Procedure for Academic Consideration for Medical and Other Extenuating Circumstances

Information for Students

As per the Academic Consideration Policy, if students encounter extenuating circumstances that temporarily hinder their capacity to fulfil in-class academic requirements, they can request academic consideration.

As per the Policy,

• Students are to speak with/contact their instructor before submitting a request for Academic Consideration.
• Requests are not automatically approved.
• Approving and determining the accommodation remains at the discretion of the instructor.
• Students should consult the course syllabus about the instructor’s policy or procedures for requesting academic consideration.

Short Term Extenuating Circumstances – Five Days or Fewer

If students encounter extenuating circumstances that temporarily hinder their capacity to fulfil academic requirements for a short period (normally not exceeding five days) they can request academic consideration as per the instructions below.

Definition of Extenuating Circumstances

Extenuating circumstances are circumstances that:

• are beyond a student’s control;
• have a significant impact on the student’s capacity to meet their academic obligations; and
• could not have reasonably been prevented.

Extenuating circumstances may include sudden illness or incapacitation, including mental health and compassionate circumstances.

Experiencing diverse challenges and stressors (ex: managing workload, competing deadlines, or inclement weather amongst others) is considered typical within the university experience. These are not considered extenuating circumstances.

Course Work or Other Academic Deliverables

For academic work assigned to students not including formally scheduled final examinations and take-home exams, students must:

1. Consult the course syllabus about the instructor’s policy or procedures for requesting academic consideration.
2. Contact the instructor(s) as soon as possible and normally no later than 24 hours after the submission deadline.
3. If supporting documentation is required by the instructor, complete the online Academic Consideration for Coursework Form.
4. If granted, complete and submit course work per academic consideration.

Formally Scheduled Exams & Take-Home Exams

1. For undergraduate students: contact the Registrar’s Office to apply to defer an exam within 3 working days after the original final examination date or the original due date of the take-home examination. The Registrar’s Office appeals process does not apply to formally scheduled final and take-home examinations.
2. For graduate students: contact the instructor/academic unit.

Student Appeals Process

In cases where the student has concerns about a request for academic consideration, the student may initiate an informal appeal with the instructor and, as appropriate, the departmental Chair or Director. The informal appeal must be initiated within 3 working days of the original decision.

If the informal process does not address their concerns, the student may submit a formal appeal to the Dean of the Faculty offering the course within 3 working days of the completion of the informal appeal. The decision of the Dean is final.

Long Term Extenuating Circumstances – More Than Five Days

If students encounter extenuating circumstances that temporarily hinder their capacity to fulfil academic requirements for a period that exceeds five days, additional documentation may be required.

Course Work or Other Academic Deliverables

For academic work assigned to students not including formally scheduled final examinations and take-home exams, students must,

1. Consult the course syllabus about the instructor’s policy or procedures for requesting academic consideration
2. Contact the instructor(s) as soon as possible to discuss academic considerations.
3. If supporting documentation is required, students must provide the Registrar’s Office with supporting documentation within 2 days of submitting the form.
   • The supporting documentation must be submitted via email.
4. If granted, complete and submit course work per academic consideration.

Formally Scheduled Exams & Take-Home Exams

1. For undergraduate students: contact the Registrar’s Office to apply to defer an exam within 3 working days after the original final examination date or the original due date of the take-home examination. The Registrar’s Office appeals process does not apply to formally scheduled final and take-home examinations.
2. For graduate students: contact the instructor/academic unit.

Requests after the last day of classes:

• The Short and Long Term forms will close 1 business day after the last day of classes.
• Students requesting consideration after classes have ended must coordinate directly with their instructors through email. The discretion to approve or deny the request remains with the instructor.

Student Appeals Process

In cases where the student has concerns about a request for academic consideration, the student may initiate an informal appeal with the instructor and, as appropriate, the departmental Chair or Director, within 3 working days of the original decision.

If the informal process does not address their concerns, the student may submit a formal appeal to the Dean of the Faculty offering the course within 3 working days of the completion of the informal appeal. The decision of the Dean is final.

More Information

To review the full policy, please visit the Secretariat website. Please visit the Frequently Asked Questions page to learn more.