As a student, you may encounter situations such as significant illnesses, ongoing medical conditions, or other circumstances that prevent you from meeting academic obligations.
The Academic Considerations andAccommodationssection of the Undergraduate Calendar will provide an overview for accommodation.
Need to be absent from class?
Due to extenuating circumstances
Accommodations due to long-term chronic illness, disability, or suspected disability
Note:If youhave been absent from classes fortwo weeksor longer, whether by illness or extenuating circumstances, you should follow-up with yourindividual instructors andyouracademic advisor to assess whethercompleting your classes is still viable.
How to declare an absence due to short-term illness:
Students have the following twp options for declaring an absence. Students are expected to notify their instructor(s) before or within 24 hours of the missed course element.
- Short-term Absence- an absence of 2 calendar days or less during the Formal Lecture Period self-declared for any reason that prevents a student from meeting their academic obligations, with the exception of Laboratory (LAB), Clinic (CLN), Field Studies (FLD) and Studio (STU) courses/class components (These courses/class componentsdo notqualify for accommodation as a result of a self-declared short-term absence).
- Submitting a Verification of Illness form.
False claims constitute an academic offence that will result in disciplinary action underPolicy 71 (Student Discipline).
For absences which do not otherwise fall in the categories above, obtain aVerification of Illness Form(VIF)for other conditions and follow the instructions below for submission of a VIF and/or supporting documentation.
Who should use this VIF submission process?
- Undergraduate students from the Faculty of Arts who are takingcourses
If you are an undergraduate student from the Faculty of Science, Engineering, Environment, Health or Math, please refer to your home Faculty's process for VIF submissions.
Submitting a Verification of Illness Form (VIF) and/or other supporting documentation
Documentation must be uploaded and submittedby the student to the.Documents cannot be emailed or delivered in person.You will need to be logged in to your UݮƵ account to access the form.
If a meeting is needed to discuss the situation, it must be held virtually via. If you have any questions, concerns, or issues with this online process, please email artsadvisor@uwaterloo.ca.
After obtaining andsubmitting your VIF, the Arts Undergraduate Office will review your submission. We will contact you to confirm whether or not we have processed your VIF, so please check your email often. In the event that we need to ask you for clarification on the details of your VIF, it is important that you respond promptly to avoid delays in your accommodation.
FollowingPolicy 46, advisors in the AUO cannot engage in the detailed discussions that are required with anyone but the student.
Multiple VIFssubmitted for a term could result in a meeting with theManager of Advisingto discuss and resolve barriers to academic success.
Considerations for Extenuating Circumstances
Students can request academic considerations for extenuating circumstances such as:
- bereavement
- emergencies
- University of ݮƵ sanctioned academic or athletic events
The above list is not exhaustive. Submissions will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
Student responsibilities:
- Gather supporting documentation. The supporting documentation will be considered similarly to a VIF. Official documentation is necessary before any action can be taken.
Please note that we cannot accept documentation for anyone other than the studentwho is submitting an absence. All documents submitted in another language should include an English translation.
- Supporting documentation shouldprovide a reason for the absence and the impacted dates
- Examples of documentation are:
- plane/train/bus tickets for emergency travel
- court documents
- police reports
- death certificates/obituaries/letters from funeral directors
- counsellor letters.
2. Contact their instructor(s) notifying them of the situation, AND
3. Submit a PDF or high-quality photo of supporting documents to the when able to do so. You will need to be logged in to your UݮƵaccount to access the form. Include your full nameand ID number.
- The submission must include thedatesduring which you've experienced these extenuating circumstances andgraded course workyou have missed during those days.
4. Come to an agreement with their instructor regarding how any missed mandatory class, lab, assignment, test or exam will be addressed.
Academic Accommodations due to Creed/Religion
Students should refer to theAcademic Considerations and Accommodationssections of the Undergraduate Calendar.
Students can complete the Religious Observance Self-Declaration Form in Quest, which will inform their instructors of the potential conflict for certain dates. As the dates of important religious observances are generally known well in advance, students must consult with their instructor(s) within two weeks of the announcement of the due date or scheduled examination date for which academic accommodation is being sought. TheShort-term Absenceform for short-term absences may also be used by students requiring an absence of two days or less during the Formal Lecture Period.
Academic Accommodations due to Other Code Grounds
Students seeking an academic accommodation related toa protected groundshould inform their instructor/academic unit as soon as they become aware of the need.
Instructors should refer to availableresources on this topic, which includesdates of major religious observances. TheEquity Officeis available to instructors if they have any questions about an accommodation requests.
Incomplete (INC) grade process
ճ Incomplete (INC) grade process begins when students contact their course instructors to discuss an INC grade as a possibility. This discussion with the instructor addresses the student’s circumstances, supporting documentation, missed or unfinished course elements, and the student’s engagement in the course up to that point in the term.
Failure to write scheduled make-up tests or submit outstanding course work by the end of the instructor-specified lapse period will result in a final course grade being posted to Quest that isthe earned grade, based on all completed course element(s). If the course outline specifies that the missing coursework is required to pass the course, the lesser of the earned grade or 4% less than the passing grade will be posted to Quest.