Academic Support

Experiencing Academic Difficulties

If you are struggling academically, you are not alone. Many students experience academic difficulties for a variety of reasons. Our role at Education Student Services is to provide you with support and advise you of your options. We can help you make a plan which might include:

  • Withdrawing from a course
  • Utilizing academic supports on campus
  • Connecting with counselling services
  • Taking a break from school

To discuss your options, please email educ.info@ualberta.ca.

Additional campus resources:

Academic Success Centre
The Academic Success Centre provides professional academic support to help students maximize their academic success and achieve their academic goals. We offer appointments, advising, group workshops, online courses, and specialized programming year-round to students in all university programs, and at all levels of achievement and study.

Centre for Writers
Free, one-on-one writing support in any subject, discipline, program, or faculty, and at all levels of study and with any type of assignment.

Your Grades/Academic Standing

The Faculty of Education reviews the academic performance of all students who attempt at least 9 credits (usually 3 courses) in the Fall/Winter and/or the Spring/Summer. Our review of your academic performance is based on your grade point average (GPA) after the Fall/Winter period and/or after the Spring/Summer period. The academic performance of students who attempt less than 9 credits (as in 3-6 credits) will not be reviewed.

Depending on your GPA after the Fall/Winter and/or Spring/Summer, you will fall into one of three categories (referred to as your academic standing in the program):

    1. Satisfactory Standing. If your GPA is 2.0 or higher after the Fall/Winter or Spring/Summer, provided you attempted at least 9 credits, you are considered to be in satisfactory standing.
    2. Marginal Standing: Academic Warning. If your GPA is 1.7 - 1.9 after the Fall/Winter or Spring/Summer, provided you attempted at least 9 credits, you are considered to be in marginal standing and will be placed on Academic Warning as a result.
    3. Unsatisfactory Standing: Required to Withdraw. If your GPA is 1.6 or less after the Fall/Winter or Spring/Summer, provided you attempted at least 9 credits, you are considered to be in unsatisfactory standing and will be Required to Withdraw from the faculty as a result. Students who are Required to Withdraw have the opportunity to appeal to remain in the faculty provided this is the first time you’ve been Required to Withdraw from the Faculty of Education.

If you are concerned about your GPA, Academic Warning or being Required to Withdraw, please contact the Academic Support Advisor at educ.info@ualberta.ca to discuss your options. For more information about how the Faculty of Education assesses academic standing, refer to Academic Standing and Promotional Standards found under Faculty Regulations in the Faculty of Education section of the University Calendar.

Absence from Term Work

Any exceptions or extensions related to term work are made at the discretion of the instructor. If you miss term work (e.g. classes, labs, assignments, quizzes, term papers, reports, midterms) contact your instructor immediately. Undergraduate Student Services does not get involved unless your absence relates to the final exam.

Absence from Final Exams

If you have missed a final exam due to incapacitating mental and/or physical illness, domestic affliction or other serious reasons, you may apply to Undergraduate Student Services to defer your final exam. The application is available on the Forms section of our website. Before applying, please make note of the following.

  • Applications are not automatically approved. Undergraduate Student Services reviews the reason for your absence to see if it falls within the guidelines for granting a deferred exam and contacts your instructor to check if there are any issues with attendance/participation or outstanding coursework. At any point in this process, you request may be denied.
  • Applications require supporting documentation related to the reason for your absence. We will not be able to process your request until documentation is provided.
  • Applications are not normally approved in advance of your final exam. The deferred exam process is designed to address unforeseen circumstances, like incapacitating illness, that occur on the day of your exam and prevent you from being able to write.

This information applies to final exams only. If you are absent from midterm examinations, you must contact your instructor. Refer to the information on Absence from Term Work contained in the section above.