A petition is a student’s formal request for an exception to the deadlines, degree requirements and rules and regulations of the Faculty of Arts & Science. If you are experiencing academic difficulties due to circumstances outside of your control, you can submit a petition. Review the petition types below and follow the steps for preparing and submitting a petition, paying petition fees if needed and, if necessary, appealing the outcome of petitions.
The Petitions Process
The process for submitting a petition and paying the relevant fees depends on which division you are registered with.
Whether you are submitting a petition for an Arts & Science course or a course that you are taking at another division (e.g., Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, UTSC, UTM, Daniels), your petition must be submitted through the Faculty of Arts & Science online petition system. Before submitting your petition, connect with your College Registrar's Office to ensure you are choosing the best petition option for your request and to confirm that a petition is the right avenue for you.
After your petition is submitted in the petition system, it is reviewed by your College Registrar's Office and then the Faculty of Arts & Science petitions unit. In most cases, the petitions unit will make a decision and inform you of that decision in six to eight weeks. If your petition was refused, you may have an option to appeal the decision. Follow the steps below to learn how to prepare and submit your petition, pay your petition fees, check the decision (outcome) and submit an appeal if appropriate. You can also learn about petition deadlines and specific requirements by reviewing the petition types below.
Students who plan to graduate during the Fall or Spring Convocation and submit a petition or an appeal less than four months before the start of that Convocation period should expect to graduate during the next one instead. Petitions or appeals submitted during within this four month timeframe may not be processed in time for the upcoming Convocation period.
For example, a student planning to graduate during Spring Convocation who submits a petition or an appeal in March should expect to graduate during Fall Convocation instead.
Graduating students who are considering submitting a petition or an appeal are strongly encouraged to speak with their College Registrar’s Office.
If you are not a Faculty of Arts & Science student, you will need to submit a petition through your divisional Registrar's Office.
Petition Types
Petitions are usually related to the following deadlines or regulations. Click on the petition type to learn more.
| Petition Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Deferred Exams | Request to write a final exam at a later date. |
| Re-deferred Exams | Request to write a deferred exam at a later date. |
| Exam Rewrite | Request to rewrite an exam that you were unable to complete. |
| Term Work Extension | Request to submit course work after the term has ended. |
| Withdrawal Without Academic Penalty | Request to withdraw from a course after the late withdrawal deadline. |
| Early Return from Suspension | Request for an early return to your studies (i.e., to reduce the length of your suspension) if you are on suspension due to your academic standing. |
| Lift of Suspension | Request to have a suspension removed so you can continue your studies. |
| Exception to Degree Requirements | Request for an exception to degree requirements when you are unable to complete them but cannot postpone graduation. |
| Late Application/Removal of Credit/No Credit | Request late application or removal of the CR/NCR course notation. |
| Aegrotat Standing | Request for credit in a course that you could not complete due to medical circumstances. |
| Taking a Course for a Third Time | Request to take a course for a third time to obtain the necessary marks for a program requirement or a prerequisite for a different course. |
| Petition Types Not Listed | Other requests that your College Registrar's Office can help you with. |
Petitions cannot address course-related issues such as a course’s organization, grading practices, late penalties or marking schemes. For course-related requests, see the Special Consideration Requests to Academic Department(s) section of the Academic Calendar. Other issues which cannot be addressed through petitions to the Faculty of Arts & Science include late fee refunds, course prerequisite exceptions, late enrolment in a course, exceptions for program requirements or OSAP appeals. Speak to your College Registrar’s Office or an academic advisor for help choosing the best option for your request.
Deadlines & Process for Exam Petition Fees
A non-refundable fee must be paid by the relevant deadline listed below in order for you to be scheduled to write your petitioned exam(s).
Fees Payment Deadlines
Refer to the petition decision you receive for information on the type and timing of your approved petitioned exam(s) to determine the correct fee payment deadline.
Note: The system will not allow students to make payments if the payment deadline has passed for the petitioned exam session.
| Type of Approved Petitioned Exam | Timing of Approved Exam | Dates of Approved Exam | Fee Payment Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| February Special Exam |
February 2026 Special Deferred Exam Period, during Winter Reading Week |
February 17 - 20, 2026 | January 19, 2026 |
| April Regular Exam |
April 2026 Final Exam Period |
April 9 - 29, 2026 | February 17, 2026 |
|
May Special Exam |
May 2026 Special Exam Period | TBA | TBA |
| August Regular Exam | August 2026 Final Exam Period | TBA |
TBA |
| August Special Exam |
August 2026 Special Deferred Exam Period |
TBA | TBA |
| October Special Exam |
October 2026 Special Deferred Exam Period, during Fall Reading Week |
TBA |
TBA |
|
December Regular Exam |
December 2026 Final Exam Period | TBA | TBA |
Effective May 1, 2025, the fee to write an approved petitioned exam is $75 per course, up to a maximum of $150 per session (for two or more courses).
Important Notes
- If you are experiencing financial difficulties, please contact your College Registrar's Office when you receive your petition decision to discuss your situation.
- If you have been approved to write a petitioned exam due to a disability and you are registered with Accessibility Services, your fee will be waived. For the fee to be waived, the Office of the Faculty Registrar must receive a letter with your petition from Accessibility Services confirming both your registration with Accessibility Services and that the reason for the exam petition was related to your disability.
- If you are planning on graduating in the Fall or Spring, make your payment immediately after receiving the approval to write the petitioned exam.
If you fail to make the fee payment by the deadline listed in the chart above, you:
- will not receive your petitioned exam schedule
- will not be permitted to write your petitioned exam
- will recieve a mark of zero for the petitioned exam
- will not be eligible to submit another petition for the same exam(s), since missing a payment deadline is not considered a valid reason to petition
How to Pay Fees for Petitioned Exams
Submit your payment through the Online Petition System.
Click on the Fee Payments link in the top menu to make a payment.
- The Fee Payments menu in the top menu will show a red badge with the number of deferred exams that may require payment. Each Approved deferred exam petition request will show a red icon with a tooltip if a fee payment is expected.
- Each time a payment is made, the system will calculate whether the fee cap has been reached and if so, it will automatically change the fee payment status of any remaining deferred exam requests to “Waived” if applicable.
- The Fee Payments page will show you a list of approved petitioned exam details with an associated fee payment status.
- You can filter the details by Payment Status or by Course. In the top right corner for each approved petition listed, there will be a “Payment Pending” status, and above that you will see a “PAY >” link that will allow you make a payment.
- The “PAY >>” link will navigate you to the review\checkout page so that you can review the approved petitioned exam request, including the fee.
- Click on the “Proceed to Payment >>” button to fill out your payment details.
If you are a student registered in another division for whom your home division has approved a petitioned exam for a Faculty of Arts & Science course, to pay the deferred exam fee(s):
- Log into the A&S Petitions System.
- Click the “Submit Payment” button located on the top right of the screen.
- A form will appear and all fields must be completed. There is a “Help Button” function that will provide information detailing what is required for each field. Once this information has been entered, review the details and make any changes if required. Click “Proceed” to move to the checkout and payment process.
- Please note that once payment has been made, this information will be verified against the information provided to the A&S Office of the Faculty Registrar by your home Division/Faculty.
- Click on the “Proceed to Payment” button where you will then enter your contact and payment details.
- Click the “Pay” button to complete the transaction and for successful payments, you will receive a payment confirmation that will be sent to the email address provided.