Grades
While the ultimate measure of success will be your ability to apply what you've learned to your career, grades are an important measure of your understanding of the concepts covered in your courses.
Academic evaluations for continuation and promotion
Each year during the month of May, the Undergraduate Office (UGO) reviews your academic progress and calculates your winter session average based on all courses taken from September to April to determine if you have successfully completed (1) continuation requirements to remain in the program, and (2) course requirements for promotion to the next year level. If your winter session average falls below 60% at any year level, you will be considered to have failed the year and will be required to discontinue your studies at UBC for a period of at least one year. Decimals are not rounded (i.e., a winter session average of 59.9% would be a failed year).
Grading guidelines for Commerce courses
The following are guidelines for average course grades in a section:
| Course group | Average guideline | Average range |
| COMM 1xx | 73 | 70-76 |
| COMM 2xx | 73 | 70-76 |
| COMM 3xx | 75 | 72-78 |
| COMM 4xx | 76 | 73-79 |
Please note:
- Some average course grades outside the recommended range are expected.
- Multiple section courses will generally have some variation across sections.
- Some classes are exceptional and may be above (or below) the proposed range.
- Elective courses tend to have higher grades than required courses in the same group and
may be toward the upper end of the range.
What if I fail a course?
If you fail a course in Term 1, you may re-register for the same course in Term 2 or in the summer session if the course is offered. If you fail a course twice, you must submit a letter of appeal to the UGO outlining the steps you will take to successfully complete the course. If you fail a course a third time, you will be asked to leave the BCom program permanently.
Viewing marked work
As per UBC policy, you can expect any applicable course work including exams to be marked in a reasonable time frame. You can also expect to receive feedback on expected and achieved outcomes. If you would like to review any course work or exams retained by UBC, you may request a viewing by contacting your instructor by the deadlines as set in the policy. Viewing marked work is purely to help you understand your performance; instructors are not required to provide an answer key or rationale for your marks. This is not meant to be an opportunity for you to dispute your grade with your instructor (see review of assigned standing).
Review of assigned standing
If you're not satisfied that your course work or exam was graded fairly, you may submit a request for a Review of Assigned Standing. Your work will be regraded by an alternate instructor. When considering whether or not to submit a request, keep in mind that you are limited to two requests per academic year and that you will only receive a refund of the application fee if your final grade increases. It is also possible for your grade to decline.
Credit/D/Fail grading policy
The Credit/D/Fail grading policy allows you to take eligible elective courses and safely explore new and exciting subjects, earning a Credit, D, or Fail standing instead of a percentage grade on your academic transcript. These standings are awarded as follows:
- Cr is awarded for a grade of 55% or higher.
- D is awarded for a grade of 50-54.9%.
- F is awarded for a grade of less than 50%, where 50% is the passing grade.
You can take a maximum of six credits of Credit/D/Fail graded courses per session and up to a maximum of 12 credits of Credit/D/Fail graded courses towards your BCom degree.*
* Courses taken for Credit/D/Fail grading during 2019W Term 2 will not be counted toward your 6-credit session limit or your 12-credit degree limit. If you need assistance changing your grading to Credit/D/Fail before the add/drop deadline, please email bcomquestions@sauder.ubc.ca with your student number, course code, and section for assistance.
If a course allows for Credit/D/Fail grading, its Grading Basis will list it as one of the options in the course section’s details on Workday (typically also with ‘Graded’ as the alternate grading basis).
You can take eligible elective courses for Credit/D/Fail as long as they do not fulfill a requirement for a:
- Option (including the International Business option)
- Minor
- Concentration
- Combined Major in Business and Computer Science (BUCS) program
First-year BCom students may not take required first-year courses for Credit/D/Fail.
Important: Opting to take a course for Credit/D/Fail grading will impact your eligibility for UBC scholarships and awards if you have not taken the minimum 24 percentage-graded credits required for award evaluation calculations. Also note that you must be registered in at least 24 percentage-graded credits during the winter session in at least one of Year 3 or Year 4 of the program to be eligible for a Degree with Honours.
If you would like to switch a course to Credit/D/Fail grading you can submit the request form once you have registered for all of your courses; you won’t be able to perform this function yourself in Workday. The UGO will only process requests as defined in the form’s instructions. Academic advisors will direct all requests they receive to this form. Please allow at least five business days for processing. The deadline to switch between percentage and Credit/D/Fail grading is the same date to which you are still eligible to drop the course without a W standing.
More about Credit/D/Fail grading Request Credit/D/Fail grading switch
Do summer course grades matter?
While grades from summer courses are not included in the calculation of your winter session average, they are included in the calculation of your graduating average (all senior-level Commerce courses) to determine eligibility for Honours standing. Furthermore, if your future plans include additional studies, some graduate programs may consider all undergraduate grades as the basis of admission. Keep in mind that regardless of when you took a course, the final mark will appear on your official UBC transcript.