This page aims to inform students and instructors/staff about the Academic Consideration process and how it can assist students in completing academic requirements when experiencing extenuating circumstances in the Faculty of Arts and Science.
If this does not apply to you, please see the “Who qualifies for Academic Consideration in the Faculty of Arts and Science?” question below for information on where to access resources for your specific Faculty.
Zoom Office Hours will be closed for the Summer 2022 term, from May 21 to September 13, 2022. If you require support during this time, please contact the Academic Consideration Team at asc.consideration@queensu.ca.
COVID-Related Absence Information
If you have symptoms or are deemed a close contact of someone with COVID, please access our COVID-Related Absence Reference Guide. This guide will provide you with information on applying for consideration, the types of documentation (including non-medical documentation) you can use to support your request, as well as insight into how the Faculty office will assess these requests.
If you have questions after reviewing the reference guide, please attend our virtual Zoom Office Hours on Tuesdays from 2-3:30pm or Thursdays from 10:30am – noon or see our contact information below.
Academic Consideration is a process for the university community to provide a compassionate response to assist students experiencing a short-term extenuating circumstance.
Consideration is based on the principle of good faith, wherein the university and instructors understand that student circumstances and documented requests are legitimate.
Similarly, students understand that Academic Consideration options are provided with the best interest of the student in mind, ensuring they meet essential academic requirements.
Consideration options are at the discretion of the Professor and may include:
Academic Consideration is governed by the University Senate Academic Consideration for Students in Extenuating Circumstances Policy.
Unforeseen extenuating circumstances that may impact or impede a student’s ability to complete their academics. Some examples are:
Health Condition or Injury
Traumatic Event/Confidential
Requirements by Law or Public Health Authorities
Significant Event
Other
If you want to speak with a member of our team about your situation, please see the “Who do I contact if I have questions?” section below.”
The following circumstances are not covered by the Academic Consideration policy.
Undergraduate Arts and Science students, including those studying on-campus, online or at the Bader College, are eligible to use the Academic Consideration Request Portal when experiencing an extenuating circumstance (please see “Definitions” section for more information).
If you are not an Arts & Science student, please see the Academic Consideration departments across campus list under the “Info for Faculty and Staff” section and “Faculty/School Office Contacts for the Academic Considerations” drop down to find the appropriate contact for your Faculty.
If you are a graduate student studying within the Faculty of Arts and Science, please speak with the School of Graduate Studies.
All requests for Consideration must be submitted through the Academic Consideration Request Portal.
Requests submitted to the portal will be reviewed by the Faculty Office’s Academic Consideration Team. The team will verify the timeline and severity of impact of the extenuating circumstances based upon the supporting documentation provided by the student (please see “Supporting Documentation” section for more information). All documentation submitted through the portal is confidential and will not be shared directly with professors. Once the request has been reviewed, a confirmation email stating the verified dates and severity will be sent to the student and instructors. It is the student’s responsibility to contact their Professor(s) to arrange for Academic Consideration once their circumstance has been verified by our staff.
Short-term Requests
Short-term Academic Consideration can be requested for a maximum of 3-days. These requests must be submitted within 4 days of the onset of the extenuating circumstance (eg. if you are requesting Consideration for September 1, you must have your request submitted into this system by September 4 at the latest).
A reminder that our office validates that you are experiencing an extenuating circumstance over a certain period of time. Requests should therefore include the due date of a deliverable as, if you were not experiencing an extenuating circumstance on this date, the deliverable should be handed in on time.
Courses that have flexible deadlines, universal design, or Academic Consideration built into the course already may not be eligible for short-term requests. Please check your course syllabus to verify short-term requests for Academic Consideration apply to your course.
Long-Term Requests
Requests for long-term Academic Consideration can be submitted for 4-days to a maximum of 3 months. These requests should be made as soon as the student’s need becomes apparent. Delays may limit the Consideration options available to you.
This type of request requires supporting documentation, which needs to be submitted within 5 business days of submitting the request. If supporting documentation is not submitted, your request may be withdrawn.
All requests must be submitted before the end of term. For full-year courses, requests must be received during the semester for which you are requesting Academic Consideration. Case-by-case exceptions can be made in extreme cases (ie: the student is in a coma or otherwise incapacitated). Please contact our team at asc.consideration@queensu.ca if you have questions.
For additional guidance on submitting this type of request, please see the “Long-Term Requests.”
Varsity, Military Reserve or Distinguished Event Request
Students who are participating in a Queen’s Varsity Athletics event, an event to which you are invited as a distinguished guest or participating as a student reservist in military sanctioned event can submit a Significant Events request. These events can be at the provincial, national, or international level.
A minimum of two weeks before the sanctioned event, or as soon as the event is scheduled, complete and submit a Request for Excused Absence for Significant Event Form (see Extenuating Circumstances – Info for Students – Forms). You will also need to provide the following information:
Please submit your completed application based upon the information listed below:
If you have questions about these requests, you are encouraged to review the Office of Support Services & Community Engagement’s website.
Once you have received a completed “Request for Excused Absence for Significant Event/Activity” form, please submit a request in the Academic Consideration Request Portal.
For additional guidance on submitting this type of request, please see the “Academic Consideration Resource Guide – Significant Events.”
Application Tips
For student privacy, all documentation must be uploaded to your request in the Academic Consideration Request Portal. We do not accept documentation via email.
Students can provide a variety of documents to support their request for Academic Consideration:
Note: Attestation forms cannot be used as supporting documentation for requests that are longer than 3 days.
As an English language school, Queen’s does not have the capacity to translate supporting documentation from other languages. To be able to assess the severity and timeframe of an extenuating circumstance, we require documentation in English. Here are some options you can explore to provide our office with the information we require:
If you are having trouble gaining access to documentation in English, please contact asc.consideration@queensu.ca for further assistance.
Once your request has been submitted, the Academic Consideration Team is responsible for validating your request. Please see information pertaining to each request type below:
Short-Term Requests: Each of these requests are reviewed and verified by the Academic Consideration Team. If we are unable to validate the request, or we require additional information, you will be notified within 24-48 business hours. If you do not hear from our office within this timeframe, your request has been validated. Please note that your confirmation email also serves as verification of the validity of the request.
Long-Term Requests: Our team will review your request and supporting documentation. If we are unable to validate the request, we will contact you to request additional information. When the request has been verified, you and your professor(s) will receive a verification email detailing the duration and severity of your request. Long-term requests can take up to 6 business days to be processed.
After the verification process has been completed, students are required to follow up with their instructors (as per the directions listed in their syllabus) as soon as possible to discuss Academic Consideration options available. Delays in contacting the course instructor may limit the consideration options available.
Course instructors will determine what Academic Consideration is appropriate for your course based on the academic requirement(s) you may miss and the essential academic requirements learning outcomes of the course (please see Definition section). All students who receive Consideration must meet all essential academic requirements/learning outcomes and standards of the course. Academic consideration does not guarantee academic achievement in a course/program.
Should Instructors and/or students have any questions or require further support, they are encouraged to contact the Academic Consideration Team directly at: asc.consideration@queensu.ca. Immediate assistance is available by speaking with our Student Resource Staff at 613-533-2470 (option 4).
Academic consideration is a good faith process allowing for a compassionate response for students experiencing an extenuating circumstance. Academic consideration is a Queen’s University Policy, and does not fall under the Ontario Human Rights code, meaning there is no duty to accommodate requests made through this process. This means that Instructors have discretion how and whether Consideration can be granted.
Academic accommodations are available to students with visible and non-visible disabilities to remove barriers to learning. This involves removing barriers caused by unique student functional impacts, allowing students to fully access the academic environment. Under the Ontario Human Rights Code, Queen’s University, made up of all members of the Queen’s community have a responsibility to uphold the Duty to Accommodate students with disabilities.
For both academic consideration and academic accommodation students must continue to meet all essential academic requirements and standards of the course. Receiving either an academic consideration or an academic accommodation does not guarantee success in a course.
The following describes some of the academic accommodations that may be approved for a student as part of the academic accommodation process.
Students seeking academic accommodation related to a chronic or ongoing physical or mental health condition, learning disability, or an existing disability are encouraged to review the Queen’s Student Accessibility Services (QSAS) website. If you need assistance, or your question is not answered on the website, please contact the Intake Coordinator at qsas.intake@queensu.ca or by calling 613-533-6000, ext. 77628.
For more information review our handy “Consideration vs. Accommodation” Cheat Sheet for more information.
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity provides the foundation for learning, teaching, research and service at Queen’s University. Any behaviour that compromises the values of honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility is considered a departure from academic integrity and may be subject to remedies and sanctions as established by the Faculty of Arts and Science. Providing any false or misleading information, or using the forms contained in the Procedures for Academic Considerations for Students in Extenuating Circumstances to delay or avoid fulfilling academic requirements constitutes a departure from academic integrity and will be investigated.
Essential Academic Requirements
Essential academic requirements and standards refer to the knowledge and/or skills that must be acquired and/or demonstrated, for a student to successfully meet the learning outcomes of a course or academic work.
Extenuating Circumstances
Extenuating circumstances refer to a personal circumstance beyond the student’s control that temporarily interferes with the student’s ability to complete academic requirements related to a course(s) for a short period of time, not to exceed three months.
For more information on extenuating circumstances, please see the “What circumstances qualify for Academic Consideration?” and “What circumstances do not qualify for Academic Consideration?” sections above.
The academic requirement I’m missing is in an Arts and Science class, but I am not an Arts and Science student (ie. Engineering, Commerce, Nursing, Health Sciences). Should I submit a request using the Arts and Science Portal?
No. If you are a student from another Faculty (i.e., Commerce, Engineering, Health Sciences or Nursing student, or a graduate student), please see the Academic Consideration departments across campus list under the “Info for Faculty and Staff” section and “Faculty/School Office Contacts for the Academic Considerations” drop down to find the appropriate contact for your Faculty.
Should I submit a request for Academic Consideration if I am not missing an academic requirement?
Generally, no. If you are not missing an assignment or other academic requirement and there are no marks for attending a class, tutorial or lab, you do not need to submit a request for Consideration.
Please double check your syllabi to ensure you aren't missing any deliverables (i.e: participation marks, etc.) before submitting.
If you need to add a course after submitting, please email our team (see “Who do I contact if I have questions?” below.
I am experiencing high stress because of my studies or an upcoming exam. Should I make a request for Academic Consideration?
No. It is common to experience some degree of stress related to academic deadlines and/or exams. Academic Consideration is not intended to be used for situations where you are experiencing academic or exam-related stress. For more information, please see the “What circumstances do not qualify for Academic Consideration” section above.
I have an ongoing disability. Can I submit a request?
If you have an ongoing disability, your needs are likely best served by Queen’s Student Accessibility Services (QSAS). However, please refer to the specific points below to see what best fits the circumstance you are experiencing:
1. You have an ongoing disability, and you are not registered with QSAS: Please visit Queen’s Student Accessibility Services (QSAS) website to begin the process of registering using the steps below:
2. You have an ongoing disability, are registered with QSAS, and you are experiencing an exacerbation of your disability:
3. You have an ongoing disability, are registered with QSAS, and you are NOT experiencing an exacerbation of your disability:
For more information, including a handy “Consideration and Accommodation” cheat sheet, please see the “Academic Consideration and Academic Accommodation” section above.
When should I use my one short term request without documentation per term?
If you have documentation that clearly states the duration and severity of the extenuating circumstance you are experiencing, it is always better to use this documentation to support your request. Please note that we can only validate dates that are clearly visible on supporting documentation.
If you do not have access to documentation, you should use your one short-term request per term without documentation before requesting an Attestation form.
What kind of supporting documentation can I submit to support my request?
Supporting documentation should include information about the impact on your academics and how long the impact is expected to last. For more information on valid supporting documentation, please see the “Supporting Documentation” section above.
What kinds of Academic Consideration can my instructor grant?
Academic consideration includes but is not limited to:
Your instructor will determine which form of academic consideration is appropriate for your course based on the academic requirement(s) you may miss, and the essential requirements/learning outcomes of the course. All students who receive Academic Consideration must meet all essential academic requirements/learning outcomes and standards of the course. Academic Consideration does not guarantee academic achievement in a course/program.
Can I submit supporting documentation in a different language?
As an English language school, Queen’s does not have the capacity to translate supporting documentation from other languages. To be able to assess the severity and timeframe of an extenuating circumstance, we require documentation in English. Please review the “Supporting Documentation” section for more information regarding our required translation process.
How do I extend my request?
In cases where students require an extension to an already verified request, our team can re-activate your request in the portal (please DO NOT submit a new request). To be eligible for an extension, you must meet the following criteria:
If you meet both criteria, please email our team at asc.consideration@queensu.ca to re-open your request. Students will be given 48 hours to provide new documentation, at which point the request will be withdrawn. Your request will not be re-opened again, so please ensure that you pay close attention to these deadlines.
My need for Academic Consideration extends into next term. What should I do?
Students are expected to make decisions about their academics on a semesterly basis. This means that if you have an extenuating circumstance that spans two academic terms, the Faculty office expects you decide about your involvement in new course(s) based on your current abilities before the drop deadline. Any requests that extend into the new academic term will be granted for one week into the term to allow you time to make an informed decision. Any further requests for Academic Consideration for this circumstance will not be granted.
Can I submit a request for Consideration after the course has ended?
The Faculty Office generally does not accept requests for Academic Consideration once a course has closed/ended. In most cases, an academic appeal is likely to be recommended; you can make an appointment with an Academic Advisor to discuss your options by calling 613-533-2470 or emailing asc.studentservices@queensu.ca to make an appointment.
Exceptional cases will be reviewed by our Academic Consideration Team on a case-by-case basis. To be eligible to submit a request for Academic Consideration after the course has ended, you must meet the following criteria:
If you believe you meet all these criteria, please reach out to our Academic Considerations Team at asc.consideration@queensu.ca. If you would like to speak to a team member about your situation, you can call us during our office hours:
Please review the Frequently Asked Questions sections above, as they contain many common answers. You may be able to find an answer quicker than reaching out to us as emails can take between 2 – 5 business days to receive a response.
If you still have questions after reviewing the information listed on this page, please contact our team by email at asc.consideration@queensu.ca or by joining our Zoom Office Hours on: :