As a student, you may encounter situations such as illnesses, ongoing medical conditions, or other circumstances that prevent you from meeting academic obligations.
The Accommodations section of the Undergraduate Calendar will provide an overview for accommodation.
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How to declare an absence:
Students have the following three options for declaring an absence during the Spring 2023 term. 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, with some limitations (below).
- Covid-19-related Absence - an absence of 10 days or less due to Covid-10 related illness, with some limitations (below).
- For absences that do not meet the short-term absence or Covid-19 criteria, for self-declared absences that exceed the maximum number permitted per term, or for (retroactive) reports of illness, submit the "Verification of Illness" form below
- If your absence is due to Extenuating Circumstances, use the Verification of Illness or Extenuating Circumstances web form to submit supporting documents
Who should use this VIF submission process?
- Undergraduate students from the Faculty of Science who are taking courses
If you are an undergraduate student from the Faculty of Arts, 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 submitted by the student to the Verification of Illness or Extenuating Circumstances web form. Documents cannot be emailed or delivered in person. You will need to be logged in to your UWaterloo account to access the form.
If a meeting is needed to discuss the situation, it must be held virtually via Microsoft Teams. If you have any questions, concerns, or issues with this online process, please email science.advisor@uwaterloo.ca.
After obtaining and submitting your VIF, the Science 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.
Following Policy 46, advisors in the SUO cannot engage in the detailed discussions that are required with anyone but the student.
Multiple VIFs submitted for a term could result in a meeting with the Science Student Success Officer to discuss and resolve barriers to academic success.
Students who have been absent from classes for two weeks or longer, whether by illness or extenuating circumstances, should follow-up with their individual instructors and their academic advisor to assess whether their schedule of lectures or labs is still viable. For example, some students cannot complete a lab course, no matter the circumstances, if multiple labs have been missed.
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Religious observances
Students should refer to the Accommodations sections of the Undergraduate Calendar and note that they must consult their instructor(s) within two weeks of the announcement of the due date. There is no submissions of documentation.
Instructors should refer to available resources on this topic, which includes dates of major religious observances. The Equity Office is available to instructors if they have any questions about an accommodation request.
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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.
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Make-up exams
Make-up exams are considered formally scheduled events and must occur within one year of the official grade date for that course. If students experience a situation that caused them to miss a make-up exam, they must meet with the Student Success Officer or Associate Dean, Undergraduate Studies, who will review the documentation. An alternate make-up exam may not be approved.
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