FAQs

The following is a list of frequently asked questions relating to new students. Please check the list to see whether the answer to your question is there. If not, please send us your question to add it to our list.

• How do I enroll in classes?
• What constitutes "beyond the control of the student"?
• What is the deadline for deferred grades? Can extensions be obtained?

How do I enroll in classes?

All students must have $100 credit on their account before they will be able to enroll in classes. Students may not carry balances from previous semesters; fees must be cleared before registration begins for the new semester. Click here for information on how to make payments to the University.

Graduate students should be familiar with information on graduate regulations and graduate fees contained in the 2006-2007 Academic Calendar. Please read this information carefully!!

WITHDRAWING: As stated in the Calendar, please note that refunds of tuition and fees are only available if you withdraw within the first month of the semester (i.e., January). There will be NO refunds after January 31st. Check the websites listed below for refunds for U-Pass and Graduate Health Care fees. You must notify Barry Williamson in writing at barryw@sfu.ca as well as your department if you are withdrawing from the semester and/or from your program. He will advise you as to the amount of the refund that might be available to you.

If you are completing your degree requirements in the Spring semester, you will find the information on "How to Graduate" very important, once the Spring semester has begun. Please note that you must be registered in the Spring semester in order to defend and/or to submit your thesis or project in that semester. If you have specific questions about convocation, please contact Barry Williamson at barryw@sfu.ca.

Finally, all students pay mandatory Student Society fees. This enables you to participate in a range of benefits. It is vital that you familiarize yourself with the rules around certain of these benefits: U-Pass, the Health, Counselling and Career Centre and Graduate Student Health & Dental Plan. Information on these services can be found at:

• U-Pass information/exemption requests: http://students.sfu.ca/upass/
• Health, Counseling and Career: http://students.sfu.ca/health/
• Graduate Student Health & Dental Plan Information: http://www.sfsbenefits.com/

Now that you know the classes you want to enroll in, have $100 credit in your student account and have familiarized yourself with the information contained on this web page, check the Schedule of Classes for Summer 2009. Your last step is to go to Student Information System and register.

What constitutes "beyond the control of the student"?

Students and supervisors are expected to discuss defence dates well in advance, and to plan defences around known absences. Examples of circumstances that will not be considered beyond the student's control include: absence due to vacation, conferences, research, maternity leave; failure of student to obtain needed research materials; other students completing theses at the same time; failure to find an external examiner in time.

Examples of circumstances that will be considered beyond the student's control: sudden illness or family emergency for student or member of examining committee.

What is the deadline for deferred grades? Can extensions be obtained?

In the 2002-3 semester the regulations concerning deferred grades for graduate courses changed. Under the current regulations a grade may be deferred only to the last day of the first month of the semester following the semester in which the course was taken. For example, if a course was taken in the fall semester, the deferred grade should be changed to a final grade no later than the 31'st of January.

There may be occasional cases in which it is reasonable to extend a deferred grade past the deadline. In such cases, a request for an extended deferral should be documented by the graduate program chair and brought to the Dean of Graduate Studies for approval before the end of the first month of the semester following that in which the course was taken.