Considerations for illness or extenuating circumstances | Health

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 and Accommodations section of the Undergraduate Calendar will provide an overview for consideration and accommodation.

Instructors maintain the authority to make decisions on all requests for academic consideration due to absence. If you have questions about policy or procedure related to academic considerations, please contact your academic advisor after you have declared your absence.

Authentication of documentation is part of the process. If evidence of misrepresentation or fraudulent or falsified documentation is found, it will be reported per Policy 71 (Student Discipline) to the Associate Dean of your Faculty or their designate. Documents will be sent to the Associate Dean for further investigation.

Note: Students who have been unable to engage with their courses for two (2) weeks (10 business days) or longer, whether by illness or extenuating circumstances, should follow up with their individual instructors and their academic advisor to assess whether maintaining their current course load is still viable.

The information below pertains to Faculty of Health students. If you are an undergraduate student from the Faculty of Arts, Engineering, Environment, Math or Science, please refer to your Faculty for their VOC submission process.

Need to be absent from class?

Short-term absence

Valid for two (2) days
No documentation is required
One submission is allowed per term
Not available during pre-examination study days or final exam period

Your short-term absence should be declared and submitted to the absence database.

Verification of condition

To request academic consideration for a missed assessment, you must obtain a Verification of Condition Form (VOC) that has been filled out by a medical professional. Campus Wellness offers these services for students. If a VOC from Campus Wellness is not possible, the form can be completed by an off-campus practitioner.

The following information must be included:

Date of practitioner assessment
Date of onset of condition and the anticipated return to studies date
Degree of incapacitation
- Note: A severe degree of incapacitation indicates students are unable to attend class and engage in most academic studies during the period indicated. If they attend classes/labs, submit assignments/reports or write tests/exams during this period, they are at risk of being accused of misrepresentation, which is a Policy 71 academic offence.
Whether the diagnosis was made by a physician or based on a description by the student
Provider information (including registration number) and/or official or verified clinic/specialist information

The University of Waterloo Verification of Condition Form (VOC) should be used where possible. To speed up the submission process, please have the healthcare provider put their stamp/embossment on the document which includes their address and phone number.

If any information is missing, academic consideration decisions will be delayed because the student will need to have their healthcare provider complete the missing information.

Requirements:

Students must contact their course instructor(s) before or within 24 hours of a test, exam or due date
Should be submitted within 48 hours of any missed assessment(s)
Documentation must be uploaded with submission
Should not exceed two (2) work weeks or 10 consecutive class days. For absences longer than this, students must contact their academic advisor to discuss the viability of their term.

All submissions will be reviewed.

Verification of Condition documentation should be submitted to the Absence database.

Extenuating circumstances

An extenuating circumstance is a situation or event outside your control which negatively impacts your academics or studies. When something unexpected affects your ability to fulfill your academic obligations, you can request academic considerations for extenuating circumstances such as:

Bereavement
- Your submission note should include your relationship to the deceased.
- Documentation should include an obituary, funeral announcement or a copy of the death certificate.
Emergencies
- For this purpose, an emergency is a sudden, unexpected event that requires your immediate attention.
University of Waterloo sanctioned academic or athletic events

The above list is not exhaustive. Submissions will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Religious or creed-related absence

No documentation is required
Must be submitted within two (2) weeks of a deadline being published/announced

Your religious/creed related absence should be submitted to the absence database.

Incomplete (INC) grade process

The 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 is the 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.