Medical Accommodation

What is Academic Consideration?

We understand there may be times when you are unable to complete your academic responsibilities. You may be able to avoid academic penalty by knowing your options when these situations arise. To learn more, you can visit What is Academic Consideration?

Before requesting academic consideration, review your course outline to know the dates, deadlines, and the value of the work toward your final grade. Check the syllabus to see if the course instructor has made any provisions for extensions, or make-up tests and exams. Once you have confirmed this information, you can decide which reporting method from the options below is best for your situation.

If your situation is related to a midterm or final exam, please visit our Exams section before reporting an absence or submitting a request for academic consideration

Medical Policy

The University recognizes that a student’s ability to meet his/her academic responsibilities may, on occasion, be impaired by medical illness. Illness may be acute (short term), or it may be chronic (long term), or chronic with acute episodes. The University further recognizes that medical situations are deeply personal and respects the need for privacy and confidentiality in these matters. However, in order to ensure fairness and consistency for all students, academic accommodation for work representing 10% or more of the student’s overall grade in the course shall be granted only in those cases where there is documentation indicating that the student was seriously affected by illness and could not reasonably be expected to meet his/her academic responsibilities.

Accommodation for course work

As soon as possible, students are expected to email appropriate documentation to the Academic Counselling office at arts@uwo.ca The Counsellor will discuss what accommodation is required with the student. The Accommodation request is emailed to Professors shortly after, and it is the student's responsibility to follow up with professors and make the appropriate arrangements if approved. It is advisable that the student check the course outline for the the Professor or Department policy for missed course work. This will provide you with the preferred method of contact. 

Please see your instructor for approvals of missed course work, if your course outline doesn’t indicate how to handle missed course work 10% or under.

PHYSICIAN NOTES: All physician notes must be in the form of the Student Medical Certificate and emailed to arts@uwo.ca

Academic Consideration for COVID: Supporting medical documentation is required if you are seeking academic consideration due to COVID.  For this specific situation, our recommendation is that you use an online health care provider such as my virtual doctor https://www.mystudentplan.ca/purplecare/en/myvirtualdoctor

Types of Documentation

Personal illness: Students must obtain a Student Medical Certificate and have their Physician or health professional (Therapist, etc.,) complete it.

Serious illness of a family member: Obtain a medical certificate from the family member's physician.

In case of a Death: Obtain a copy of the newspaper notice, obituary, death certificate or documentation provided from a funeral director.

For other extenuating circumstances: Check with the Academic Counselling Office - but please note that accommodations cannot be approved without documentation pertaining to circumstances.

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR STUDENTS FROM YOUR ACADEMIC COUNSELLING TEAM

Dear Students:

Academic Counselling is always here to help with your academic needs. if you are in Crisis, please know there are resources available to you! If you just need to talk to someone and are not in crisis, please visit: https://www.uwo.ca/health/mental_wellbeing/

PLEASE NOTE: 

  • Email all medical notes as PDF or JPEG to arts@uwo.ca 
  • Include all assignments/ exam accommodation requests with course name and dates
  • Include what assignment is worth (%)
  • Include professor's email address