We would like to acknowledge that the recent PSAC Local 901 strike has made this year challenging for our undergraduate students and we are committed to doing our best to support you during this time.
Our first priority is to ensure that students receive letter grades as final course grades wherever possible. This is why you might see changes like final exams moving to multiple choice and the reweighting of deliverables in your course.
Can my instructor reweigh my final exam and/or change the course syllabus this late in the term?
Yes. Instructors may modify their syllabus in order to facilitate the delivery of letter grades. Academic Regulations (including 7.2.1) still apply. Instructors can exercise their own best judgement so that the changes are unlikely to 鈥渄isadvantage any student,鈥 recognizing that there are limits to what is possible due to the strike.
Can my instructor change the format of the final exam? It鈥檚 now multiple choice instead of essay-based.
Yes. Instructors may modify their final exams in order to make marking and assigning final grades possible by the grade deadline.
My instructor is assigning CR grades, do I have to complete the remaining work still due?
Yes, you should still submit the work if it鈥檚 a requirement of the course.
I haven鈥檛 received any grades back for my course yet, so I was not able to determine whether or not to drop the course by the last day of classes. If I end up failing the course, can I petition to drop it late?
All students have the right to petition to drop a course late and individual circumstances will always be taken into consideration, but the outcome cannot be guaranteed.
My final exam was reweighted and I鈥檓 concerned this will impact my final grade. What are my options?
You should write your final exam to the best of your ability and wait for your final grade to be posted. If you feel your grade was significantly impacted as a direct result of the changes made to the course due to the strike, you could consider submitting a petition for Credit or CR standing (if you passed the course) or a late drop (if you failed the course.
My instructor is assigning CR grades but I need a letter grade for applying to grad/med/law school. Can I petition for a letter grade instead?
Any student who wishes to convert their CR to a grade based on the grading of outstanding work submitted may submit a request to their instructor. If an instructor determines that grading is possible (there is submitted work available to mark and it鈥檚 feasible to do so), and the instructor is able to assign an appropriate letter grade, a Change of Grade can be submitted.
If the strike ends after the term is over, can my submitted work still be marked and can my final grade be changed?
If an instructor determines that grading is possible and the instructor is able to assign an appropriate letter grade, a Change of Grade can be submitted up to September 15, 2025.
My predicted grade should meet the threshold to be accepted into the Major of my choice during Plan Selection. What happens if I get a CR in the gateway course? Can I still Major in that concentration?
Once we have determined which (if any) first year courses will receive CR grades, we will consult with the department concerned and make adjustments, as needed.
Is a CR the same as a P grade?
A CR means 鈥渃redit standing鈥, you have passed the course but a final letter grade cannot be accurately assessed due to extenuating circumstances. A P grade means that you have simply completed and passed the course. Both notations have the same neutral effect on your GPA.
If I receive a CR grade can I still graduate?
CR grades are treated as successful final grades and will count toward your degree requirements. Assuming that you meet all of your other degree requirements, then you will be able to graduate.
Will final grades be delayed? Will I still be able to graduate in June?
Final grades are still due by the regular deadline and will be posted on transcripts by May 12. Graduation and Convocation will proceed as usual, the dates have not changed.
What effect will CR grades have on my GPA and my transcript?
A CR grade means that you have successfully passed and earned credit for the course but no grade can be assigned, due to extenuating circumstances. The course will appear on your transcript with a final grade of CR and the definition of CR will be included in the legend. A CR will have a neutral effect on your GPA, meaning that it won鈥檛 affect it at all (it won鈥檛 help to raise your GPA but won鈥檛 lower it either.)
If I feel my grade is unfair can I request a formal grade review?
The formal grade review process is a mechanism for students to address issues with grades they feel are out of line with their performance and wish to have the work reviewed by a third party. For example, a student receives a substantially lower grade in an assignment than what they were expecting compared to their other grades in the course, and the feedback provided doesn鈥檛 align or make sense 鈥 having a third party review the work allows for a possible grade 鈥渃alibration鈥. This process is not designed to address CR grades or reweighted final grades as a result of the strike as it requires graded work possible for assessment by a third party and only addresses the grade assigned on the deliverable in question. For more information see: Student Guide: Grade Reviews.
Students who feel their final grade was negatively affected as a result of the labour disruption should consider a petition for a CR or late drop instead. In some cases, it may be possible to ask for an evaluative grade if your instructor assigned a CR. See the FAQ above.
What is a Grade Deferred (GD) grade?
As outlined on the Office of the Provost and Vice-Principal (Academic), in practice at Queen鈥檚, the use of GD is circumscribed. In the Faculty of Arts and Science (FAS), for example, of approximately 65,000 grades submitted each term, fewer than five are assigned GD鈥攁nd almost exclusively in cases where a student is under investigation for a departure from academic integrity.
GD is not intended for widespread use and is not a fit-for-purpose designation in the current context. Most importantly:
- GD freezes a student鈥檚 academic record, leaving them without a grade or GPA update鈥攐ften for an extended period.
- This creates serious barriers to registration, plan selection, graduation, and admission to further study.
- There is no clear pathway or timeline for resolving a GD when assessment cannot be completed due to withdrawn labour or other disruption-related limitations. Even after a new agreement is reached, there is no certainty that grading can resume promptly in all affected courses.
- In some academic units, including the Faculty of Arts and Science, a GD notation restricts student progress in specific ways. For example, under FAS academic regulations, students with a GD are prohibited from graduating (Acad Reg 10.3.3), from being eligible for the Dean鈥檚 Honour List (Acad Reg 12.1), and from enrolling in future courses (Acad Reg 11.4).
For these reasons, assigning GD in the current context will prolong disruption rather than resolve it鈥攁nd may result in academic harm to students.
I am on academic probation and doing well this term. My predicted grades should release me from academic probation but if I receive CR grades, I won鈥檛 be able to raise my GPA. Will I still be required to withdraw from the course?
Student transcripts will be assessed in May after final grades are posted. We review every transcript of students on academic probation and we will take any Winter term CR grades into consideration when doing our assessments.
Will I still be eligible for the Dean鈥檚 Honour List if I receive a CR in a course?
CR grades would normally render a student ineligible for the Dean鈥檚 Honour List. However, we will take any Winter term CR grades into consideration when doing our assessments. Students will not be deemed ineligible for either the Dean鈥檚 Honour List or Dean鈥檚 Honour List with distinction if they have CRs in the 2025 Winter term.
I鈥檓 applying to medical school. Will the strike affect my chances of being accepted?
Schools offering professional programs generally aim to ensure fairness in their admissions processes, especially when external factors like strikes impact students' grades. Admissions committees often take such disruptions into account and may adjust their evaluations to avoid disadvantaging applicants. We encourage students to explain any challenges faced due to the strike in their application materials.
If you're concerned about a specific situation, you should reach out to the admissions office of the school you're applying to so they can provide clarity and guidance.
If the strike continues into May will summer courses be cancelled?
We are assessing our summer term offerings now and putting plans into place to ensure that courses will proceed without disruption.