Term-Work Petitions

Students are expected to make every effort to complete term work. However, the University understands that sometimes, things don't go as planned. A petition is a formal request for an exception to a Faculty or University rule, regulation or deadline.

The Faculty’s policies on petitions and appeals can be found in the Academic Regulations section of the Academic Calendar. For questions about petitions, please contact the Registrar’s Office.

What is a Term-Work Petition?

The University of Toronto acknowledges that students sometimes encounter unforeseen or uncontrollable circumstances that can severely interfere with their ability to fulfil their academic obligations.

A term-work petition relates to any missed graded course work during the term due to an unavoidable absence. If you are unavoidably absent and miss term work (e.g. test, quiz, assignment, lab), discuss the matter with your instructor immediately. If necessary, submit a term-work petition. All term-work petitions must be submitted through the Engineering Portal within one week of the graded work.

Through the petition process, you may seek a resolution for the academic consequences that may have resulted from extenuating circumstances. However, you are expected to make every effort to complete term work and examinations. Petitions that arise from a failure to prioritize academic responsibilities or carelessness will not be granted.

Some examples of reasons you may consider submitting a petition:

• Severe personal illness
• Illness or death of a close family member
• Personal or family crisis
• Other extenuating circumstances

Term-Work Petition Deadline

The deadline to submit a term-work petition and the accompanying supporting documentation is seven days after the missed or affected term work.

Petition Documentation

Official Supporting Documentation Requirements

The official documentation is both a formal Faculty requirement and a necessary tool that assists the Faculty in making a decision. Your official supporting documentation must outline your situation and the dates you were affected. If your documents are in a language other than English, you will also need to provide notarized translations. Strong documentation typically equals a stronger petition or appeal case.

Types of Documentation

The supporting documentation you need to attach to your petition or appeal must be relevant to your situation. For example, submit a police report if you were in a traffic accident or provide a copy of a death certificate if someone in your family passed away.

Medical Documentation 

The U of T Verification of Illness or Injury Form is the only official method to document and verify an illness or injury. The form provides the Faculty with information on how an illness or injury affected a student’s ability to fulfill their academic obligations and the time involved. The form must be completed by a member of one of the following groups of medical practitioners: physician, surgeon, nurse, dentist, pharmacist, psychotherapist, psychologist, and social worker. Practitioners must be licensed in Ontario or hold an equivalent license in another Canadian province or territory. The Faculty may verify the form with the medical practitioner.

If you are experiencing a medical circumstance, it is important that you see a licensed health care practitioner as soon as possible. Forms completed after the illness or injury, including those where a student informs a medical practitioner after the fact, are typically insufficient. The Faculty does not accept “doctor’s notes”; students must submit the Verification of Illness or Injury form. Except in rare cases (such as becoming ill while out of the country), it is expected that your VOI be signed by a medical professional in Canada.

Please note that it is inappropriate to upload photographs of injury or illness or to describe symptoms in an explicit manner to support a petition. Students are not permitted to upload these personal images, and doing so may result in the denial of the petition due to inappropriate or insufficient documentation.

Successful submission of a completed Verification of Illness or Injury form does not necessarily mean accommodation will be granted. The Faculty takes the severity, duration and date of the illness into consideration when making a decision regarding a petition.

Non-Medical Documentation

For non-medical emergencies, a student may submit alternate documentation to support their petition, such as a police report, death certificate or letter of support from an academic lead. If a student plans to submit supporting documentation for a non-medical emergency, the documentation should appear on the writer’s official letterhead, include contact information and official stamp (if available).

For non-medical professionals, the following should be included. Ask your advisor for clarification about proper documentation.