What is Academic Considerations?

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Academic Considerations for Student Absences Policy Expired

The Academic Consideration for Student Absences – Undergraduate Students in First Entry Programs pilot policy (which allowed for Self-Reported Absences) expired as of August 31, 2022. See below for further details.

What is Academic Considerations?

Academic Consideration provides students with consistent, fair, and academically appropriate consideration, when they are unable to complete some component of a course due to extenuating circumstances.

If you have missed or will miss a course-related component (e.g. laboratory or tutorial) or a course-related assessment (e.g. quiz) you may be eligible to request an Academic Consideration to make arrangements to complete the missed course work at a later time.

Academic Consideration for course-related components and assessments may include:

  • Class Attendance
  • Tutorial Attendance
  • Laboratory Attendance
  • Midterm
  • Test
  • Presentation
  • Essay/Assignment
  • Quiz


**Note: A student seeking academic consideration for any work worth less than 10% must contact the instructor or follow the appropriate Department or course-specific instructions provided on the course outline.

There are two ways you can request academic consideration:

  • Medical Absence
  • Non-Medical Absence


To learn more about the types of absences and eligibility for an Academic Consideration for Undergraduate students:


Tip: Remember to send notification of your absence within the acceptable timeframe for your type of absence. Make sure to communicate with your instructor about your absence and to make arrangements for completing any missed coursework.

Academic Considerations for Student Absences

The Academic Consideration for Student Absences – Undergraduate Students in First Entry Programs pilot policy (which allowed for Self-Reported Absences) expired as of August 31, 2022. As a result, academic consideration requests for missed work worth 10% or more of the course grade due to medical or non-medical grounds must be submitted through your home Faculty or Affiliate Academic Counselling/Advising Office. Students should not submit documentation to their course instructor. Procedures for work worth less than 10% of the course grade will typically be described in the course outline.

For medical academic consideration grounds, a Student Medical Certificate is required. For non-medical academic consideration requests, supporting documentation must be provided (e.g., obituary, police report, accident report, etc.). Documentation should be submitted as soon as possible and will normally be expected within 48 hours of the end of the period covered.

The current Policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness – Undergraduate Students is under discussion. Any revisions will go through the Senate approval process where all members of our community, including students, are represented.

If you have questions about Western’s Academic Consideration policy or processes, please contact your home Faculty or Affiliate Academic Counselling/Advising team.

Medical Absence and Non-Medical Absence

An Academic Consideration for a Medical or Non-Medical absence will require documentation and is coordinated through your Faculty Academic Counselling Office.

To request an Academic Consideration for these types of absences, review the eligibility conditions, documentation requirements and deadlines:

 

Additional Resources