Academic Petitions and Appeals

Students can petition an existing Schulich regulation, an academic decision, or a Required Withdrawal from their program.

Each petition must clearly outline the request and provide proof of extenuating circumstances. Petitions are reviewed by the Student Affairs Committee.

It is strongly recommended that students schedule an advising appointment before submitting their petition.

Petitions will be considered for rare and unforeseen extenuating circumstances. These are for conditions that could not have been predicted or anticipated.

The Student Affairs Committee (SAC) is comprised of faculty and students with oversight provided by the Student Academic Services Coordinator and the Director, Student & Enrolment Services.

Based on the nature of the request, some petitions may be seen by the SAC Sub-Committee resulting in a shorter review period.

Prior to submitting a grade appeal, students should first attempt to resolve final grade disagreements with their instructor.

If a resolution with the instructor is not possible, a student may appeal to the Schulich Appeals Officer through the Office of the Associate Dean, Academic, to have a grade changed on the following grounds only:

1. A clerical error has resulted in a miscalculation of the grade.
2. A computational grade awarded did not fairly reflect the student’s academic performance according to the grading system used by the instructor.

In the case of #2, the student needs to submit as part of the appeal a compelling argument why they think the grading is unfair or, if grading is relative in the course or assignment under dispute, inconsistent with that of his/her peers.

Complete and submit the Grade Appeal Form online.

Grade appeal decisions are final and can result in an increase, decrease or no change to the final grade. The Student Affairs Committee does not review grade appeals.

It is strongly recommended that you speak with an academic advisor.

Undergraduate students: Schedule an appointment using the online booking system.

Graduate students: Schedule an appointment using the online booking system and select “Petitions” from the Service drop-down menu.

Access the Undergraduate Academic Petition Form here.

Access the Graduate Academic Petition Form here.

For petitions relating to the PhD program, please consult Audaisha Franks, Student Academic Services Coordinator at petitions@schulich.yorku.ca for the appropriate form and to discuss options.

You will need to submit the following:

1. An Academic Petition Form
2. A personal letter clearly stating:
   • The regulation(s) being petitioned
   • The circumstances or grounds for the petition
   • An action plan (if applicable), outlining the steps you will take to improve academic performance or avoid similar circumstances in the future
3. Supporting documentation (if applicable) that supports the explanation provided in your personal letter.

It can take 3 to 6 weeks to receive a decision. Once a decision has been made regarding your petition, you will be notified by email, sent directly to your Schulich email address. You should not assume that submitting a petition will result in a positive outcome.

Students may appeal decisions made by the Student Affairs Committee or Office of the Associate Dean, Academic (grade appeals) to the Appeals Officer of the Executive Committee of the Schulich Faculty Council within fourteen (14) calendar days of receipt of the decision.

Please note that appeals will only be heard by Executive Committee if specific grounds are met.

Appeals of petition decisions or grade appeals will be permitted only on the following grounds:

a) The decision under appeal was made without jurisdiction

b) A denial of natural justice, such as (but not limited to) a reasonable apprehension of bias on the part of the original decision maker(s) or a fundamental procedural error

c) Inconsistent application of the relevant regulations

d) New evidence has arisen that could not reasonably have been presented, and that would have likely affected the original decision

The Executive Committee Appeal form can be found in the Undergraduate Academic Forms Database or the Graduate Academic Forms Database located on your MySchulich Student Portal.

You must submit your appeal to the Executive Committee within 14 days of receiving the petition decision.

Complete an Executive Committee Appeal form, found in the Undergraduate Academic Forms Database or the Graduate Academic Forms Database located on your MySchulich Student Portal.

The application for leave to appeal should contain:

• a succinct statement of the grounds on which the applicant intends to rely
• a summary of the evidence to be relied upon
• all relevant supporting documentation

Petitions denied by the Executive Committee may be appealed to the Senate Appeals Committee within 30 days. Learn more here.