During your undergraduate degree, there may be circumstances that impact your ability to meet your academic obligations. The information below will help you navigate who to inform and what steps to take if you are unable to complete course work due to illness or injury.
Missing In-Term Work: Absence Due to Illness or Injury
The following steps apply for missing in-term work. If you will be missing a mid-term, final exam or final assessment, visit the BKin Exams page for next steps.
Step 1: Create an Official Record of Your Absence
Expand the menus below to learn more about when and how you use these options to create an official record of your absence.
If you are or will be temporarily absent from your studies and need academic consideration for a missed academic obligation during an academic term, you can formally declare your absence in ACORN using the ACORN Absence Declaration Tool.
Can be Used for:
The tool can be used for missed In-term academic obligations such as:
- Lab
- Test
- Mid-term
- Assignment
- Quiz
- Group Work
- Presentation
Cannot be Used for:
- Final exams
- Final assessments
Why:
The ACORN Absence Declaration Tool is intended to be used for the following circumstances:
- A health condition or injury (e.g., illness, physical injury, mental health issue, scheduled surgery)
- A personal or family emergency (e.g., an unanticipated and unavoidable familial incident beyond your control)
- Bereavement (e.g., the death of a student’s immediate family member or close friend)
When:
- Only once per academic term (e.g. the fall term)
- Students taking any Y-courses may declare one absence in the F-term and one absence in the S-term.
- Maximum seven (7) consecutive calendar days
- The seven-day declaration period can be retroactive for up to six (6) days in the past, or proactive, up to six (6) days in the future.
How:
Login to ACORN and click the Profile & Settings tab. Next, click on the ‘Display and update absence declarations’ link.
Get step-by-step instructions for the ACORN Absence Declaration Tool
A Verification of Illness or Injury Form (also known as a “doctor’s note”) is required for a missed academic obligation due to medical related grounds. Other medical/doctor’s notes will not be accepted.
Can be Used for:
The form can be used for missed academic obligations such as:
- Final exam
- Final assessment
- Mid-term
- Lab
- Test
- Assignment
- Quiz
- Group Work
- Presentation
Why:
The Verification of Illness or Injury Form (VOI) is intended to be used as supporting documentation if requesting academic considerations for missed academic obligations. Other medical/doctor’s notes will not be accepted.
When:
- You are submitting a petition for medical related circumstances
- You are able to get a VOI completed by a practitioner (see list of eligible practitioners) and you prefer to save the ACORN Absence Declaration Tool option in case you need it later in the academic term
- You have already used the ACORN Absence Declaration Tool this academic term
- You will miss more than 7 consecutive calendar days of academic obligations due to illness or injury
How:
On the Verification of Illness or Injury page, you will find a link to download the form. Do not fill out the form using your web browser; be sure to download and save on your computer.
Step 2: Inform Your Professor
Submitting an absence declaration through ACORN or a Verification of Illness or Injury Form (VOI) does not start the process of academic consideration on its own. It is the student’s responsibility to let their course instructor(s) know that they have used the absence declaration or submitted a VOI so that they can arrange for academic consideration specific to the missed academic obligation (e.g., deadline, group work, lab).
Step 3: Submit a Petition, If Required
Professors have the authority to grant extensions of term work to no later than the last date of the examination period. Students requiring extensions beyond that date must petition. Professors may require students to formally petition for term work extensions at their discretion.
If you will be missing in-term work for all courses and/or for an extended amount of time (more than a week), you must submit a petition.
It is then your responsibility to arrange for academic consideration by submitting a petition form to petitions.kpe@utoronto.ca in a timely manner.
Absence Due to Other Circumstances
The Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education Office of the Registrar & Student Services is your first stop for support. If you are unsure of any of the information below, do not hesitate to contact our office for guidance at undergrad.kpe@utoronto.ca.
| Reason for Absence | More Information |
|---|---|
| Religious, Indigenous or Spiritual Observances |
STEP 1: INFORM YOUR PROFESSOR(S)
STEP 2: SUBMIT A PETITION, IF REQUIRED
Submit a petition for the following reasons:
It is then your responsibility to arrange for academic consideration by submitting a petition form to petitions.kpe@utoronto.ca in a timely manner.
If you will be missing a final exam or final assessment due to a religious observance, visit BKin Exams under “Final Exam Conflicts” for next steps.
|
| Athletic Obligations |
STEP 1: IDENTIFY THE ACADEMIC CONFLICT Review the “Academic Conflict Policy” on the Student-Athlete Services page to identify which situation and next steps apply to you.
STEP 2: REQUEST AN ACADEMIC CONFLICT LETTER
STEP 3: INFORM THE KPE OFFICE OF THE REGISTRAR & STUDENT SERVICES, IF REQUIRED |
| Chronic and ongoing health conditions |
STEP 1: IDENTIFY YOUR SITUATION Review the FAQ titled "I have a disability/long term illness that affects my academics. Do I need this form?" on the Verification of Illness or Injury website to identify the next steps that apply to you.
STEP 2: FOLLOW THE STEPS RELEVANT TO YOU
STEP 3: MEET WITH AN ACADEMIC ADVISOR |
| Attendance at a University-sponsored event (e.g. field trip, awards ceremony) |
STEP 1: INFORM YOUR PROFESSOR(S)
STEP 2: SUBMIT A PETITION, IF REQUIRED
It is then your responsibility to arrange for academic consideration by submitting a petition form to petitions.kpe@utoronto.ca in a timely manner.
STEP 3: INFORM THE KPE OFFICE OF THE REGISTRAR & STUDENT SERVICES, IF REQUIRED |
| Mandatory Legal Obligations (e.g. jury duty) |
STEP 1: INFORM YOUR PROFESSOR(S)
STEP 2: SUBMIT A PETITION, IF REQUIRED
It is then your responsibility to arrange for academic consideration by submitting a petition form to petitions.kpe@utoronto.ca in a timely manner.
STEP 3: INFORM THE KPE OFFICE OF THE REGISTRAR & STUDENT SERVICES, IF REQUIRED |
| Personal Issues Getting in the Way of Meeting Your Academic Obligations | STEP 1: MEET WITH AN ACADEMIC ADVISOR The KPE Academic Advising team can help you navigate meeting your academic obligations. Book an Academic Advising Appointment online |