provided at a later date. Any course with mandatory in-person components (e.g. lecture, lab, or tutorial) may schedule face-to-face, in-person tests and exams. Please consult the course outline for the details of your course.

Yes, you should be prepared to come to campus for the face-to-face aspects of the course.

Due to uncertainty around Covid-19, students must have a reliable internet connection and computer that are compatible with online learning and testing system requirements. Some courses may also require the use of a remote proctoring platform (such as Proctortrack) to ensure tests are taken fairly in accordance with Western's policy on Scholastic Discipline for Undergraduate Students and Scholastic Discipline for Graduate Students. Refer to the course syllabus and Western's Remote Proctoring Website for further information.

Residence Credits due to COVID-19

If your tuition account currently has a credit balance you may be eligible for a refund. If you are awaiting a refund from residence for vacating early this term, credits will be applied to student accounts mid-April. Once posted to your student account, refunds can only be issued via Direct Deposit into a Canadian bank account. Students who do not enroll in direct deposit will be issued cheques once we have returned to the office. Credits can also be retained for future terms of registration.

Students can enroll in Direct Deposit by logging into your Student Center account and scrolling to the bottom left of the page. Under Finances, click on Enroll in Direct Deposit and enter your bank information.

Please allow seven (7) business days from the time you enroll in Direct Deposit with a credit balance in your Student Account to have your credits refunded to your bank account.

International students requiring a wire transfer back to their home bank must wait for the funds to be posted in their student center account and then email reg-fees@uwo.ca for further instructions.

To view your student account balance, log into Student Center and refer to the balance under Account Summary.

General Credits on Tuition/Residence Account

If your tuition account is currently in a credit balance you may be eligible for a refund. Email  reg-fees@uwo.ca from your uwo email address to request a refund.

Refunds will be issued only by Direct Deposit while we are out of the office due to COVID-19 circumstances. If you do not enroll in Direct Deposit, your credit will be held for future registration.

Students can enroll in Direct Deposit by logging into your Student Center account and scrolling to the bottom left of the page. Under Finances, click on Enroll in Direct Deposit and enter your bank information.

Please allow seven (7) business days from the time you enroll in Direct Deposit with a credit balance in your Student Account to have your credits refunded to your bank account.

If your tuition account currently has a credit balance you may be eligible for a refund. 

International students requiring a wire transfer back to their home bank must wait for the funds to be posted in their student center account and then email  reg-fees@uwo.ca for further instructions.

In light of the current and evolving Covid-19 circumstances, Western has implemented certain changes in order to enable students to complete the remainder of their term online, as an alternative to traditional, in-class learning.

As a result, there are no changes to posted refund schedules for the September 2019 to April 2020 period.

Any additional concerns, such as those related to changes in assessment formats, course content delivery, etc should be brought to the attention of your faculty.

Information regarding fees can be found on the Office of the Registrar website. This site provides you with information on things like services, courses, student finances, etc.

For information about tuition, ancillary fees and refunds, please refer to the fee and refund schedules page.

Please note: Fees for upcoming terms may not be updated yet. For tuition pre-payments, you may use the current term’s fee schedule as a rough estimate of fees for upcoming terms.

Graduate Summer fee schedules are posted. Undergraduate fee schedules will be posted shortly.

For information on fee payment methods, including international payments, please refer to the Fee Payment Methods page.

Please note: Once you have made the payment, monitor your Student Center account at student.uwo.ca for the posting of your payment. Follow the directions in one of the two letters below to obtain a receipt of your prepayment. One letter is for Graduate students and one is for Undergraduate students.

Graduate Students Letter (pdf)

Undergraduate Students Letter (pdf)

Your fees balance must be paid in full in order to be eligible for term activation (registration) for an upcoming term. If the tuition balance has not been fully paid by the term activation (registration) start date, your ability to register may be delayed. Please note that web banking payments will take 2-3 business days to reflect on your fees account.

• If you have a payment arrangement with the Student Financial Services Office, please make your payments as scheduled.
• If you have just received or negotiated student loans, please ensure the funding reaches your tuition account on the date set by the government.
• If your tuition is being paid by your supervisor, your graduate program, or other sources on campus, please follow up to ensure this payment is forthcoming.
• If your fees are being paid by an external sponsor, please provide proof of funding (sponsorship letter) to reg-fees@uwo.ca.
• If you require financial assistance, please schedule a phone appointment via the link to Financial Aid Counselling (under Student Services Links) within your Student Center account or email your inquiry to contact@uwo.ca
• If you are completing or have already completed your degree requirements this term, please note that you will not be eligible to receive your diploma if you have an outstanding balance.
• If you are now on an approved leave of absence, please note that you will not be permitted to re-enroll when your leave is over if you continue to have an outstanding balance.
• If you are no longer a student at Western, please note that the outstanding fees are still due.

Please note:  In light of COVID-19, if a graduate has an existing payment plan in place and is requesting a further deferral please email reg-fees@uwo.ca with an updated payment plan.

Please refer to the payment methods outlined on the Office of the Registrar website. Our current preferred method of receiving international payment is the Western Union GlobalPay platform.

You can find more information on the International Payments page.

Graduates:

There are three terms in a grad year; Fall (September), Winter (January) and Summer (May). Similar fees are charged to your tuition account at the beginning of each term. The SOGS health and dental fee is normally charged to accounts in September and is valid until the following August. It is prorated if you start in the Winter or Summer term.

The fees for the current Winter and upcoming Summer terms are in the Fee and Refund Schedules page. 

If you cannot find your program, the first entry lists fees for Masters programs, other than those specified in the sections below. Please note that fees are subject to change in future terms ad while every effort has been made to ensure the fee and refund schedules are accurate and complete, Western University reserves the right to make changes as required.

Undergraduates:

The Fall/Winter fees for the current term are in the Fee and Refund Schedules page.

These fees are subject to change in future terms. Summer fees for undergrads are considered a separate term and will be posted shortly.

You can find the Refund Schedules on the Office of the Registrar website on the Fee and Refund Schedules page.

If the upcoming term you are inquiring about hasn’t been posted, you may use a previous similar term as a rough guide.

Generally speaking, after the start of classes, the amount of refund or fees owing changes weekly at a rate of 12% of the declining fee balance. Certain fees are non-refundable.

The tuition due date for Summer courses is May 22, 2020.

The transition to online delivery of our programs has not changed the amount that we are investing to ensure academic integrity and quality for our students.

Western continues to provide the core services funded through tuition and other revenue sources. In addition to your learning from instructors, Western continues to provide support services, financial aid advice, and academic guidance for undergraduate and graduate students.

As such, there are no changes to tuition or ancillary fees for the 2020 Fall/Winter term. There are no changes to tuition fees for upcoming Summer session courses, but some ancillary fees for the Summer term have been waived.

Western’s leadership team is working closely with student leaders to develop strategies and supports to address students’ immediate financial and academic challenges precipitated by the pandemic. Some of the supports already announced include:

• An additional $13.5 million in student financial aid for the coming year (admissions bursaries for undergrads)
• One-time, needs-based graduate student summer bursaries for PhD and research master’s students
• $11 million in refunds for students in residence

Students with questions regarding fees or financial aid may find additional information or submit a question by visiting the Office of the Registrar or the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.

All of our student programming and supports will continue to be available, though in different models of delivery, during our blended delivery of education.

As such, Western is planning to continue with full ancillary fees for the 2020-21 school year, with the exception of three fees associated with sports and recreation. The Campus Recreation, Intercollegiate Athletics, and Thompson Athletic Centre fees will be reduced by 50% of the approved fee levels for the fall term, in part due to the cancellation of competitive sport by provincial sport associations. Students will have these fees adjusted on their online statement of account.

While we have reduced these fees, we are not planning a reduction in programming. Recreation and sport are vital to the student experience and central to student well-being. The university remains committed to ensuring students have access to spaces and continued recreational programming both on-campus and online.

We continue to offer career development, academic support, leadership, and medical and health appointments and programs – all available through links on the Digital Student Experience website.

Decisions on the winter term fees will be made at a later date.

Students will be able to declare any Winter 2020 half-course or 2019-2020 full-year course as Pass/Fail between May 1 to 15. It is expected that all of your grades will be posted by May 15th.

Any numerical grade submitted by your instructor will remain on file to be used for certain internal processes (see below) and will be available to you upon your request (e.g., to support a future application to graduate or professional school). Therefore, students are encouraged to remain engaged in their learning until all assessments have been completed.

You can elect for a course grade to be changed to a Pass/Fail grade through the Office of the Registrar. Information will be provided as soon as the system development for this option has been completed.

No, the change cannot be reversed. Students are therefore advised to carefully consider the implications of a Pass/Fail grade to their progression and future educational plans.

Traditionally, graduate and professional programs rely upon numerical grades in their admissions process. It is not yet known how they will respond to the introduction of Pass/Fail grades that many universities will be issuing in April 2020. It is possible to request that the Office of the Registrar provide any numerical grade submitted by your instructor to a graduate or professional school in the future, even if you designated it as Pass/Fail.

Ivey will accept a “Pass” for up to 1.0 credit during the current academic year for admission consideration in cases where there is no numerical grade. For a course recorded as Pass/Fail, and for which a numerical grade was submitted by the instructor, Ivey will use the numerical grade. Additional information on Ivey’s admissions process.

At the discretion of the program, the underlying numerical grade submitted by your instructor may be used to determine your eligibility to enter a limited-enrolment module or program, even though it appears as a Pass/Fail on your transcript. This is to ensure fairness to all students seeking admission to the module or program and to reduce concerns about designating a grade as Pass/Fail.

Faculties will be asked to publish their criteria for September admission into such modules.

No. A grade of “Pass” in a required course will be sufficient to gain entry into a module or program without enrolment limits. Any other requirements, such as a minimum overall average in other Principal Courses, must still be met. A grade of “Pass” will not contribute to such an average.

Since entry into some modules and programs requires grades in specific courses that are considerably higher than a “Pass,” students are strongly encouraged to select modules and programs for which their background preparation is sufficient.

A grade of “Pass” will be sufficient for progression in the module or program that you were enrolled in as of September 2019, with the exception of the Honours Specialization modules in the Bachelor of Medical Sciences (BMSc) program. Additional information regarding admission into Year 4 of the Honours Specialization modules in the BMSc program.

Yes. A grade of “Pass” will be sufficient to graduate from any module or program in which you are already enrolled. Some graduate and professional programs may require your original numerical grades, which will be available from the Office of the Registrar upon your request.

A grade of “Pass” in a prerequisite course will be considered sufficient to enrol in a subsequent course requiring that course as a prerequisite, even if there is a minimum grade requirement. Students are cautioned to carefully consider their prospects for success in the follow-up course in cases where they have not met the grade requirement.

Neither a grade of “Pass” (indicated as “PAS” on the transcript) nor a grade of “Fail” (indicated as “FAI”) will be included in the calculation of your term and cumulative averages. A grade of “FAI” will count toward the number of failed course attempts. Students have the option to drop a Winter 2020 half-course or 2019-2020 full-year course by May 15, 2020 to avoid any consequence.

The Pass/Fail grade will not be included in the calculation of the grade average used to determine eligibility for University honours. Faculties may, however, choose to restrict the Dean’s Honour List to students with a minimum of 3.5 courses graded on a numerical basis and no failures in 2019-2020.

N o, the Pass/Fail grade will not be included in the calculation of the grade average used to determine your eligibility to retain a Continuing Scholarship or National Scholarship.

Yes. To be fair to all students, decisions on in-course and in-program scholarships awarded in Fall 2020 may use the numerical grade underlying a grade of “Pass.”

No, there is no limit to the number of Winter 2020 half-courses and 2019-2020 full-year courses you can change to Pass/Fail.

No. The decision to designate a course as a Discovery Credit predates the COVID-19 pandemic and cannot be reversed.

Please contact your Department or instructor to see if the option of a supplemental assessment is available. Such a supplemental assessment, if available, will typically take the form of a midterm test or final examination, at the discretion of the Department. Be aware that it may not be possible to offer a supplemental assessment before April 2021 in some cases.

Note that Ontario Faculties of Law adopted a common Pass/Fail approach for most courses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and no supplemental assessment will be possible.

Courses with grading schemes that have been revised to a Pass/Fail basis will not impact honours status (if a "Pass" is awarded), nor will they affect a student's standing on the Dean's Honour List or opportunity to graduate With Distinction.

Courses with grading schemes that have been revised to a Pass/Fail basis will not impact your opportunity to graduate “With Distinction”.

March 27, 2020 – 5:55p.m.

 With the Framework for Exam Alternatives, Western is making every effort to support your learning through this time of disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The efforts of professors to adapt their courses within the Framework mean that most students will be provided a numerical grade at the end of the academic term. We recognize, nevertheless, that the unique circumstances and challenges you face can significantly affect your learning.

For this reason, Western is introducing the option for students to change their numerical grade to Pass/Fail. In addition, the deadline to drop a Winter 2020 half course or a 2019-20 full year course without academic penalty will be further extended to align with this opportunity. Please note that these options are not available for courses in the Faculty of Law, as Ontario faculties of law have adopted a common grading process.

While additional details will be posted on the Registrar’s website in the days ahead, the selection period will be towards the end of May, 2020, when all of your course grades will be available. At that time you will have the choice to keep your numerical grade, revise your numerical grade to Pass/Fail, or Withdraw from the course without academic penalty. Pass/Fail courses will not affect your cumulative average.

If your course has been graded on a Pass/Fail basis with no other option provided, you may contact your Department or Faculty to see if supplemental assessments are available.

I encourage you to continue in your studies to the extent that your circumstances permit.

Please know that Western has introduced a range of online supports during this time, many of which are identified here: https://studentexperience.uwo.ca/remote/

Sincerely,

John Doerksen

Vice-Provost (Academic Programs)

Your Dean's Office is aware of the situation and will take it into account when making decisions about your status. In addition, the University has extended the deadline to drop second-term and full-year courses without academic penalty to May 15, 2020, so you may wish to drop courses after considering the final grading scheme, which professors will release by March 30.

• Use Course Delivery Type to find courses offered online by selecting Distance Studies. Note: By selecting Distance Studies as the 'course delivery type' you will see all courses offered online regardless of what session type the course is scheduled in.
• The Start/End dates for each course will be visible within your search results.
• Use Campus to determine where the course is offered, i.e. Main, Brescia, Huron, King's.

With undergraduate courses now being delivered online for Summer 2020, the 'no more than 2.0 courses to be taken simultaneously' rule will be waived to allow a student to enroll in 2.5 online courses in any session type. Students are encouraged to pay attention to the date overlap of their course selections to ensure that they can manage the demands of the competing course work and expectations.

Online Summer courses will show in the "List View" on your Student Center (My Weekly Schedule - change to List View). On Draft My Schedule, you can also see your courses under My Current Schedule > scroll down past the grid. The flag shows that you are registered in the class and the session shows.