Courses & Registration Absences

Missed Term Assessments

During the academic term, if you are absent from your studies and unable to complete course work, you should follow the missed term-work policy outlined in your course syllabus. This policy will normally outline what a student should do if they miss a deadline, term test or a class activity such as performance assessment. Your instructor may indicate that documentation is required to support your request for academic consideration (e.g. extension, make-up test, re-weighting). The following are recognized forms of documentation:

  • Absence declaration via ACORN (see below for important information on eligibility)
  • U of T Verification of Illness or Injury Form (VOI)
  • Faculty of Music Registrar’s Letter
  • Letter of Academic Accommodation from Accessibility Services

If you submit the above documentation to your instructors, you do not need to submit additional supporting documentation.

For extended absences and for absences due to non-medical reasons, make sure to contact the Registrar’s Office. They can help you decide between a request for an extension or other types of academic consideration. They may be able to email your instructor(s) directly to provide a letter of support and connect you with other helpful resources on campus.

Absence Declaration Tool

As an undergraduate Music student, if you miss an academic obligation and wish to seek academic consideration, you may declare an absence using the Absence Declaration Tool in ACORN. Students who declare an absence in ACORN should expect to receive reasonable academic consideration from their instructor without the need to present additional supporting documentation.

The ACORN Absence Declaration Tool is intended to be used in the following circumstances:

  • A health condition or injury (e.g., illness, serious physical harm, mental health issue, scheduled surgery)
  • A personal or family emergency (e.g., unanticipated and unavoidable familial incident beyond the student’s control)

The ACORN Absence Declaration Tool is not intended to be used in the following circumstances:

  • Personal social obligations 
  • Travel not related to your academic program 
  • Technological issues 
  • The avoidance of deadlines or tests

Visit the ACORN how-to page for a step-by-step guide on how to submit an absence declaration. If for any reason you are unable to submit your declaration, contact the Registrar’s Office.

Absence Declaration Guidelines & Eligibility

  • Students may submit one absence declaration per academic term, e.g. the Fall (F) term.
  • Students taking any Y-courses may declare one absence in the F-term and one absence in the S-term.
  • The Absence Declaration Tool can be used to declare an absence for a maximum period of seven consecutive calendar days.
  • The seven-day declaration period can be retroactive for up to six days in the past, or up to six days in the future.
  • For absences that extend beyond the seven-day period, a VOI form will also need to be submitted.
  • Absence declaration will only be available to students on ACORN from the first day of classes to the last day of classes during each term. It will not be available during the Final exam periods.
  • Absence declaration must cover the period in which the missed academic obligation occurred.
  • After an absence declaration is submitted in ACORN, it cannot be cancelled.
  • It is the student’s responsibility to let their instructor(s) know that they have used the absence declaration so that they can arrange for academic consideration specific to the missed academic obligation

If the request is accepted by the instructor, the student will be entitled to the following:

  • In courses where there is no other term work as part of the evaluation scheme, a makeup test/performance assessment must be given.
  • In other courses, the instructor may choose to either to give a makeup test/performance assessment or increase the weighting of other graded work by the amount of the missed component.

A student who misses a term test/performance assessment cannot subsequently petition for late withdrawal from the course without academic penalty on the grounds that they had no term work returned before the drop date.