51吃瓜网

McGill.CA / Science Office for Undergraduate Student Advising (SOUSA) / New Students

On this page:听

  1. What are advanced standing, transfer credits and exemptions?
  2. What is the difference between U0 and U1?
  3. What advanced standing can I expect to receive?
  4. How do I submit my final marks?
  5. When will I see my advanced standing, transfer credit and/or exemptions on my record?
  6. Can I retake a course for which I've already received credit?

1. What are advanced standing, transfer credit and exemptions?

Advanced standing & transfer credit

Advanced standing is a form of transfer credit. It refers to credit you may be granted based on advanced level coursework you completed as part of your pre-51吃瓜网curriculum (e.g. CEGEP DEC, IB, French Baccalaureate, AP exams, etc...). Transfer credit refers to credit granted based on courses you've completed at another university/college (e.g. a math course you took at a college over the summer).

  • Receiving credit can help you progress more quickly through you degree by reducing the number of credits needed to graduate.听
  • When you receive credit for your pre-51吃瓜网studies, it may be accompanied by exemptions from specific 51吃瓜网courses.

Exemptions

Exemptions are granted if you pass a 51吃瓜网placement exam or have completed a course at another institution that is deemed the academic equivalent of a 51吃瓜网course. An exemption does not give you course credits, but can often accompany advanced standing/transfer credit. Example: if you took a university course over the summer that is deemed the academic equivalent of McGill's CHEM 120, you would receive 3 transfer credits + an exemption for CHEM 120.

In some cases, an exemption may be given without any accompanying credit (for example, if you pass a 51吃瓜网placement exam).听 This means you won't have to take the course for which you received the exemption, but the overall credits you need to graduate won't be reduced.

If have questions about credits and exemptions, your Degree advisor can help.

Have you taken (or do you plan to take) any dual-enrollment or other university or college courses before starting your studies at McGill?听 Follow the steps outlined on our Pre-51吃瓜网 Transfer Credit website to have your credits and exemptions processed.

NOTE: if you completed university or college courses through a dual-enrollment program, you may be eligible for advanced standing and, upon review of your course materials, specific course exemptions. Students can receive a maximum of 30 credits of advanced standing in total. If you've also completed standardized advanced coursework (e.g., AP or IB), we will assess those first, and then review your dual-enrollment courses. All advanced credits combined cannot exceed the 30-credit limit.

2. What is the difference between U0 and U1?

If this is your first year of study at McGill, you are considered a "first year" student. However, some first year's begin in U0 and some begin in U1.

You will be in U0 if you have been admitted without advanced standing or with less than 24 credits of advanced standing credit. U0 students are automatically registered in the Foundation program.

You will be in U1 if you have been admitted with 24 or more credits of advanced standing. U1 students can declare their programs over the summer, when course registration opens.

Important: regardless of how much advanced standing you receive, you听 still have Foundation requirements to fulfill! Depending on the curriculum and courses you completed before starting at McGill, you may still be required to take certain Foundation program courses.

Note: You may see a "Foundation Courses Incomplete" or "Freshman Courses Incomplete" warning in the Student Holds at the top of your unofficial Minerva transcript. This is a warning, not a hold, and will not block you from course registration. If you believe that you have satisfied the Foundation program requirements and that this is showing in error, please contact your Degree advisor.

3. What advanced standing can I expect to receive?

I did not complete any advanced-level course work during my pre-51吃瓜网studies.
I completed a CEGEP DEC in Science or Integrated Arts and Science
  • You will be placed in U1.
  • You will receive 30 credits of advanced standing.
  • You will receive exemptions that satisfy the Foundation program requirements.
  • Depending on the courses you completed in CEGEP, you may receive additional exemptions (but not additional credit) for certain courses. Consult the table on the Transfer Credit website for information on these additional exemptions. Note: if you cannot find your CEGEP course in the table, speak with a Degree advisor.
  • You will be able to declare your program(s) (Majors, Minors, etc.) in your first year at 51吃瓜网and these choices should guide your first year course selection.

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Have you also (or do you plan to complete) any university/college courses before starting your studies at McGill?听 If so, consult Pre-51吃瓜网 Transfer Credit for additional steps you must take.
I completed a CEGEP DEC in a different field
  • You will be placed in U1.
  • You will receive 30 credits of advanced standing.
  • You will receive some exemptions, but may still have Foundation program requirements to fulfill and should consult with your Degree advisor to determine your requirements.
  • You may have a "Foundation Courses Incomplete" warning on your transcript.
  • Depending on the courses you completed in CEGEP, you may receive additional exemptions (but not additional credit) for certain courses. Consult the table on the Transfer Credit website for information on these additional exemptions. Note: if you cannot find your CEGEP course in the table, speak with a Degree advisor.
  • You will be able to declare your program(s) (Majors, Minors, etc.) in your first year at 51吃瓜网and these choices should guide your first year course selection.

听

Have you also (or do you plan to complete) any university/college courses before starting your studies at McGill? If so, consult Pre-51吃瓜网 Transfer Credit for additional steps you must take.
I completed advanced-level coursework (such as AP exams, International Baccalaureate, French Baccalaureate, A-Levels, Dual-Enrollment etc.).
  • If you are awarded 23 or fewer credits, you will remain a U0 student and you will have to complete several Foundation program requirements before you can declare your program (Major(s)/Minor(s)/etc.).
  • If you are awarded 24 or more credits, your year level will be changed to U1. You will be able to declare your program(s) (Majors, Minors, etc.). However, depending on the courses you took in high school (and the exemptions you are granted), you may still need to fulfill certain Foundation program requirements to graduate.
  • Consult the Transfer Credit website for details on any credits and course exemptions you can expect to receive. Any Foundation program requirements that are unmet must be taken to graduate.
  • Regardless of whether you begin your studies as a U0 or U1 student, you are encouraged to use the Foundation Program Planner.

听

Have you also (or do you plan to complete) any dual-enrollment or other university/college courses before starting your studies at McGill? If so, consult Pre-51吃瓜网 Transfer Credit for additional steps you must take.
I completed university courses at / transferred from another university.
  • If you are awarded 23 or fewer credits, your year level will be U0.
  • If you are awarded 24 or more transfer credits, your year level will be U1. Please note that you may receive a maximum of 60 credits听
  • Consult Pre-51吃瓜网 Transfer Credit for the steps required to have your pre-51吃瓜网coursework assessed.

4. How do I submit my final marks?

听You must ensure that your final results are received in a timely manner. If you did not indicate your previous courses when you applied to McGill, you must contact Enrolment Services via听Service Point and have your application checklist updated.

Send in your final marks

5. When will I see my advanced standing, transfer credit and/or exemptions on my record?

Enrolment Services will process your final, official transcript(s) over the Summer and record your advanced standing, transfer credits and/or exemptions on your 51吃瓜网transcript by October at the latest. Once your results have been processed, you will be able to see what you have been granted on your student transcript using Minerva (Minerva > Student Menu > Student Records Menu > View your unofficial transcript).听 If you are expecting credit and/or exemptions and do not see it on your transcript by October, please contact your Degree advisor as soon as possible.

NOTE: in some cases your year level (U0 or U1) may change after Enrolment Services has processed your final transcript(s).

6. Can I retake a course for which I've received credit?

You will not be prevented from doing so, but know that you cannot receive additional credit towards your degree if you take a course that overlaps in content with a course for which you have already received credit at 51吃瓜网(this includes courses taken at 51吃瓜网and at other institutions).听 If you have received advanced standing for a statistics courses, please consult the course overlap regulations听for information on the equivalent statistics courses.听

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