Student Progression and Promotion Policy

To outline the requirements to be met by students at Seneca Polytechnic to graduate with an Ontario polytechnic credential.

This policy applies to all Seneca students registered in a course or series of courses needed to complete an Ontario polytechnic credential.

A course that must be taken at the same time as, or prior to, another course.

The grade point average calculated as an average for all graded courses a student has attempted and completed at Seneca.

The numeric representation of a student’s academic performance, calculated as an average of graded courses completed during a specific period.

The grade point average of all graded courses used toward meeting the requirements for a credential upon graduation.

A course that a student must complete before taking a particular course.

The grade point average of all successfully completed graded courses required for a specific program.

The standard used to determine or to measure a student's eligibility to progress to a subsequent academic semester.

The standard used to determine or to measure a student's successful completion of a milestone, semester or year within a program.

The grade point average for all graded courses within a single term.

1. Progression through a program is dependent upon successful completion of course requirements for that program, including course prerequisites and course corequisites.
2. Promotion through the semesters of a program is dependent on meeting established program criteria and milestones.
3. Unless stated otherwise in the course syllabus, for a certificate, diploma, advanced diploma, graduate certificate, bachelor’s or honours bachelor’s degree course, a student will be deemed to have passed with a minimum grade of “D.”
4. Unless stated otherwise in the course syllabus for a master’s degree course, a student will be deemed to have passed with a minimum grade of “B.”
5. Courses in a program may be accounted for through transfer credits, prior learning assessment and recognition, exemption or course substitution.
6. Eligibility for promotion is determined by an academic review at the end of each term, or at other intervals, as appropriate.
7. A student will be eligible to progress in a certificate, diploma, advanced diploma or graduate certificate program if they have achieved a minimum term grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 unless otherwise specified.
8. At the discretion of the academic program area, a student may be eligible to progress in a certificate, diploma, advanced diploma or graduate certificate program if their term GPA is less than 2.0.
9. A student will be eligible to progress in a bachelor’s degree program if they have achieved a minimum term GPA of 2.5.
10. At the discretion of the academic program area, a student may be eligible to progress in a bachelor’s degree program if their term GPA is less than 2.5.
11. A student will be eligible to progress in a master’s degree program if they have achieved a minimum term GPA of 3.0.
12. At the discretion of the academic program area, a student may be eligible to progress in a master’s degree program if their term GPA is less than 3.0.

1. Academic standing is issued at the end of each term, under one of the following categories:

   Academic Standing	Description
   Good	Assigned to students who have achieved or exceeded all school and program standards. This includes a term GPA equal to or greater than 2.0 (2.5 for bachelor’s degree programs, 3.0 for master’s degree programs) and having failed no courses in the term.
   Satisfactory	Assigned to students who have achieved a term GPA equal to or greater than 2.0 (or 2.5 for degree programs, 3.0 for master’s degree programs) and having failed two or less courses in the term.
   Probationary	Assigned to students who have achieved a term GPA of less than 2.0 (or 2.5 for bachelor’s degree programs or 3.0 for master’s degree programs) or who have failed three or more courses.
   Withdrawn	May be assigned to students who do not achieve satisfactory academic standing for two consecutive terms.

2. Students are deemed to be in good academic standing upon entry into a program.
3. Courses previously taken by a student at Seneca that are not applicable to their current program of study will have no impact on the student’s program GPA or academic standing, but they will be used in the calculation of the cumulative GPA.
4. All course attempts will be displayed on transcripts.
5. Students required to withdraw from a program for academic reasons may be eligible for readmission after a minimum of one semester, unless an otherwise agreed-upon period is established with the permission of the program chair or designate, and with a documented learning plan.
6. Readmission to a program is subject to availability and admission requirements in effect at the time of readmission.
7. Students readmitted to a program after having to withdraw for academic reasons must meet the requirements of being on probation to continue their studies.

1. Where required courses within a program have prerequisites, students may enrol when those prerequisites are successfully completed.
2. Students wishing to enrol in a course for which they do not have the stated course prerequisite(s) and/or corequisite(s) must seek written permission from the program chair or designate.

1. The following timelines for completing a credential apply to students who have been registered in a program on a continuous basis:

   Credential	Timeline to Complete Program Requirements
   Full-time certificate or graduate certificate	Within two academic years of being admitted to the program
   Full-time diploma	Within four academic years of being admitted to the program
   Full-time advanced diploma	Within six academic years of being admitted to the program
   Bachelor's degree	Within six academic years of being admitted to the program
   Honours bachelor degree	Within seven academic years of being admitted to the program
   Master’s degree	Within three academic years of being admitted to the program

2. Students enrolled in programs on a part-time basis may be permitted a longer timeline for completion.
3. If a postsecondary program is suspended or cancelled by Seneca, a reasonable completion plan will be provided to affected students.

1. Unless otherwise stated, students may attempt a course three times.
2. Courses in certain programs may not allow for more than one failure. This will be noted in the course syllabus.
3. Failure to achieve the minimum grade in a course required for progression in, or graduation from, a program within the three permitted attempts may result in a withdrawal from the program.
4. Withdrawal from a course on or before the approved date to withdraw without academic penalty will not be considered an attempt.
5. Successful completion of all courses in a program is required for a student to be eligible to graduate.
6. In the case of repeated courses, the highest grade will be the grade of record and calculated into the program GPA.
7. All grades and courses attempted will be recorded on the student’s transcript and included in their term and cumulative GPAs.

1. A student will be eligible to graduate from a certificate, diploma, advanced diploma or graduate certificate program if they have achieved a minimum graduating GPA of 2.0.
2. A student will be eligible to graduate from a bachelor’s degree program if they have achieved a minimum graduating GPA of 2.5, which includes a minimum GPA of 2.5 in the courses in their main field of study and a minimum GPA of 2.0 in breadth courses.
3. A student will be eligible to graduate from a master’s degree program if they have achieved a minimum graduating GPA of 3.0.
4. A student who interrupts their studies for an extended period, or who take significantly longer than the prescribed program duration to complete their studies, may be required to take additional courses and/or repeat courses that have gone through significant change to meet the requirements for graduation.
5. A student will be awarded “Honours” standing in diploma, certificate and bachelor’s and master’s degree programs if they achieve a graduating GPA of 3.6 to 3.9.
6. A student will be awarded “High Honours” standing in diploma, certificate, bachelor’s degree and master‘s degree programs if they achieve a graduating GPA of 4.0.

• None

• Accessible Learning Services Policy
• Admissions Policy
• Grading Policy
• Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition Policy
• Student Assessment Policy
• Transfer Credit Policy

• None

Last Revision: August 2025