Exploration Credits
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Eligibility | Applications + Deadlines | Applications + Deadlines | Benefits | Implications to Consider
Do you want to take a course in an area outside of your comfort zone without risking your GPA? Exploration credits provide students with the opportunity to apply for a credit/no credit notation in eligible open elective courses. Undergraduate students (excluding students in Open Studies or on academic probation) in a 4-year degree program or a 5-year combined degree program are eligible for a maximum of 12 units of exploration credits.
Eligibility
When applying for exploration credits, it is your responsibility to ensure that the following conditions are met:
- The program is eligible for exploration credits
- The course is eligible for exploration credits (see excluded courses)
- The course is an open elective for their program
- The current exploration credits application will not put you above the 12-unit maximum
Failure to confirm the above conditions may result in your exploration credits application being denied at the time of grade conversion, or course requirements being deemed incomplete when being reviewed for convocation.
Eligible students
Most undergraduate students in 4-year or 5-year combined degree programs may apply for exploration credits.
The following points should be considered:
- You may take a maximum of 12 units in exploration credits over the course of your academic career at the University of Alberta. This number does not reset or change if you transfer to a different degree program.
- For the purpose of eligibility for exploration credits, an open elective is defined as a course that a student must take to complete program requirements where the course designator or a specific subject area is not specified (e.g., free electives, open electives, courses from a specific faculty, courses at a 100-level, etc.).
- Exploration credits cannot be applied to program requirements where a course designator is specifically listed.
- Exploration credits cannot be taken for graduate courses.
Ineligible students
The following categories of students are not eligible for exploration credits:
- Graduate students
- Students on academic probation
- Open Studies students (including Fresh Start, Exceptional Student Athletes, Transition Year Program and students registered in the Year One Foundations Programs).
There may also be additional restrictions on which programs or courses are eligible for exploration credits. For questions about program requirements and course eligibility, contact your faculty advisor.
After-degree students
Contact your faculty about whether program requirements in your After Degree are eligible for exploration credits.
Applications + Deadlines
See the Exploration Credits Application Guide for more information on applying. Applications will open the month prior to the start of the term.
Students should refer to the Academic Schedule, Dates and Deadlines in the current University Calendar for more information.
- Applications and deadlines for Fall and Winter terms
- Applications for Spring and Summer terms
Benefits
The exploration credit initiative provides undergraduate students with opportunities to explore interdisciplinarity outside of their main programs of study without the risk of compromising their GPA. Instead of a grade, you will receive a credit (CR) or no credit (NC) notation on your transcript.
CR/NC Notations
A notation of CR indicates that a student has successfully completed the class and has received academic credit toward their program. A notation of NC indicates that a student has not successfully completed the class, and has therefore not received academic credit toward their program.
Unlike letter grades that have grade points and can positively or negatively impact GPA calculations (e.g. A = 4.0, B = 3.0, etc.), notations of CR and NC do not have grade points, and therefore do not have any positive or negative impacts when included in GPA calculations.
Instructors will not be informed about who is taking the course as an exploration credit, regardless of when a student submits their application. However, after the course is complete, it is possible for an instructor to learn who received exploration credits as departments will have access to posted grades.
Implications to Consider
Consider the impacts of switching letter grades to CR/NC
Switching letter grades to CR/NC notations may have potentially negative impacts on:
- Transferring to other programs or institutions that do not accept CR/NC notation
- Admission to professional programs or graduate school
- Scholarship, financial aid or funding eligibility
As the above are unique to each student and cannot be foreseen by the University of Alberta, it is your responsibility to consider all factors when making the decision to switch from letter grade to CR/NC notation.
Meeting course eligibility and requirements
You must be able to register for a class in order to apply for it as an exploration credit. This means that you must meet any prerequisites, corequisites, language requirements or restrictions placed on the class. Should a restriction indicate that consent of the department or instructor is needed, students interested in taking the course as an exploration credit must also receive the department/instructor’s consent to register for the course.
Class participation
If you take a course as an exploration credit, you are expected to meet all course objectives, as is the case for those taking the course for a letter grade. This includes all term work (e.g., classes, labs, assignments, quizzes, term papers, reports or term examinations) and final exams.
Academic probation and academic warning
If you are on academic warning, you are eligible for exploration credits, however we encourage you to focus on clearing your academic warning. If you are on academic probation, you are not eligible to apply for or take courses as exploration credits.
If you have questions related to your academic standing, please contact your faculty advisors.
Transcripts and exploration credits
Once grades have been converted, only the CR/NC notation will appear on a student’s transcript. An elective course that has been changed to CR/NC notation on the student’s transcript cannot be changed back to a letter grade in the future.
The University of Alberta will be unable to produce any documents with a letter grade on it once it has been converted to the CR/NC notation.
Repeating courses for exploration credits
Students who have passed a course (whether graded or with a notation of CR) may not retake the course. Students who have failed a course once (whether graded or with a notation of NC) may either take the course again for a letter grade or apply for CR/NC notation for their second attempt. Exceptions to this and additional information can be found in the University Calendar under University Regulations on Reregistration in Courses.
Withdrawing from classes
Before the registration (add/delete) deadline, you can delete or swap classes in Bear Tracks. After the registration (add/delete) deadline, you cannot drop or swap classes; you can only withdraw from classes up until the withdrawal deadline. Augustana students can view their important registration dates and deadlines here. Withdrawals can be requested in Bear Tracks by using the “Drop Classes” tab on the left navigation menu. Our withdrawals website contains step-by-step instructions on the process, as well as information on the financial implications of withdrawing from a class.
When a withdrawal is approved and processed, a grade of “W” will be assigned to that class.
Should your application for exploration credit(s) be approved and then you subsequently withdraw before the final withdrawal deadline for the class, the withdrawal request will override the exploration credit request.
Tuition and Fees
If you take the course with exploration credits, there will be no change to the tuition assessed to you, whether you are a domestic or international student. You will receive the same level of instruction and support, have the same responsibilities and earn the same number of credits toward your program as students earning letter grades, so long as you successfully complete the course.
Please ensure that the course(s) you wish to take as exploration credits fits into your degree program by contacting your faculty advisor.