SFU Graduate Student Handbook

SFU Calendar + the Graduate General Regulations

SFU Calendar

The SFU Calendar outlines the faculties, academic programs, courses, fees and campus services. It is available online only, and is updated every term. The University reserves the right without liability or penalty, and without notice, to make changes in the services and programs it offers, and to cancel particular courses due to low enrollment.

Graduate General Regulations

The SFU Calendar contains the Graduate General Regulations, which provide a consistent and equitable framework for the pursuit of graduate education at SFU. These regulations are in effect ‘the rules’ for graduate study at SFU. It is your responsibility to review and familiarize yourself with the Graduate General Regulations.

These regulations provide important information for new and continuing students including:

• enrollment
• grading systems and policies
• supervision
• program requirements
• progress, withdrawal, and leaves
• examinations
• publication of thesis
• time limit for program completion
• class interruption
• appeals

Time Limits for Completion (Graduate General Regulation 1.12)

Time limits are:

• not intended to be the normal times for completion; they are intended to take into account a wide variety of extenuating circumstances and events that may delay completion;
  
• set by the university for the completion of all graduate programs;
• intended to encourage you to complete your program and not unnecessarily protract your graduate education;
• intended to ensure that your program and research are current and not out-of-date.

The time limit for students in a graduate certificate, diploma, or master’s program is nine terms from the start of the program. The time limit for students in a doctoral program is 18 terms from the start of the program, or in the case of a student who has transferred from a master’s into the doctoral program, without completing the master’s, 18 terms from the start of the master’s program.

Individual programs may specify their expectations of normal degree completion times as a guide to determining whetheryour progress is satisfactory.

Leaves (Graduate General Regulation 1.4.5)

Graduate students are required to maintain continuous enrollment. When students find it necessary to interrupt their studies, they must apply for a leave of absence. During a leave of absence, graduate students are not enrolled and normally should not use any of the University’s facilities or resources, or undertake academic or research work related to the program from which they have taken a leave of absence. There are four types of leave:

1. personal leave
2. parental leave
3. medical/compassionate leave
4. academic break

Leave of absences must be formally requested and approved. Parental, medical or compassionate leaves require documentation. Before applying for a leave, international graduate students who hold a study permit, should consult with SFU International Services for Students.

Course/Program Withdrawls

If you enroll for a course and subsequently need to withdraw from that course or all courses that term, or you decide to withdraw from your program, it is essential that you understand the applicable deadlines, transcript notations and refund policies. We recommend discussing options with your graduate program about the implications of any withdraw.

Note the following:

• Retroactive withdrawals are not normally approved.
• Graduate students may withdraw from course(s) for any reason up to the ninth week of the term.
• If extenuating circumstances exist which require a withdraw after the ninth week, students may apply for a Withdraw Under Extenuating Circumstance.
• If the withdrawal is done during a term, certain fees are not refundable, even when extenuating circumstances exist. It is the student’s responsibility to review the dates and deadlines to understand the refund policy based on the date they are withdrawing from their course(s)/program.
• Students remain liable for outstanding fees following withdrawal.
• If a student has received an award for the term they are withdrawing from all courses please contact gpsaward@sfu.ca.
• If a student has received an award and is withdrawing from their program, awards are prorated to the effective date of withdrawal from a degree program. By withdrawing, award holders also forfeit any future payments for awards held.
• When a student withdraws and then applies for re-admission, their original offer of funding is no longer valid.
• When you are withdrawn from your program, the time away continues to count towards the time limit and possible extension for program completion.