Academic Seals

Students who incur parking infractions are encouraged to pay or appeal tickets, as appropriate, within 14 days. Students with outstanding accounts run the risk of having their academic records sealed.

It is the student's responsibility to ensure that all fees are paid.  Students may view their account balance online at https://westernu.t2hosted.ca/Account/Portal.

Outstanding accounts may be refereed to a collection agency.  The University's collection agency will protect all personal information in its possession or control in accordance with all applicable privacy and data protection laws.  Failure to make payment in full by the due date on the statement of account or arrange a deferment will result in financial and academic sanctions.  

For more information, refer to the "Academic Sanctions" section of the Academic Calendar.  

What does it mean to have academic records sealed?

When student records are "flagged" with an academic seal, the student will be unable to add or drop courses, or obtain a record of marks or transcripts. Additionally, students who convocate with an academic seal on their student account will not receive a physical copy of their Western diploma until such time as the account is in good standing.

What is the process involving academic seals?

There is a $64 administrative fee associated with having your records sealed. Seal fees are not appealable. This means if your account goes unpaid, your full parking account balance must be paid off before an academic seal will be lifted from your account - this will include any unpaid tickets as well as seal fees or other service fees.

How long does it take for the academic seal to be released once my account is paid?

During business hours when the Parking Office is open, reports are run every hour to clear up accounts that have been paid off. If you pay your tickets online or at the counter during business hours, you can generally expect to have your academic seal lifted within an hour. Tickets paid online on the weekend will be unsealed on the next business day. At certain times of year or during other periodic office closures, it may take longer to have your records unsealed. In unforeseen circumstances it could take as long as one full business day for release of the academic seal.

Why does Parking seal my student records for unpaid tickets?

Many Western departments (Libraries, Office of the Registrar, Student Health, Housing as well as Parking & Visitor Services) use academic seals to ensure timely attention to outstanding account balances. Chasing customers down for payment costs everyone time and money. Academic record seals are a standard practice at most Canadian universities.