Your First Year: Frequently Asked Questions

A: Sometimes, things don’t go as planned. If something unexpected and beyond your control prevents you from fulfilling your academic responsibilities, you can file a Petition for Final Examination.

A: To pass an individual course, you need 50% in that course. However, at U of T Engineering we also review students’ weighted session average at the end of every semester, and this average must be 60% or higher to be in Clear academic standing.

You can read the full promotion regulations in the Academic Calendar, and talk to your academic advisor if you have concerns. Learn more about how averages are calculated.

A: Final marks for fall session first-year courses will be posted on ACORN as they become available. The latest that grades are likely to be posted is January 10, however we hope that they will be available earlier than that date.

A: Unless otherwise informed by your instructor through Quercus, all meetings (lectures, tutorials and practicals) will start the week of January 6. T-Program courses (APS164 [online APS110 equivalent], CIV100, MAT186, MAT188) will start the week of January 13.

A: If you receive a session average of less than 60% for the fall session (note: APS100: Orientation to Engineering does not factor in to your average), you will be placed on academic probation.

There are several different scenarios for students on probation, so your status will depend upon what your average is, and whether you have failed any courses (and if so, how many).

The full details about probation and the promotion regulations are contained in the Academic Calendar (under “Academic Regulations,” “Promotion Regulations”), and are also explained in the 2019-2020 T-Program Information Sheet. If your fall session average is less than 60%, you will need to visit the First Year Office in January to make an appointment with an academic advisor.

A: The T-Program, or Transition Program, allows first-year students who have struggled in the fall session to repeat up to three fall courses during the winter session and defer up to three courses to the summer session in order to obtain credit for their fall courses and proceed to the second year on schedule with their classmates.

Students with a fall session average between 50-60% and who have failed one or more courses are eligible for the T-Program. More information is in the 2019-2020 T-Program Information Sheet.

A: The Faculty Committee on Examinations will review petitions in mid-January, and you’ll be alerted by email when your petition decision is ready to view online.

If you have not received that email alert, your petition has not yet been reviewed. Please keep this in mind when looking at grades on ACORN – there may be changes to your academic history depending on your petition outcome.

A: If you obtained a mark of less than 50% in one of your courses, you need to retake the course when it is next offered.

Usually, this means you will take the course right away in January, and move one of your winter session courses to the summer. If this is the case for you, visit the First Year Office to meet with an academic advisor and have your timetable adjusted as soon as you have all of your fall grades.

T-Program courses will start the week of January 13 for those who need to repeat courses or who dropped a course during the fall session.

A: Unfortunately, we are not able to change first-year students’ timetables to accommodate personal preferences, as we must ensure that all students fit into their required class sections.

It’s also our aim to spread out enrolment numbers over all the sections as much as possible. The timetables students receive are the result of this balance, which, unfortunately, does not allow for personal schedule preferences.

However, if you have a conflict of a medical, religious, Varsity athletic, or other important nature you may complete our online request form to request accommodation. Requests from commuter students will also be considered (e.g. a six-hour gap between classes, etc.).

A: When fall session grades are available, the First Year Office will process the Engineering Science transfer requests and update student timetables. Contact the First Year Office directly for more details.

A: No, unfortunately only students in the Engineering Science program are able to transfer for January. Core 8 students must successfully complete the first year of their program before submitting a request to transfer by May 15. Transfer requests are reviewed early in the summer, and take effect for the fall term. More transfer details are posted here.

*Note: Students in Core 8 programs who intend to apply for transfer to Electical or Computer Engineering must complete APS105H1: Computer Fundamentals instead of their regularly-scheduled APS106H1: Fundamentals of Computer Programming. The deadline to submit the request for this course switch was November 25, 2019. Students who missed the deadline must contact the First Year Office immediately.

A: You can apply for an Internal U of T Transfer to be considered for admission to another Faculty/campus for September 2020. The deadline for the Faculty of Arts & Science is January 15, and we recommend you meet with your academic advisor about this as soon as possible.

A: The University’s Health & Wellness Centre has a medical clinic that is open to all U of T students and includes both general medical and mental health practitioners. They also offer a range of wellness workshops and online information.

Full-time students have extended health coverage through the University of Toronto Student Union (UTSU) for dental care, psychological services, and other benefits. For international students, visit CIE’s web page on health coverage.

A: Academic accommodations are provided when students experience disability-related barriers that prohibit demonstration of their knowledge and skills. Accommodations are provided through the University’s Accessibility Services office to level the playing field upon which students can establish their success.

We encourage you to register for this confidential service as early as possible if you think this might apply. Find out more about registering with Accessibility Services.

A: In our experience, for students within Canada, the easiest and most cost-effective way to pay is through an online bank payment. Your account number with U of T is on your invoice in the Financial Account section of your ACORN account. U of T does not mail invoices. Please visit U of T Student Accounts for detailed information.

A: For information regarding on and off-campus housing, please visit the U of T Housing Services website.