Academic Consideration (Absences)

Note: Students should avoid making personal plans that fall within the official exam periods (refer to the sessional dates for the official exam periods). Until the final exam schedule is published (the Friday before Thanksgiving for fall term and Family Day for winter term) it should be assumed that exams could be scheduled any time from the first to the last day of the official period. Students will not be granted consideration for any personal plans (travel, etc.) made in conflict with their exam schedule. Section 8.4 of the Academic Regulations states that personal plans do not qualify as extenuating circumstances.

Please note that some instructors may be using universal design principles to provide considerations for absences (for example a grace period of 3 days beyond the submission deadline). In such cases you may not need to submit a request for consideration for 3 days without documentation. Please check your syllabus carefully, and ask your instructor for clarification when in doubt.

Academic Considerations for Extenuating Circumstances

The process of submitting a request for Academic Consideration varies depending on the timing of the request and the duration of the absence.

Requests for academic consideration up to 3 days:

• Only one request without supporting documentation is allowed per term. Additional requests require supporting documentation. 

• Your request must be submitted as soon as you require academic consideration, and within 7 days of your first day of absence. If a student is unable to submit within this time frame they will need to email engineering.aac@queensu.ca and ask for an extension for the submission based on their circumstances.

Requests for academic consideration between 4 days and 3 months:

• Should be made as soon as you require academic consideration. Requests must be submitted before the course has ended. Requests are not accepted after the end of the term.

• Supporting documentation is required and should be submitted within 7 business days of submitting the request.

Requests for academic consideration during exam periods:

• All requests made during final exam periods require supporting documentation. If supporting documentation is not available, a formal Attestation of Extenuating Circumstances form must be submitted. Submit the Request for Academic Consideration and request an Attestation appointment by emailing engineering.aac@queensu.ca.

• If you are unable to write an exam because of incapacitating illness or other extenuating circumstances, you will need to submit an Incomplete Grade Request form to the Faculty Office, along with supporting documentation. If approved, a date of completion will be set and you will need to complete any outstanding course deliverables within that timeframe.

How to Request Academic Consideration for Extenuating Circumstances

Fill out the form below.

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Request forExcused Absence for a Significant Event (REASE)

If you are participating in an event at the provincial, national, or international level that is either a Queen's Varsity Athletics event or an event to which you were invited as a distinguished guest, you can request academic consideration.

1. A minimum of two weeks before the sanctioned event, or as soon as the event is scheduled, complete the Request for Academic Consideration page above and select REASE Request for Excused Absence for Significant Event . Be sure to include all of your courses affected and the appropriate dates being requested. Please also attach all supporting documentation as pdfs (Itinerary, invitation, schedule, travel etc) for review and provide contact information for varsity contacts to be verified by:

   • For Queen's varsity athletic events – a member of the Queen's Athletics & Recreation senior management team or Athletics Services Coordinator-Retention
   • For other significant events – also submit as above to the Engineering Request for Academic Consideration portal

   Use these forms for your documentation for your submission: REASE FORM FOR STUDENT SUBMISSION

2. Once your submission is received, the Faculty Office it will review it and if there is any missing information you will be contacted. Once approved, the Faculty Office will email your instructors to inform them that you have been approved for an excused absence and the duration. It is your responsibility to follow up with your instructors to make up the missed academic requirements. You may be asked to complete the requirements prior to the event. Not all assessments have make-up assessments.

Should you require more information or have questions please feel free to contact the Program Advisor (Accommodations & Considerations) engineering.aac@queensu.ca 

Forms and Policies

Forms and Documentation Required for Academic Consideration

• Request for Academic Consideration – must be submitted to the Faculty Office portal when requesting Academic Consideration for Extenuating Circumstances. Go to online form: Request for Academic Consideration for Extenuating Circumstances

• Incomplete Grade Request form (PDF) – must be submitted to the Faculty Office in the case of a missed exam.

• Request for Excused Absence of Significant Event form (PDF) – must be verified and signed by either Athletics & Recreation or Student Affairs, then submitted to the Faculty Office.

• Supporting documentation – must be provided when submitting a second and subsequent request in a term for academic consideration lasting 3 days or less, for absences longer than 3 days, and for any requests during final exams period. See this definition for more detailed information.

• Verification of Extenuating Circumstance form (PDF) ‐ may be required as supporting documentation when requesting academic consideration.

• Attestation of Extenuating Circumstances form ‐ required in situations where supporting documentation is not available. Only one request for academic consideration without documentation is allowed per term. Subsequent requests require a formal Attestation of Extenuating Circumstances form. This applies to requests that occur within final exam periods. You will need to make an appointment with the Smith Engineering Program Advisor (Accommodations & Considerations) (email: engineering.aac@queensu.ca) to obtain the form and have it signed at the Faculty Office.

  An Attestation Form is a document that you fill out and sign if you are requesting academic consideration for an extenuating circumstance but do not have supporting documentation to support your request.
  » See full definition: Attestation