FAQ: SAT/UNS

A notation of SAT (Satisfactory) means that a student has successfully completed a course and will receive credit for the course.  A notation of UNS (Unsatisfactory) means that a student has not successfully completed a course and cannot receive credit for it.  Both the letter grade of F and the alternate notation of UNS are considered discredits.

The primary difference between SAT and a letter grade is how it affects a student’s Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA).  Students typically earn a letter grade for each attempted course and each letter grade is worth several points.  Carleton University has a 12-point grade scale system when calculating a student’s CGPA(s).

If a student decides to keep a letter grade in a course, it will have an impact on their CGPA(s).  If a student decides to request a passing grade (minimum D-) as SAT it will not impact the student’s CGPA(s).

Letter grades influence the CGPA while the SAT is considered CGPA-neutral.

Regardless of whether a student chooses to keep their letter grade or requests a notation of SAT for a successfully completed course, the student will still earn credit for the course.

If a student does not successfully complete a course and receives an F, it typically impacts their CGPA(s) if the failed course appears in a program requirements on the the audit.  Although a letter grade of F is worth zero grade points, it is included in the calculation of a student’s CGPA(s).

A letter grade of F will have a negative impact on a student’s CGPA(s) whereas the notation UNS is not included in CGPA calculations and will not impact CGPA(s).

Both a letter grade of F and the notation UNS are considered to be discredits, meaning that a student has not successfully earned credit for the course.  Both grade notations will appear on a student’s transcript, which is an official record of their studies at Carleton.

You will be able to request (on a course-by-course basis) to designate any passing grades as SAT through the Registrar’s Office SAT Request Form (the form will launch April 21, 2023 and will be linked here).

Any grades assigned as a result of an academic integrity violation will not be eligible for conversion to SAT or UNS.

We also recommend that you read additional information posted on this FAQ page and contact the Academic Advising Centre should you have any additional questions before making this decision.

Yes, all successfully completed winter 2023 and fall/winter 2022/23 full-session courses may be converted to SAT. The SAT Request Form will allow you to choose any/all winter 2023 and/or fall/winter 2022/23 full-session courses.

You will not need to request a UNS grade. With the exception of failing grades assigned as a result of an academic integrity violation, Fail (F) grades will automatically be converted to UNS by the Registrar’s Office for Winter 2023 term courses.

The decision on whether to request SAT instead of a letter grade is unique to each student. Opting for SAT instead of a letter grade may impact graduation applications, the Academic Continuation Evaluation, scholarships, co-op, and so on.

If you have questions about SAT or need assistance in making this decision, please contact the Academic Advising Centre for assistance.

If you are planning to graduate at the end of the Winter 2023 term based on your current registration, it is important that you run an audit on Carleton Central once all of your final grades are available to review how a notation of SAT may impact the completion of your program requirements.

A notation of SAT may cause courses to shift in the audit.  If you are trying to increase your CGPA(s) to meet requirements to be eligible to graduate, it is important to note that a notation of SAT may not actually help to increase your CGPA(s) by adding points.  While a notation of SAT means that a student has earned credit for the course, it is not worth any points in the calculation of the CGPA.  Undergraduate students can find their audit on Carleton360 to check their CGPA(s) and requirements for their program. If you are planning to graduate, you should ensure that your audit statement reads that “all requirements have been met” even with a planned course(s) notation of SAT. We strongly encourage you to wait until all of your Winter 2023 term grades have been posted before making a request for SAT.

For students who have applied to graduate in Spring 2023, requests for SAT must be submitted by May 19, 2023 in order to be considered.

Should you have any questions, please contact the Academic Advising Centre for assistance.

The winter 2023 Academic Continuation Evaluation will be assessed following the winter grade collection period.

The decision on whether to request a SAT grade is unique to each situation. SAT grades will be used in the Academic Continuation Evaluation for Winter 2023. As a SAT grade is CGPA-neutral, they will have no effect on CGPA calculation. Both SAT and UNS grades are considered to be a “completed course”. A UNS grade is considered to be an unsuccessful attempt at a course.

Please contact the Academic Advising Centre if you have specific questions about a previous decision from the Academic Continuation Evaluation or concerns about meeting upcoming requirements for the Academic Continuation Evaluation.

If you receive a decision of Academic Warning (AW), it means that your CGPA(s) are below the requirements for Eligible to Continue (EC) at the Academic Continuation Evaluation (ACE). As a result, you will need to work to increase your CGPA(s) to meet the requirements for Eligible to Continue at the next evaluation.

It is important to note that a notation of SAT is considered CGPA-neutral.  However, a notation of SAT may cause courses to shift in the audit (and therefore have an impact on a student’s CGPA) even though SAT is neutral and does not impact CGPA calculations.

For questions about meeting minimum CGPA requirements for the Academic Continuation Evaluation, please contact the Academic Advising Centre.

Yes, the Admissions Office will use the underlying grade (including F grades) when assessing an internal application for admission.

For additional information about admission requirements, please contact the Admissions Office at admissions@carleton.ca.

The Awards Office will automatically assess for the renewal of entrance scholarships, general in-course scholarships and the Deans’ Honour List once grades are received at the end of the Fall/Winter session.  Final earned grades converted to SAT will be used to meet the course load requirement. Final earned grades converted to SAT will not be used in the calculation of the annual GPA for scholarship assessment.

Information about how SAT/UNS will affect the renewal of entrance scholarships, general in-course scholarships and the Dean’s Honour Lists is available on the Awards Office website. If you have further questions regarding how the SAT designation will affect your scholarship assessment, please contact awards@carleton.ca.

Co-op eligibility will be assessed using only letter grades that are reflected in a student’s CGPA. Since the notation of SAT is CGPA-neutral, courses graded as SAT will not be part of the assessment for Co-op eligibility.

For additional information about co-op requirements and how SAT could impact eligibility, please contact the Co-op Office at co-opprogram@carleton.ca.

The Academic Continuation Evaluation will run at the end of Winter 2023.  Please note that it is the responsibility of students to understand their academic standing to make informed decisions when requesting a notation of SAT.  A decision to request a notation of SAT will be considered final.

Should you have any questions, please contact the Academic Advising Centre for assistance.

Yes, if you request a notation of SAT instead of a letter grade for a course, the original letter grade will remain accessible to the University for internal purposes only but will not appear on your transcript. Internal purposes may include establishing whether you have met the minimum prerequisite grade to register for future courses. You will still be required to meet the minimum prerequisite grades for future courses, regardless of whether the grade has been replaced by the alternative notation SAT. Neither you nor other universities will be able to access the original letter grade.

That being said, a decision to request a notation of SAT instead of a letter grade for a successfully completed course is final so we strongly encourage you to wait until all of your fall term grades have been posted before making this request.

If you choose to request a grade be designated as SAT, you will still be required to meet the minimum prerequisite grades for future courses, regardless of whether the grade has been replaced by the alternative notation. The original letter grade will remain accessible to the University for internal purposes only but will not appear on your transcript.

Yes, the notations of SAT and UNS will be listed on your transcript which is a students’ official record at Carleton. The transcript lists every attempted course in chronological order and typically includes a letter grade for each course attempted at Carleton.

Given that the notations of SAT and UNS will appear on the transcript, it is important to consider how these notations may be used in the future, such as in applying for graduate school.  If a student applies for additional studies, it is the responsibility of the other institution/graduate office to calculate a student’s CGPA(s) based on a student’s transcript and sometimes these CGPA(s) can look different than the CGPA(s) posted on a student’s audit.

Students should seek information about how a notation of SAT or UNS may be viewed by graduate schools given these notations will appear on their official transcripts. If a student requests a notation of SAT instead of a letter grade, the original letter grade will remain on file at the Registrar’s Office for internal purposes only.

The original letter grade will not be available to students upon request if they are applying to graduate studies. If a student requests a notation of SAT instead of a letter grade, the decision is final.

When assessing admission eligibility for graduate studies, each institution has a different way of calculating a student’s CGPA(s) based on their official transcript. For example, some institutions may look at an entire student’s record; some may look at the last two years of study; some may look at the top ten grades. Each institution may have different ways of looking at courses that have been repeated. For example, some institutions may look at only the first attempt at a course, some may look at the second attempt, and some may average both attempts at a course. In short, admission eligibility varies by each institution. Therefore, it is important to contact each institution to which you want to apply to determine how to best strengthen your application for graduate studies.

It is never too early to seek information and to ask questions, including ‘how will you evaluate a notation of SAT or UNS?’

If you would like more information about graduate studies at Carleton, please contact the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs (FGPA) at graduate.studies@carleton.ca.

Graduate studies are not just a continuation of undergraduate studies, but a different endeavour with very different objectives.