Appeals

Appeals: Academic Appeals Board

If a student would like to appeal a decision rendered on a petition, the student must first consult with their Academic Advisor. After doing so, the student may submit an AAB Intention to Appeal (PDF) to the Office of the Registrar. Relevant documentation and/or new information that may affect the appeal decision should also be submitted at this time.

Please submit your appeal and any scanned documentation to the Office of the Registrar at registrar@engineering.utoronto.ca. Please write “Appeal” and your name in the subject line.

Deadline: An appeal must be made within thirty days of the date of notification of the original petition decision from the Undergraduate Assessment Committee and accompanied by an Intention to Appeal form.

The Committee re-visits appeals and renders decisions. The possible outcomes are as follows:

  • Accommodate all or part of the original request
  • Suggest a mediated resolution
  • Find that no new information has been added and forward the appeal to the Academic Appeals Board (AAB) if the student wishes to pursue the appeals process further

The AAB will notify you, within approximately 30 days of submitting an intention to appeal, which outcome the Undergraduate Assessment Committee has recommended.

If an appeal hearing is recommended, the AAB, which is represented by a hearing panel composed of two faculty members and at least one student member, will consider the appeal, and, on request, hear the student in person.

Should the AAB decide, it will undertake to intercede with the appropriate authority on behalf of the student. The decision rendered by the AAB to grant an appeal or to not intercede further is the final decision of the Faculty.

The AAB will send communications to you via the email you have listed in ACORN. Please check your account often for updates or notices.

Please do not use the petition submission system to appeal a petition. You must follow proper procedure to pursue an appeal. Attempting to submit an appeal through the petitions system will result in an automatic refusal of your appeal.

Appeal: Academic Appeals Committee, Governing Council

If your appeal is denied by the Faculty’s Board, the final level of appeal is the University’s Academic Appeals Committee (AAC), a committee of the Academic Board, which is the academic arm of Governing Council. The AAC meets infrequently and is a much more formal panel chaired by someone with legal expertise. Students are generally advised to seek legal assistance at this level; although it is not mandatory, it does help expedite the process.

Deadline: You must file your appeal from the AAB refusal within 90 days of the date of that decision. The appeal must be submitted in writing to the Office of the Governing Council, Simcoe Hall. This includes the Notice of Appeal Form available on the Governing Council website.

Response timeline: As the Appeals Committee hears appeals from across the whole University and draws its membership widely, the normal time for a hearing and response may extend from months to almost a year.

The University of Toronto’s Office of Student Affairs keeps a list of resources and policy links related to filing complaints against university policies.

If you have additional questions, please consult your Academic Advisor or the Office of the Registrar.