The University of B.C.'s Vancouver campus senate has voted to grant early admissions using students' Grade 11 marks, but the post-secondary institution promises no one will be disadvantaged by the switch.
Continuing job action by B.C. teachers means spring report cards, which UBC generally uses to evaluate a portion of its fall applications in April, likely won't be available.
To maintain the same admissions time frame, the senate approved a motion Wednesday to accept high school students' final confirmed grades to date – including completed Grade 11 and 12 courses – but UBC insists there will be no impact on who makes the cut.
"We want to assure parents and students that no one will be penalized for Grade 11 marks," Michael Bluhm, associate director of undergraduate admissions, said in a statement.
"As in previous years, we will keep spaces open for B.C. students until Grade 12 marks can be considered in May. We expect no changes as a result of this approach in the number of students coming to UBC from B.C. public schools."
The remaining spaces will be filled using marks provided by the Ministry of Education in May.
The UBC Okanagan campus senate approved the same approach in February.
Since the beginning of the school year, B.C. teachers have been providing marks but not formal report cards to students in protest of a contract dispute with the provincial government.
While those grades will not be considered by UBC, Simon Fraser University and the University of Victoria say they will grant admissions based on student-submitted grades, which they will verify when official marks are available.
