To get a general bachelor’s degree in the faculties of Arts, Science or Social Sciences, you must maintain a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of at least 3.5 each year. Otherwise, you will be put on probation.

To receive an honours bachelor’s degree, you must achieve the average set by your faculty, according to the following:

• You must achieve a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) that meets or exceeds your faculty’s requirements.
• You must maintain a diploma grade point average (DGPA) of 5.0, according to your faculty’s requirements, except for in certain cases approved by the Senate. Courses at the 1000 level aren’t included in your DGPA. In the faculties of Engineering and Science, courses at the 2000 level are also not included in your DGPA.
• If you’re studying in the Faculty of Health Sciences, you may be required to achieve a passing grade higher than D for up to 18 course credits.
• If you’re studying in the Faculty of Engineering, the passing grade is D+.
• If you’re registered in a bachelor’s program eliminated as part of the 2006 program reform, you must still be registered in the program to receive your degree.
• If you were admitted to an honours program before May 2003, you can choose between the old and new requirements (either C+ in your honours courses and the required CGPA, or D in all your courses and the required CGPA and DGPA).

To receive a certificate or diploma, your cumulative grade point average must be at least 3.5.

Students who receive a certificate or diploma are presented at Convocation

Certificate holders who wish to register for a degree program may receive advanced standing towards the degree, subject to Senate and faculty regulations.

If you hold a first bachelor’s of any kind, you can receive a second bachelor’s if you meet the requirements for it. For more information, see the table of possible combinations for receiving a second bachelor’s.

It’s possible. To receive a certificate, you must complete at least 50% of the credits required for the certificate, in addition to the requirements for your bachelor’s degree.

If you hold one certificate, you can receive a second one, or a bachelor’s degree, as long as you meet the requirements for the second diploma and complete at least 50% of the credits required for the second diploma, in addition to the requirements for your first program. You must take at least 50% of the additional credits you complete as part of the second program at the University of Ottawa.

For bachelor's programs involving three or four years of full-time studies, including the Honours Bachelor in Translation (2 years), the Bachelor of Science in Nursing for Registered Nurses and programs involving one year of full-time studies (BEd and certificates), faculties require that you complete at least 50% of your credits at the University of Ottawa, unless there is a Senate-approved agreement between the University and another institution.

For bachelor’s programs, if you haven’t received your degree after eight years of studies, your faculty can require you to take additional courses to meet your program requirements.

For undergraduate programs in the Faculty of Law (Common Law and Civil Law), you must complete your studies within six years of when you first register.

For the MD Program, you must meet all degree requirements within seven years of when you first register.

For students in the Faculty of Education, visit the faculty website to find out what regulations are in force.

If you are registered in a certificate program, you must meet all your program requirements within three years of when you first register in the program.

If you’re registered in a master’s program, you must meet all your program requirements within four years of when you first register for the program. Some programs have other deadlines (for example, a five-year deadline for (Master of Business Administration, Master of Health Administration and the part-time Master in Education).

If you are registered in a PhD program, you must submit your thesis within six year of when you first register for the program, or within seven years of when you register for your master’s program, if you have been fast-tracked. (Students in some master’s programs, such as Chemical Engineering, can be promoted to a PhD program without writing a master’s thesis, under certain conditions.)

You must:

• Meet all the requirements for your degree
• Complete the Registration for Degree and Request for Diploma form and send it to the Office of the Registrar by March 31 (for Spring Convocation) or September 15 (for Fall Convocation). You can register for your degree online, through uoZone.
• Check to make sure that your faculty has received all of your final grades to meet your degree requirements by May 15 (Spring Convocation) or September 15 (Fall Convocation)
  If you’re a master’s or PhD student registered in a program with thesis, you must meet the deadline for submitting the final version of your thesis to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies in order for you to receive your diploma, even if you don’t plan on attending Convocation.

For more information, see Regulation 12: Conditions for Obtaining a Degree, a Certificate or a Diploma. or see the Convocation website.