Petition and appeal procedures exist for students seeking variances from published policies and procedures, reconsideration of graded work, and final grade transparency. Please review the sections below for procedure summaries and forms related to the consideration you are seeking. Sufficient documentation or grounds must be provided for your request to be considered. Full policies governing petitions and appeals are available in the KPE Undergraduate Program Calendar.
Students considering a petition, appeal, or who are having problems that are interfering significantly with academic work are advised to seek assistance from the KPE Registrar's Office staff.
Petitions
Policies and procedures are intended to ensure that all students in the Faculty are treated equitably and fairly. However, in some cases there are valid reasons why students should be granted an exception from these policies and procedures. Consideration will be given to the needs of students who are experiencing problems that are beyond their power to foresee or control. Most of these situations concern illness, personal problems, accidents, family difficulties, etc. Appropriate documentation is required for all petitions. Petitions are not always granted.
Forms
Send all forms and documentation as an actual attachment (not as a link to your cloud files) to petitions.kpe@utoronto.ca. If you submit your forms and documentations as links to any cloud files, we will not be able to access them and there will be a delay in processing your request. Please do not fax or mail forms.
When submitting a petition form, students must also create an official record of their absence using the ACORN Absence of Declaration tool or Verification of Student Illness or Injury Form (VOI).
Students submitting a petition based on the following grounds must submit a record on the ACORN Absence of Declaration tool:
- A short-term health condition or injury (e.g. illness, physical injury, mental health issue, scheduled surgery)
- A personal or family emergency (e.g. an unanticipated and unavoidable familial incident beyond your control)
- Bereavement (e.g. the death of student’s immediate family member or close friend)
Alternatively, a Verification of Student Illness or Injury Form must be completed if:
- Your absence from academic obligations will be more than 7 consecutive calendar days
- You already used the ACORN Absence Declaration Tool this academic term
- You missed a final exam or final assessment
- You are submitting a petition for a medical related circumstance
Petition Results
Petition results are typically available within one to two weeks of petition submission and are emailed to the student. Incomplete petitions and missing documentation can delay the process. During the summer session the Examinations Committee meets on an irregular basis so petition results may take up to one month.
Petition Result Appeals
If your petition is denied, and you have new/additional supporting documentation for your case you may appeal within thirty (30) days of the notification date of the petition result. Appeal forms are available in the Undergraduate Program Office on request and should be sent to the KPE Appeals Committee care of the Vice-Dean of Academic Affairs.
Students who are unsatisfied with the decision of the KPE Appeals Committee may appeal to the highest authority in the University of Toronto - the Academic Appeals Committee of Governing Council. Appeals at this level must be sent in writing to the Academic Appeals Committee of Governing Council within 90 days of receiving the decision of the KPE Appeals Committee.
Term Work Appeals
If you think that there is evidence to support the awarding of additional marks on a piece of KPE term work you should follow the steps below to address the issue.
Level 1: Appeal to the Course Instructor
Step 1: Ask the instructor for a re-evaluation within two weeks of the return of work or review opportunity.
The request must explicitly state the part(s) of the evaluation where you think additional marks are warranted. A rational must be provided to support the request. The Request for Re-Evaluation of Term Work form may be used for this purpose.
Step 2: The instructor will re-evaluate the work. Keep in mind that re-evaluation can result in a raised mark, a lowered mark or no change.
Step 3: The instructor will communicate the result of the appeal directly to you.
Once an appeal is submitted the course instructor will not consider any further appeals for the same piece of term work.
Level 2: Mark appeal to the Associate Dean, Undergraduate Studies
Step 1: If you are not satisfied with the re-evaluation you may appeal to the Associate Dean, Undergraduate Studies within two weeks of the instructor's re-evaluation response.
- The appeal must be made in writing using the 'Request for Appeal of Final Grade' form linked below.
- If the appeal is related to group work use the 'Request for Appeal of Group Grade' form (each member of the group must agree to the appeal).
You must explicitly state the part(s) of the evaluation where you have evidence that additional marks are warranted and provide a rationale for your request.
Step 2: The Associate Dean will evaluate the appeal. If there are no substantive reasons to initiate the appeal the judgement will be communicated to you. If the Associate Dean considers an appeal is appropriate they will solicit an independent reader to evaluate the work.
Step 3: If the appeal is referred to an independent reader they will be given a clean, anonymous copy of the work and will not know what mark was assigned originally. The independent reader's evaluation will be carried out in accordance with the marker/instructor's original grading scheme. The independent reader's evaluation will involve the entire piece of work and can result in a raised mark, a lowered mark or no change.
Step 4: The Associate Dean will communicate the result of the appeal directly to you.
In submitting an appeal request the student agrees to the terms and conditions noted in the KPE Undergraduate Program Calendar and relevant forms. No further requests to re-evaluate the work will be considered by the Associate Dean.
Forms
Send all forms and documentation as an actual attachment (not as a link to your cloud files) to undergrad.kpe@utoronto.ca. If you submit your forms and documentations as links to any cloud files, we will not be able to access them and there will be a delay in processing your request. Please do not fax or mail forms.
Final Exam Appeals
If you think that there is evidence to support the awarding of additional marks on a KPE final examination you should follow the steps below to address the issue.
Step 1: Reviewing the Examination
Follow the steps for exam review as noted in the 'Final Exam Viewings' section on the Exams webpage. It is recommended that you view the exam within four weeks of the posting of final grades so the viewing can be supervised by your course instructor and/or TA.
For final exam viewings, contact your course instructor within four weeks of the posting of final grades to review your final exam. For privacy reasons you must send the request from your UTmail+ account.
Step 2: Request a Reread
If you think that there is evidence to support the awarding of additional marks on your KPE final examination you should complete the 'Request for Reread of Final Examination' form linked below and submit it to the KPE Registrar's Office.
On the form you are asked to demonstrate that your answer(s) warrant additional marks by identifying specific areas of disagreement. Documentation including relevant course notes, handouts, reading, etc. may be provided to support your argument.
Submitted requests will be directed to the course instructor. A reread may result in a grade being lowered, raised or not changed. The KPE Registrar's Office will communicate the result of the reread to you via email.
Once you have submitted a request for a reread, the instructor will not consider further requests to re-evaluate the final exam.
The deadline to submit a reread request is within six months of the posting of the final grade for the course.
Step 3: Mark Appeal to the Associate Dean, Undergraduate Studies
If you are not satisfied with the results of the reread you may appeal to the Associate Dean, Undergraduate Studies within three weeks of the reread response. The appeal must be made in writing using the 'Request for Appeal of Final Grade' form. You must explicitly state the part(s) of the evaluation where you have evidence that additional marks are warranted and provide a rationale for your request.
The Associate Dean will evaluate the appeal. If there are no substantive reasons to initiate the appeal the judgement will be communicated to you. If the Director considers an appeal is appropriate they will solicit an independent reader to evaluate the work.
If the appeal is referred to an independent reader they will be given a clean, anonymous copy of the examination and will not know what mark was assigned originally. The independent reader's evaluation will be carried out in accordance with the marker/instructor's original grading scheme. The independent reader's evaluation will involve the entire examination and can result in a raised mark, a lowered mark or no change. The Associate Dean will communicate the result of the appeal directly to you.
In submitting an appeal request the student agrees to the terms and conditions noted in the KPE Undergraduate Program Calendar and relevant forms. Not further requests to re-evaluate the work will be considered by the Associate Dean.
Forms
Send all forms and documentation as an actual attachment (not as a link to your cloud files) to undergrad.kpe@utoronto.ca. If you submit your forms and documentations as links to any cloud files, we will not be able to access them and there will be a delay in processing your request. Please do not fax or mail forms.
Other Division Final Examination Appeals
To appeal a final examination grade from another division at the U of T (Arts & Science, UTSC, UTM) please follow the procedures and deadlines noted on that division's website.
Final Grade Checks
If you think that there has been an arithmetical error in the calculation of your final grade you may request a recheck.
Step 1: Complete the 'Request for Re-Check of Final Course Grade' form linked below. Indicate precisely where you think the calculation error has taken place.
Step 2: Submit the form to the course instructor. The course instructor will check their records to ensure that the final grade is calculated correctly.
Step 3: The course instructor will communicate the result of the grade check to you. If an error is found it will be corrected on ACORN.
The deadline to submit a final grade re-check is within six months of the posting of the final grade on ACORN.
Forms
Send all forms and documentation as an actual attachment (not as a link to your cloud files) to undergrad.kpe@utoronto.ca. If you submit your forms and documentations as links to any cloud files, we will not be able to access them and there will be a delay in processing your request. Please do not fax or mail forms.
OTHER DIVISION FINAL Grade Checks
To request a calculation check for a course grade from another division at the U of T (Arts & Science, UTSC, UTM) please follow the procedures and deadlines noted on that division's website.