Petition Type: Term Work Extension

You are expected to submit course work, such as assignments, essays and final assessments, by the deadline set by your instructor. If you miss a course work deadline or term test, refer to your course syllabus and follow any late submission or missed test guidelines set out by your instructor. Your instructor, at their discretion, can grant an extension of up to five business days after the exam period. If you contact your instructor after the assignment deadline or test, do not expect to receive an extension. Make sure to contact your instructor about your issue as soon as possible and before the assignment deadline or test and provide appropriate documentation.

You should not expect to receive consideration from your instructor if you raise the issue after the assignment deadline or test and the issue was foreseeable, or if you don't provide appropriate documentation. You are always expected to raise the issue with your instructor as soon as possible before the assignment deadline or test.

If you need an extension beyond the five business days after the exam period, you will have to submit a term work extension petition. Discuss a proposed deadline with your instructor before submitting a term work extension petition. Through this petition type, you are requesting to complete the course work after the original deadline and after any extensions permitted by the instructor.

The petitions unit will consult with the academic unit to determine the outcome. Depending on the outcome of the petition, the instructor or the academic unit may change the method of evaluation. You should be prepared for different methods of evaluation or reweighing of other term work. 

When a term work extension petition has been granted for work in a course, a notation of “SDF” (standing deferred) is placed on your transcript in place of a final mark.

The Faculty of Arts & Science reserves the right to limit registration or course load in a subsequent session for students who have outstanding academic obligations from a previous term. If you find yourself in this situation, you are strongly encouraged to seek academic advising from your College Registrar’s Office.

Deadline to Submit a Term Work Extension Petition

The deadline to submit a term work extension petition is five business days after the end of the final exam period for the term in which you took this course. If you are unable to collect supporting documentation by the deadline, you can submit it up to three weeks after the petition is submitted.

Personal Statement for a Term Work Extension Petition

In addition to the recommendations listed in Preparing a Petition, your personal statement should explain what circumstances prevented you from completing your course work by the deadline provided by your instructor, including: 

  • Whether you sought academic consideration from your instructor(s) during the term. Explain why or why not. If you requested an extension, explain the outcome. Did the instructor grant an extension?
  • Your level of engagement in the course. This includes any reweighing of missed work. Provide a breakdown of the grades received in the course. 
  • Include a reasonable expected submission date on which you will submit your term work. 
  • If your extenuating circumstances are ongoing, explain why other petition types (such as WDR) were not appropriate. Explain how you plan to successfully submit the term work considering how much time has passed since the original deadline.
  • If you have a CGPA of less than 1.50, provide an academic plan for the term to explain how you plan to complete the outstanding work and successfully manage your workload. 
  • If the date of the supporting documentation does not match up with the time of absence, explain why. For example, if you are seeking an extension for term work that was due in February, but your Verification of Illness or Injury (VOI) form shows that you were absent in January, explain why you do not have documentation dated in February.
  • If you do not have documentation to support certain information reported in your personal statement, be sure to explain why such documentation could not be obtained. 
  • If your petition is being submitted after the deadline for a term work extension petition, provide all relevant information as to why it is being submitted late. More information can be found in Preparing a Petition.

The details referenced above must be provided, where relevant, for each piece of term work for which an extension is requested. 

Supporting Documentation for a Term Work Extension Petition 

In addition to the guidelines listed in Preparing a Petition, you must submit documentation that supports the information provided in your personal statement. For example, a term work extension petition should include supporting documentation explaining the reason for missing the test or term work deadline. Your supporting documentation should also support your requested submission date.

In addition to the supporting documentation you provide, the faculty will review other relevant documentation it has access to, such as your marks breakdown for the relevant course(s) and your academic transcript. They may also contact your college or course instructor for further information.