Frequently Asked Questions

Admission decisions are not made by the Dean's Office. Admission is granted through the Admissions Office. Once admitted to Western and prior to course registration, you will need to:

• Bring a copy of your university or college transcript(s) or academic record and course syllabi if applicable
• Make an appointment with an Academic Counsellor
• Be prepared to see to a Department Counsellor(s) for course evaluation(s) if needed

See General questions on Transfer Students
Click here for progression information following admission with Transfer Credits

Admission decisions are not made by the Dean's Office. Admission is granted through the Admissions Office.

Click here for more information on how your background/degree will fit into our programs

Click here for the Progression requirements for Special Students

Once you have accepted your admission offer and prior to course registration, you are likely to see an Academic Counsellor (519-661-3040) to:

• Have your background evaluated
• Become registered in a specific module/degree
• Discuss the requirements for the module/degree you wish to pursue

A comprehensive list of undergraduate sessional dates for 2012-2013 can be found here:

Undergraduate Sessional Dates

Please apply well in advance of the deadlines.

Students must apply for readmission to Western following withdrawal for failure to achieve satisfactory academic standing.

Click here for more information on readmission.

Click here for progression requirements following readmission.

Full-time: A student who registers from September to April in 3.5 credits or more.

Part-time: A student who registers for 3.0 credits or fewer in any session.

To register for courses, a student must:

• Be admitted to Western or be a continuing student in good standing
• Select courses by the appropriate deadline

Web registration begins in March for Summer session courses.

Web registration begins in June for Fall/Winter session courses and is available only to continuing Western students who have submitted an Intent to Register form.

Academic timetables can be viewed here.

Students choose their program/module/degree(s) during the Intent to Register period (usually early February to late March). There will be Information Sessions available during this time.

Check the Office of the Registrar's website in late January for details.

Department Counsellors provide counselling regarding course selection.

More details about Intent to Register can be found here.

Information on course enrollment and web registration for 2nd term (2012) can be found here.

Other important dates can be found here.

After the Intent to Register period, program/module/degree changes require the submission of a Change of Status form. These forms are available from our academic counselling office and must be completed for:

• Changes in academic load (e.g. full-time to part-time)
• Changes of degree objective (e.g. honors to 3 year)
• Changes in program/module(s)
• Changes in Faculty of registration
• Complete withdrawal from university

Students apply to the Academic Counselling Office of their Faculty for a Letter of Permission to take courses at another university (note the non-refundable fee charged by the Registrar's Office).

Steps to take:

• Visit the other university's website for a description of the course(s) that you wish to take
• Print off the course description and bring it to the Academic Counselling Office during drop-in counselling hours
• You may need to get departmental approval (the Academic Counsellor will advise on next steps)
• Completed forms must be submitted to the Academic Counselling Office by the published deadlines
• You must adhere to the other university's policy/deadlines for admission as a visiting student, and to Western's policies and deadlines for completing the course. Remember to have an official transcript transferred to Western upon completion of the course(s). Instructions and deadlines are provided on your copy of the letter of permission form and on the Registrar's Office web site.

COURSES TAKEN at an ONLINE UNIVERSITY

For summer courses, course work must be completed and the final exam must be written by AUGUST 31, 2012. Transcripts must be sent to Western prior to the November 1, 2012 deadline for the submission of grades.

If we have not received a transcript by November 1, you will receive an "F" for the courses. No exceptions/extensions will be given unless proof is provided that the course was completed prior to August 31st.

The following links provide more information on Letters of Permission.

Transfer of Credit to Western

Transfer of Credit to Another University

Two levels are used to assess a student's Academic Standing Status.

Level 1 Progression

• Minimum cumulative average 55% upon completion of a minimum of 3.0 course attempts (In good standing
• Minimum cumulative average 50-54% may continue On Probation
• Cumulative average less than 50% will be Required to Withdraw

Level 2 Progression

• Minimum cumulative average of 60% when a minimum of 8.0 full or equivalent course attempts completed (In Good Standing)
• Cumulative average from 55-59% will continue On Probation
• Cumulative average less than 55% will be Required to Withdraw

Click Here if you would like more information about the following topics:

• Adjudication process
• Average calculations
• Course attempts
• Course repeats
• On probation
• Required to withdraw

Click here to learn more about the following:

• 3 Year B.Sc. or B.A. degree
• 4 Year General B.Sc or B.A. degree
• Honors Degree Programs

 

The usual full-time course load in any year of a 3-year or 4-year BA and BSc degree is 5.0 courses. In any one term, the usual full-time load is five 0.5-courses or their equivalent.

Permission of a Dean's Office Academic Counsellor is required to take an increased or irregular course load. Permission will be considered on the basis of your past academic performance.

Policy for students registered in the Faculty of Science and the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry (BMSc): Common Courses in Modules

Students registered in the Faculty of Science and the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry (BMSc) may double-count a maximum of 1.0 common course toward two modules (a common course is a course that is mandatory in both modules). When two modules contain more than 1.0 common course, the additional common course(s) must be distributed between the two modules as evenly as possible and a substitute course(s) approved by the department offering the module must be taken to maintain the number of courses required in the module.

Notes:

• the mark in a double-counted course is used in calculating the average for each module;
• the 1.0 common course with the highest mark will be double-counted toward both modules if more than 1.0 common course exists;
• approved substitute courses must meet the minimum mark requirement for the module/degree and are included in the average calculation for the module;
• when choice exists in a module, courses are not considered common unless and until all choice is exhausted. If one course must be selected from a list of courses, every course in the list must be taken before the course is considered to be common to both modules.

Main campus students may normally take a maximum of 1.0 courses at an Affiliated University College each year.

If a section of the course is also offered on main campus, you must consult an Academic Counsellor in the Dean's Office to see if permission might be granted.

Permission will normally be considered only if the main campus section is full or creates a conflict with your schedule.

For more information, please click here

For more information, please click here

A special examination is any examination other than the regular or supplemental examinations, and may be offered only with permission of the Dean of the Faculty in which the student is registered in consultation with the instructor and Department Chair.

Permission to write a Special Examination may be given on the basis of compassionate or medical grounds with appropriate supporting documentation or for religious grounds for which sufficient notice in writing has been submitted.

For information about examination conflicts (two exams concurrently, 3 exams in any 23-hour period) visit www.uwo.ca/univsec/handbook.

If the Office of the Dean, Faculty of Science, recommends a Special Examination Form be given to a student, both the student and instructor should be aware of the following:

• A Special Examination must be written no later than 30 days after the end of the examination period. Only under exceptional circumstances, and with Dean's Office approval, may this period be extended.
• If a student fails to write a scheduled Special Examination, permission to write another Special Examination will be granted only with the permission of the Dean's Office and with appropriate supporting documentation. In such a case, the date of this Special Examination normally will be the scheduled date for the final exam the next time the course is offered.
• Students should be aware that if a mark of SPC (Special Exam Privileges) appears on an academic record for a course that is a prerequisite to further courses(s), registration in the subsequent courses(s) will require special permission of the instructor and the Dean’s Office until the grade of SPC is replaced by a satisfactory grade.
• If a majority of courses taken in a given year show grades of SPC, registration in any further courses(s) will be subject to the approval of the Dean’s Office until all the SPC grades are replaced by satisfactory grades.

Science students can complete and submit a Religious Accommodation Request Form to our academic counselling office when reporting a conflict with a religious holiday. Students are asked to submit their accommodation requests a minimum of two weeks in advance. Click here for more information on Religious Holidays.

 

• Review Web CT and/or the course outlines to look for any comments from your instructor regarding accommodation procedures
• Inform your instructor or course / lab coordinator (WebCT or your course outline may indicate who to contact) immediately about the course component you will not be able to attend or complete
• Complete a Medical Accommodation Request Form
• Medical documentation from walk-in clinics and family physicians must be completed on a Student Medical Certificate.
• As soon as you are well enough to come to campus (and not contagious), submit your Accommodation Request Form and documentation to your home faculty academic counselling office. When our counselling team approves an accommodation request, the member of the academic counselling team who approved it will inform your instructors of our support for accommodation. If a student is accommodated for a December or April exam, they will be issued a Recommendation for Special Exam form instead, which the student should bring to their instructor.
• If you are not able to submit your accommodation request and documentation within a few days of the missed course component, you may consider asking a friend to deliver it to us or faxing the form and documentation to us.
• Obtaining documentation from an Emergency Department or Urgent Care Centre
• Documentation should be secured at the time of the initial visit. Request that the doctor complete a Student Medical Certificate (SMC). Where it is not possible for a student to have an SMC completed by the attending physician, the student must request alternate documentation sufficient to demonstrate that his/her ability to meet his/her academic responsibilities was seriously affected during the time frame of the missed course component(s)

The University works collaboratively with the student, instructor, department, Faculty and Services for Students with Disabilities in the Student Development Centre to provide accommodation when needed.

A student requesting relief relating to a specific course(s) (with respect to a mark, grade, appropriateness of assignment or examination, or grading practices) must proceed in the following order:

1. Course instructor (informal consultation)
2. Department Chair (submission of written request)
3. Faculty Dean (submission of written request)

Click here for more information on Student Academic Appeals.