Many students at McGill have faced the prolonged dread of waiting for their final grades to be updated in Minerva. Some have expressed frustration and confusion on the McGill subreddit r/mcgill over grades appearing on their transcripts well past the end of the semester. The Tribune brings you a guide to understanding the university’s rules for professors’ and students’ rights when it comes to grade submission. 

What is the deadline for professors and lecturers to submit grades?

According to the McGill Charter of Student Rights, students have a right “to be informed, in a timely fashion, of their current academic standing or performance in a course.” McGill Media Relations Office (MRO) clarified in an email to The Tribune that the timely fashion depends on the nature of the assessment and the class’ grading scheme. Students may reach out to their instructors, the department chair, the associate dean of their faculty, or the Office of the Dean of Students if they have concerns about timeliness in a particular course.

The deadline for all instructors to enter grades into Minerva for the fall semester is by the start of the following winter semester. For the winter semester, a further requirement for final grades is that professors teaching classes without a final exam must publish final grades on Minerva two weeks after the last class. For classes with a final exam, this requirement is modified to be one week after the exam. The deadline for the Fall 2024 semester is the beginning of the Winter 2025 semester, and the upcoming Winter 2025 semester is May 6, 2025; the final winter semester grade deadline date is around this same day every year. McGill also requires that professors give graduating students priority in receiving their grades before all other students. 

How long does it typically take Minerva to update once professors and lecturers submit grades?

According to the MRO, the timeline for final grades to appear on Minerva depends on the faculty. For most, there is a two-to-three-day delay. For others, final grades are released the day after Committee approval. The MRO explained that these Faculty committees are composed of “associate deans, chairs and program directors who review and approve the grades.” 

Professors and lecturers may enter grades into Minerva in one of two fashions. First, they can input them manually. The other option is to export student grades from MyCourses to Minerva, which is the standard process. However, this option requires that the professor accurately update student grades in MyCourses. 

In March 2024, the option to export student grades from MyCourses to Minerva broke. This means that all Winter 2024 semester grades were entered manually. McGill’s IT Services has stated it has been working on resolving this issue but has not provided any updates about how the issue may affect fall semester grades or if it will be fixed by the end of the semester. 

Professors also have the ability to change final grades on Minerva after they have been uploaded. For example, they may do this after a grade has been appealed. When professors do so, they are required to add a comment on why they changed a final grade.

What is the timeline for students to appeal grades?

The McGill Charter of Student Rights holds that students have the right to discuss feedback and grading for written assignments with professors, teaching assistants, or course lecturers. This means that all students have the right to view their final exams and papers after they have been graded and to receive justification for their marks.

Students also have the right to appeal their grades and ask for an impartial third party to review whether their grade was fair. McGill requires that students make grade appeal requests within a reasonable time frame of receiving their grades. The Policy on Assessment of Student Learning states that a reasonable time frame means students have ten working days after receiving their grade to request a reread. Students can usually expect to receive the results of their rereads within 20 days of the request.  

The process of appealing a grade can vary between faculties. For more information on final grade submission and appealing grades, consult your faculty’s website. The MRO told The Tribune that the Code of Student Grievance Procedures allows students to ask the appropriate Senate Committee for redress if they believe any of their academic rights have been infringed upon by a member of the university.