Petition for Exception to Academic Regulations - Undergraduate Students (Form 70A)

Use this form to submit a petition for exception to academic regulations in accordance with Policy 70 (Student Petitions and Grievances) – Section 3 and Appendix A; Policy 70 provides information and explains the difference between petitions and grievances.

Before completing the petition form

• Consult with your academic advisor to understand academic implications and to discuss possible next steps.
  • If this petition is about a decision made by Co-operative Education, consult with your co-op advisor.
• Gather all relevant documentation electronically as it must be uploaded during submission (allowable file formats: GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, PDF).
  • Once documents are uploaded to the form, they cannot be changed or removed (due to system limitations).
• Be aware of the following about the form:
  • Different fields appear based on selections made.
  • You can save the form and return later.
  • For fields where there is a maximum word count, we recommend composing your response in Word (or similar software), confirm your word count, and then copy/paste into form; the form will check the word count only once submitted.

PETITION FOR EXCEPTION TO ACADEMIC REGULATIONS

A petition is a request by a student seeking exception to or relief from normal faculty or University rules and regulations. Typical examples include, but are not limited to, adding or dropping a course after the deadline, removing a WD/WF grade for late drop, increased or reduced course load and reconsideration of an end of term promotion decision or other academic decision.

Deadline: A petition must be filed within the timelines set by each faculty.
Procedure - See Appendix A - Petition Procedure

Appendix A - P​etition Procedure

Note: Read section 3 of this policy to determine whether this procedure is applicable to your situation.

An undergraduate student requesting special consideration is to deliver to the Registrar’s Office a Petition for Exception to Academic Regulations (Form 70A) and any required supporting documentation. The registrar will obtain a decision from the appropriate faculty committee and notify the student of the decision in writing.

Appeal: A petition decision cannot be appealed.

Notes

• You should not make assumptions regarding the outcome of the petition. Each case is unique and decisions are made on a case-by-case basis.
• Petition decisions are private and confidential.
• Petition decisions are final and cannot be appealed (per Policy 72 - Student Appeals, section 2); however, if further documentation relevant to the petition becomes available, you may request to have the petition re-opened for further consideration.
• Resources to assist you include Counselling Services, Health Services, the Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office, and AccessAbility Services.
• Authentication of documentation is part of this process.
  • If evidence of misrepresentation or fraudulent or falsified documentation is found, it will be reported per Policy 71 (Student Discipline) to the associate dean of your faculty or designate. Documents will be sent to the associate dean for further investigation.
  • In addition, petition committees validate statements and assess the academic impact of petition outcomes by gathering input from on-campus partners.
• Were you in receipt of financial aid during the term(s) affected by this petition? The outcome of your petition could result in a change to your eligibility for financial aid, thus you are advised to contact Student Awards and Financial Aid (SAFA).
• Are you in Canada on a study permit? The University of Waterloo is required to report international students’ registration status to Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). A reported status of no longer registered/enrolled can have a negative impact on your status in Canada or future immigration applications. You are advised to speak with an immigration consultant on campus.
• Are you thinking of post-graduate education? The outcome of your petition could result in a change to your academic record. Contact the further education advisors in the Centre for Career Development to discuss how changes to your academic record may impact further education applications.
• Privacy: Documentation submitted to this site is kept strictly confidential. In accordance with Section 39(2) of the Freedom of Information Act, 1990 (“FIPPA”), the information within the form is collected under the authority of the University of Waterloo Act (1972) for the purpose of determining eligibility for the exception to academic regulations. All personal information will be processed in accordance with applicable legislation, as well as Policy 46 (Information Management).