Canada University Course Retake Policy
Unlike US grade forgiveness policies, Canadian universities record all course attempts and count every grade in the cumulative GPA. At the University of Toronto, UBC, and McGill, there is no grade replacement, both the original and retaken grades appear on the transcript and factor into CGPA. This has important implications for graduate school applications and OSAP funding eligibility.
Retake Policy at Major Canadian Universities
How the University of Toronto, UBC, McGill, and Waterloo handle course retakes, GPA calculation, and transcript notation.
University of Toronto
- Grade replacement
- No. Both grades appear on transcript. Both count in GPA calculation.
- Credit duplication
- Credit may only be counted once toward degree requirements even if the course is taken twice.
- Transcript notation
- Both attempts appear as separate entries. No special flag on the official transcript, both show as regular course enrolments.
U of T uses a 4.0 GPA scale (A+=4.0, A=4.0, A-=3.7, B+=3.3, and so on). A student who earns D- (0.7) in first attempt and A (4.0) in second attempt will have both entries averaged into their cumulative GPA. The GPA does not simply take the best grade.
University of British Columbia
- Grade replacement
- No. Both grades included in cumulative GPA. Both appear on transcript.
- Credit duplication
- Course credits counted once. The higher grade does NOT replace the lower grade.
- Transcript notation
- Both attempts visible on Academic History. Some faculties may note "Repeated Course" in enrolment notes.
UBC explicitly states in its academic regulations that a repeated course does not remove the original grade from the record. Students considering repetition should consult with their academic advisor to model the CGPA impact.
McGill University
- Grade replacement
- No. Both grades count in GPA. The original grade is not removed.
- Credit duplication
- Credits earned once. Original credit hours removed from degree credit count when course is repeated and passed.
- Transcript notation
- Both grades visible. McGill GPA calculation includes all attempts.
McGill uses a 4.0 scale. Students who failed a required course must retake it. Students who passed but wish to improve must petition the Faculty. In both cases, both grades enter the GPA calculation.
University of Waterloo
- Grade replacement
- No grade forgiveness. All attempts recorded and averaged in cumulative average.
- Credit duplication
- Degree credit counted once. The percentage from each attempt averages into the cumulative average.
- Transcript notation
- All attempts listed on Unofficial Transcript. Official transcript shows all attempts with term and grade.
Waterloo uses a percentage system rather than a letter/4.0 scale. Cumulative averages include all course attempts. Co-op work term records are separate and do not affect academic average.
Impact on OSAP Funding Eligibility
Ontario students relying on OSAP funding should understand how course retakes interact with Satisfactory Academic Progress requirements and funding limits.
Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
OSAP requires students to complete at least 60% of the courses they attempted in the prior funding period to remain eligible. A student who has many retake courses but does not complete them risks failing SAP.
Course repetition and funding limits
OSAP does not fund a student for repeating a course they have already passed. If a student retakes a passed course for grade improvement, that course may not be counted in the OSAP credit load calculation for the funding period.
Maximum years of OSAP funding
OSAP limits funding to a set number of study weeks based on programme length. Students who extend their studies due to multiple retakes may exhaust OSAP eligibility before completing their degree.
How Graduate Schools View Canadian Retakes
US graduate school applications
Most US graduate programmes ask for self-reported GPA and transcripts showing all attempts. Admissions committees see repeated courses. A repeated course with an improved grade is viewed positively as showing persistence, but the lower original grade is still visible and may be discussed in the review.
Canadian graduate school applications
Canadian graduate programmes receive the official transcript showing all attempts. Many programmes calculate their own GPA from the transcript and may include or exclude repeated course entries based on their own formula. The University of Toronto School of Graduate Studies, for example, includes all attempts in their GPA recalculation.
Professional school applications (medicine, law)
OMSAS (Ontario medical school application) and OLSAS (law school application) explicitly require all undergraduate transcripts and typically include all course attempts in their GPA calculations. The OMSAS GPA conversion table applies to every grade on the transcript, including repeated courses.
How OpenEduCat Supports Canadian Retake Policy
Repeat course tracking and CGPA recalculation
When a student re-enrols in a previously attempted course, OpenEduCat links the new enrolment to the original attempt record. Both grades are included in the cumulative GPA calculation. The CGPA updates automatically when the new grade is published, incorporating both the original and retaken course entries.
Credit duplication prevention
OpenEduCat tracks degree credit counts separately from GPA quality points. A repeated course awards degree credits only once, the system flags the duplicate credit and ensures the degree audit counts the course once toward graduation requirements, regardless of how many times it was attempted.
OSAP compliance reporting
For Canadian institutions subject to OSAP reporting requirements, OpenEduCat generates Satisfactory Academic Progress reports that track completion rates, maximum funded study periods, and flags repeated passed courses for exclusion from OSAP credit load calculations.
Transcript notation for repeated courses
All course attempts are displayed on the official transcript in chronological order. Each entry shows the term, course code, course title, and grade. Institutions that use an R notation for repeated courses can configure this annotation in OpenEduCat's transcript template settings.
Related Canada Gradebook Pages
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Canadian university course retake policies, GPA impact, and OSAP implications.
Manage Canadian course retakes with full CGPA accuracy
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