Exceptional Circumstances to Defer Academic Work

A. Students with health problems or other personal circumstances, which might adversely affect their performance in, or ability to complete course work, tests, examinations, or other departmental assessments, may request special consideration. The student should complete the departmental Request for Special Consideration form, attach appropriate evidence such as the U of T Verification of Student Illness and Student Injury Form, and submit it to the Course Instructor as early as possible before or within 48 hours following the test, examination, or due date of assessment.  The onus is on the student to ensure their physician has filled out the Illness or Injury Verification Form in full. The instructor will inform the student of the decision, record this decision on the form, and forward the form to the Program Manager to be placed in the student’s academic file.  This form is available online here.

B. U of T policy on religious observances states that no student shall be seriously disadvantaged because of his or her religious beliefs. If this policy is relevant to a student’s circumstance, he/she must complete the Request for Special Consideration form in advance of the date(s) in question, and submit it to their Course Instructor, so alternative arrangements can be made.

C. U of T policy requires that accommodations will be provided to any student with a documented disability that affects their ability to function in an academic setting. If this policy is relevant to a student’s circumstance, they should refer to the Guidelines for Student Accommodations below.

Note: For items (a) to (c) above, if a deferral of a test or exam is being requested, and permission is granted, the student may be required to sign a non-disclosure form by the Course Instructor.

D. Students in this program are registered full-time and are expected to be committed to full-time studies. Requests for special consideration for personal circumstances are strongly discouraged (e.g., taking care of domestic business, leaving early for reading week, attending a wedding, going on a vacation, employment, participating in sports events, preoccupation with other courses, etc.).  Requests for special consideration will only be considered if:

• the request is made in advance
• the situation is entirely out of the control of the student
• the student has made every effort to find an alternative solution
• the student makes a strong case for the issue to be considered exceptional
• explanations of each of the above points are included on the Request form along with supporting documentation

If a deferral of a test or exam is being requested under item (D) above, and permission is granted , the student will be required to pay a fee of $70.00 according to the University Schedule of Administrative User Fees and Fines, prior  to the test or exam being written.  The student must download the Deferred Examinations Payment form from the OT website as they will be required to show their receipt to the Course Instructor at the time if the exam.  The student may also be required to sign a non-disclosure form by the Course Instructor.