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This page aims to help Smith Engineering Students understand and navigate the policies and procedures for requesting Academic Consideration or Accommodations should extenuating circumstances impact their academics.
We encourage you to read this information carefully, but if you still have questions or require assistance, please reach out to the Program Advisor (Accommodations and Academic Considerations) at engineering.aac@queensu.ca or by booking an appointment.
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 for 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 considerations and accommodations students must continue to meet all essential academic requirements and standards of the course. Your instructor will determine what academic consideration is appropriate for your course based on the academic requirements you may miss and the essential requirements or learning outcomes of the course. These should be listed in your course syllabus. All students who receive academic consideration must meet all essential academic requirements of the course. Academic consideration does not guarantee academic achievement in a course or program.
Students seeking academic accommodation due to a chronic illness or ongoing physical or mental health condition or disability are encouraged to review the Queen’s Student Accessibility (QSAS) website. If you are not able to find the information you are looking for, you can email qsas.intake@queensu.ca or attend one of their drop-in appointments.
Academic consideration is meant to help you manage a short-term extenuating circumstance that is beyond your control and could affect your academics, which is defined as 3 months or less.
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 interests of the student in mind, ensuring they meet essential academic requirements.
Consideration options are at the discretion of the instructor and may include:
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 for this particular course. Please check your syllabus carefully and ask your instructor for clarification when in doubt.
Your instructor will determine what academic consideration is appropriate for your course based on the academic requirements you may miss and the essential requirements or learning outcomes of the course. These should be listed in your course syllabus. All students who receive academic consideration must meet all essential academic requirements of the course. Academic consideration does not guarantee academic achievement in a course or program.
There are many unforeseen extenuating circumstances which may impact a student’s ability to complete their academics. While the list below captures most circumstances, cases are assessed individually, and this list should not be regarded as exclusive.
Health Condition or Injury
Traumatic Event/Confidential Situation
Requirements by Law or Public Health Authorities
Significant Event (please see Requests for Excused Absence for Significant Event section)
If you are uncertain if you situation fits the scope of Academic Consideration, please email engineering.aac@queensu.ca to speak with the Advisor.
The following circumstances are not covered by the Academic Consideration policy. For Religious Observations or Accommodations, please see those respective sections for more details.
Personal events are not covered by this policy as they are planned, foreseeable commitments. This includes:
Technological difficulties are not covered as it is the student’s responsibility to ensure they have access to the tools they require for their studies.
In cases such as these, students should refer to their course syllabus and contact their instructor(s) directly to discuss alternative arrangements. Note that your instructor has the discretion to approve or deny your request.
If you are experiencing a high level of exam-related stress, please seek support through our Smith Engineering Wellness Advisor. Students should avoid making personal plans that fall within the official exam period (refer to the sessional dates). 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 during the period. Students will not be granted consideration for any personal plans made in conflict with their exam schedule.
Short Term (1-3 consecutive days absence)
Without documentation
With documentation
Long Term (4 days – 3 months absence)
All requests that are 4 days or longer require documentation. Please see the “Supporting Documentation” section for more information. This documentation must be provided within 7 days of the request submission. Requests should be submitted as soon as you require academic consideration. Delays in submission could limit the consideration options available to you. If you are unable to submit within this timeframe or have difficulty attaining appropriate documentation, please email engineering.aac@queensu.ca to request an extension based on the circumstances. All requests must be submitted before all impacted courses have closed/ended.
Exam Period Requests (any length)
Both Requests for Academic Consideration (RAC) and Requests for Excused Absence for Significant Event (REASE) use the same form. Please complete the form through the Smith Engineering website: Academic Consideration (Absences) (queensu.ca). You will need to indicate all courses impacted by the request and upload all supportive documentation.
Timeframes for submission vary depending on the nature of the request:
If you are unable to submit your request within the required timeframe, please engineering.aac@queensu.ca with an explanation of your circumstances.
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.
Requests should be submitted a minimum of two weeks before the sanctioned event, or as soon as the event is scheduled. If you are unable to provide the request two weeks before the sanctioned event, please provide an explanation as to why this was not possible. Note that the request may be denied.
For submission, supporting documentation will be required (see the “Supporting Documentation” section) as well as a completed REASE Form.
Academic Accommodations are put in place to equalize learning opportunities and access to the academic environment for students with disabilities. A disability may include a temporary (e.g., concussion or broken arm) or permanent (e.g., learning disability) condition. The functional limitations resulting from a disability can at times intersect with the academic environment in a way that creates a barrier for students. Some examples of accommodations include extra time on exams, permission to use assistive technology for exams, or permission to audio record lectures.
Academic accommodation is any adaptation that reduces or eliminates barriers to participation, which arise when a student with a disability interacts with the academic environment. » See full definition: Academic Accommodation
Students in need of accommodation for religious observance are asked to complete the Religious Observance and Academics activities form within a week of receiving their course syllabus (each term) and submit the form via email to the Engineering Program Advisor, (Accommodations & Considerations), engineering.aac@queensu.ca.
For student privacy, all documentation must be uploaded to your request in the Academic Consideration Request Portal. We do not accept documentation via email.
All documentation must be dated and include a clear duration of the circumstance and a sense of the severity of the situation.
Medical Documentation
Extenuating Circumstances Documentation
Please note that we do not accept photos of injury or incident as we cannot verify when the photo was taken and who it pertains to.
Significant Event Documentation
All Requests for Excused Absence for Significant Event (REASE) require a completed REASE form. Please click here to download the fillable form. Please make sure to read through the form in its entirety.
Below are the documentation requirements, depending on the nature of the significant event/activity
Varsity Athletic Events
Include documentation issued by the Queen’s Athletic & Recreation senior management team or Athletics Services Coordinator that includes details of the event (i.e. itinerary, invitation, schedule, travel team list, etc.)
Non-Varsity Athletic Events or Other Significant Event/Activities supported by the department or the faculty
Student Reserve Forces
Please review the Frequently Asked Questions section above. 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 during peak periods.
If you need to speak with someone, you can email engineering.aac@queensu.ca or book an appointment with the Program Advisor (Accommodations and Academic Considerations).
If you are ill, we recommend not sitting the midterm/exam/deliverable. Please submit a Request for Consideration (RAC) as soon as is possible. Students who complete deliverables while ill generally cannot have their grades changed after the fact.
If you have not yet submitted a request without documentation this term, please start there.
If you require an extension to an original request or have already used your request without documentation for this term, please email engineering.aac@queensu.ca to discuss your circumstances.
Yes – as an Engineering student, all requests for all courses should be submitted through the Engineering Portal.
If you are not an Engineering student, please use your Faculty’s considerations process for your request. Please see the list of other Faculty contacts under the “Info for Students” section and “Links to Faculty/School Office Websites”.
Generally, no. If you are not missing an assignment or deliverable, and there are not marks for attending a class/tutorial/lab, you do not need to submit a request.
Please double check your syllabi to ensure you are not missing any deliverables.
If you need to add a course after submission, please email engineering.aac@queensu.ca.
Please email engineering.aac@queensu.ca with the amendment requested for your submission.
You will need to submit a new request for additional dates and include updated supporting documentation that reflects the need for the extension. We take into consideration the entire history of requests when evaluating submissions for extension.
If your original request was without documentation and you require an extension, please contact engineering.aac@queensu.ca.
Student Wellness Services (SWS) has daily walk-in appointments and pre-booked appointments available to all Queen’s students. However, Student Wellness is not providing notes for Respiratory Illness or minor infections. In these cases, please use the 3-day request without documentation or contact engineering.aac@queensu.ca for further advice.
If you are unable to get in with SWS and need to be seen sooner for an urgent condition, you can try going to CDK Family Medicine & Walk-in Clinic or urgent care at Hotel Dieu Hospital.
Our Smith Engineering Counsellors can also provide documentation for mental health related issues.
If you have tried these options and are either waiting to be seen by a physician or unable to book an appointment, please contact engineering.aac@queensu.ca to discuss your circumstances.
1. If you are registered with QSAS, and are experiencing an exacerbation of your disability:
2. You are registered with QSAS and are NOT experiencing exacerbation of your disability:
3. If you have an ongoing disability and are not already registered with QSAS:
Consideration options are at the discretion of the instructor and may include:
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 for the particular course. Please check your syllabus carefully, and ask your instructor for clarification when in doubt.
Essential academic requirements and standards refer to the knowledge and/or skill that must be acquired and/or demonstrated, for a student to successfully meet the learning outcomes of a course or academic work.
Students who request academic consideration after completing a deliverable are not considered eligible to re-do the deliverable. Please contact engineering.aac@queensu.ca to discuss further.