Course pre-requisite waivers

Course pre-requisites are designed to ensure that all students registered in a course have the appropriate preparation to succeed. As a consequence, pre-requisites are rarely waived unless a student has the equivalent background. If you believe that you have taken a course, or combination of courses, which provides you with a background that matches that of the listed pre-requisites, you may request a pre-requisite waiver.

To do so:

  1. carefully read all instructions on Page 2 of the fillable PDF form below;
  2. complete PART A;
  3. send the form and relevant supporting documents by email to . Use "Pre-requisite waiver request – BIOL XXX” (XXX = course number) as the email subject line. 

Tri-faculty Request for Pre-requisite Waiver Form

Note: Please do not print the form, or submit a paper copy. Your request will be considered by the undergraduate advising team and you should receive a response by email shortly.

Also note: If your pre‐requisite waiver request is granted, it is your responsibility to get caught up on missing pre-requisite content on your own. You may not appeal a grade, defer completion or drop the course after the deadline, based on the fact that you did not have the pre‐requisites. Any of these scenarios will require demonstration that your inability to finish the course is due to something other than not being adequately prepared.

If you are not sure of the biology course requirements, visit the courses tab of the UVic calendar.