How does the CA (cumulative average) work?

I saw that you need a 4.0 to pass...and a 5.0 average to get into residence in your second year. Is this true?

How does CA equal to As, Bs, Cs, etc, and overall percentage?

To get into residence as a CA or HPA you need at least a 5.0 average; otherwise your average needs to be around a 10 if I am not mistaken.

A cumulative average is the average of all of your years so far; so for myself it goes back to my first year, also has my second year, a term of summer school, and my third year.

You CA is calculated by Mac's 12 point scale.

Here's a link to the table that Mac uses to translate GPA (which is what your CA is) into letter grades and percentages: http://registrar.mcmaster.ca /CALEN...07/sec_143.htm

It is true that you need at least a 5.0 sessional average to apply for residence in the following year. Your sessional average is just the average of your marks in one academic year. If you just finished first year, then your sessional average will be the same as your cumulative average. But, at the end of your 2nd year, then your sessional average will just be the average of all the courses you took that year, while your cumulative average will include both your 1st and 2nd year marks.

What lorend is alluding to (needing a high average to get into residence) is true in one particular case - there is always a waiting list after the lottery to get into residence after first year. You are placed in the lottery if your sessional average is above 5.0, so if you are chosen in the lottery, you're in regardless of your marks. But, even if you're placed on the waiting list, you will automatically get in to residence if you've made the Dean's Honour List that year (which is a sessional average of 9.5). They won't know this until after marks are released in May, so you'll be waiting a while to find out, but in this sense, high marks do ensure a place in residence after first year. The complete policy can be found here: http://housing.mcmaster.ca/apply_returning_2007. htm

As for the "4.0 to pass", that varies by program. To see the minimum requirements for entering and continuing in a program beyond first year (sorted by faculty), see here: http://registrar.mcmaster.ca /CALEN...07/sec_120.htm

Most honours programs require a CA of 6.0 to continue in them, but it is 4.0 for engineering. On the university level, the policy is here: http://registrar.mcmaster.ca /CALEN...07/sec_118.htm To save you the clicking, it says:

All students must maintain a CA of at least 3.5 at each review to continue at the University. Under certain circumstances, as described below, students may be allowed to continue on academic probation for one reviewing period with a CA of 3.0 to 3.4. If your CA is less than 3.0, you may not continue at the University.

Keep in mind, though, that those are the bare minimums for the university - at that point you'll have dropped down to a non-honours (3 year) program, which aren't all that popular.

Hope that helped! Most of this kind of info can be found in the undergraduate calendar which can be found at the Registrar's website here: http://registrar.mcmaster.ca /CALENDAR/year2007/

So let's say I'm in engineering, according to that thing I only have to get a 60 to continue into second year engineering?

It depends on the program for eng. You are competing with others for spots in each, so the better the marks you can get, the more likely you will be put in the discipline you wanted.

Thanks Cippi! I got lazy and didn't want to search for all of that...

Is that what 4.0 CA means though, a 60 percent? (I was a tad bit confused by the chart, it didn't really mention CA).

Yep, 4.0 means 60%. The cumulative average (CA) is measured in grade points, which is what that chart lists.

Sweet, thank you so much. I had been wondering about that CA stuff for a while.

Here's what you're looking for:
http://registrar.mcmaster.ca /CALEN...02/sec_106.htm

Shows how they calculate GPA grade point average, and what the letters convert into