Failed a Course?

Failing a course can be very difficult to face. Maybe the subject isn’t your strong suit, or you faced distractions from other courses or personal matters. At this point, it’s important to consider the impact of your failed course and to take appropriate steps going forward.

Resources

Consequences of a Failed Course

The Faculty of Science looks at all of your courses in a session (the Winter Session is September to April; the Summer is May to August) when evaluating continuation. One or more failed grades will lower your sessional average, but your other grades will also determine what your academic standing is. Failing a core course will impact your progress through your degree, and it could impact your eligibility for a specialization, but you will likely not be set back a full year. If, for example, you are missing a course to progress to a 2nd year class standing in Science, you can still take 200-level courses next year as long as you have the prerequisites. Please review the Faculty of Science requirements along with the Science Requirements for Promotion and Degree Progression.

Moving Forward

There are a number of things to consider when thinking about moving forward. Take into consideration your course load and other commitments you had this past term, and how a change in those things could potentially help you with managing your courses more successfully in the future.

The most important thing now is to reflect, learn from your failure, and find the resources you need to change the results in the future!


If you are not sure about your situation and the impact of your failed grade(s), connect with Science Advising.

Musqueam First Nation land acknowledegement

We honour xwməθkwəy̓ əm (Musqueam) on whose ancestral, unceded territory UBC Vancouver is situated. UBC Science is committed to building meaningful relationships with Indigenous peoples so we can advance Reconciliation and ensure traditional ways of knowing enrich our teaching and research.

Learn more: Musqueam First Nation

Faculty of Science

Office of the Dean, Earth Sciences Building
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