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Credit to no credit grade changes

What is a credit to no credit grade change?

If you're facing exceptional, unforeseen circumstances that seriously impact your academic performance, you may be eligible to request a credit (CR) or no credit (NCR) grade instead of a letter grade. This option is GPA-neutral and is only available when other solutions (like a course withdrawal) aren’t appropriate.

What counts as an extenuating circumstance?

To qualify, your situation must be:

  • Unforeseen or unpredictable
  • A significant personal crisis
  • Clearly affecting your academic performance

You’ll need to explain your situation and how it has impacted your academic performance. You may be asked to provide documentation.

The stone steps and front facade of Dalhousie University's Henry Hicks Building on a clear, sunny day.

How to request a grade change

Before you apply for a credit to no credit grade change, please note:

  • Instructors cannot change grades to credit/no credit. All appeals for grade changes must be submitted through the academic waiver process and will be reviewed by your assistant dean or their delegate.
  • Not all courses are eligible for the credit/no credit grade change. You will need to consult with your faculty for more information.
  • With the approval of the assistant dean or their delegate, you may normally convert no more than the equivalent of one term of full-time coursework to CR/NCR.
  • If the appeal is not approved, you still have the option of appealing through the Faculty Appeals Committee process.
  • If a you are submitting your waiver application for the grade change after the deadline,  you will need to include the reasons the appeal is late in the comments section of the form.

If you have questions about a grade or if you are considering an appeal, meet with an academic advisor for assistance.

Undergraduate students

 
  • Go to DalOnline > Web for Students > Apply for Academic Waiver
  • Select “Grade Change” as the waiver type
  • Include course details (course code, term) and your explanation in the comments box
See Dal Online help (login required) for step-by step instructions

Graduate students

  • Complete the form
  • Submit it to your graduate coordinator or administrator.
  • Be clear about your reasons and expectations

Note: You must wait until final grades are posted before submitting your request.

Download the Waiver of an Academic Regulation form [PDF - 506 kB]

Deadlines

  • Fall term courses – February 1
  • Winter/regular term (Sept–April) – June 1
  • May–June courses – August 1
  • May–August or July–August courses – October 1

If you're submitting late, explain why in the comments section of your waiver.

Frequently asked questions

Credit/no credit grade changes cannot be applied as a grade change until your academic integrity case is resolved. 

This depends on the outcome of your case:

  • If your final grade is a passing grade, you can appeal for a change to a credit (CR).
  • If you received a failing grade which was assigned as a penalty, you can’t change your grade.
  • If you received a failing grade which was an indirect result of your penalty, e.g. you received a decrease in your final grade, or a piece of work was excluded, you can appeal for a change to no credit (NCR). 
     

When we convert your grade to a credit (CR), the previous letter grade is still used for the purpose of calculating pre-req requirements. This means that if you received a C- grade, your credit (CR) would not allow you to register on a course which has a B- pre-req requirement. You would need to request an instructor override to add this class.  

When we convert your grade to a credit (CR), the previous letter grade is still used for the purpose of calculating honours eligibility requirements. This means that if you received a C- grade, your credit (CR) would not allow you to count this towards your honours hours. 

It's important that you meet with your honours advisor and your assistant dean regarding an appeal for a grade change.

The repeat policy allows students to retake courses to earn a higher grade. Our practice is to always include the higher grade on your academic record. For the purpose of applying the repeat policy, we’ll use your previous letter grade to calculate which grade should be applied.  

  • If your new grade is higher than the previous grade earned in the course, the neutral credit/no Credit grade will be included in the GPA calculation. 
  • If your new grade is lower than the previous grade earned in the course, the neutral credit/no credit grade will be excluded in the GPA calculation.  

Taking this option for a repeated course may have GPA implications, so it’s important to discuss this with your assistant dean.

You’ll need to wait until you have a final letter grade for your multi-term course before you can submit an appeal for a Credit/No Credit grade change.  
 
This would not prevent you from submitting an appeal for fall term if you have experienced extenuating circumstances, provided you have final grades recorded.  

If you have a scholarship, it is important to note that credit (CR) and no credit (NCR) grades do not count towards your eligible GPA hours for renewable scholarships.

If you have a student loan, credit (CR) and no credit (NCR) grades are considered final grades.

The credit/no credit grade change policy only applies to courses taken at Dalhousie. Your host institution may have a similar policy in place – contact them to see what the options are for converting your grades. 
 
If your host institution does not have a similar policy, then your grade cannot be changed.