Academic Appeals

To submit an appeal to the Senate Committee on Student Petitions: students must submit a completed Student Petition Form and a copy of the original decision letter to judicial@uoguelph.ca within 10 working days from the date of the decision letter. To receive a Student Petition Form, email Student Judicial Services at judicial@uoguelph.ca

General Appeal Information

Students have the ability to appeal the following decisions:

The Committee also has jurisdiction to review and make decisions regarding student requests to expunge records of academic misconduct no sooner than five years after the date of last registration, as well as, review and make recommendations to the President regarding student requests to expunge records of expulsion.

The grounds on which students can base their appeal are:

  • The decision was unreasonable based on the evidence before the original decision-maker;
  • New evidence is available that was not available at the time of the original decision; or
  • There was procedural unfairness or bias.

Please review Chapter VIII of the Undergraduate Calendar or Chapter II of the Graduate Calendar for more information regarding academic appeals or visit our Helpful Resources for Academic Appeals page for additional resources.

Submitting An Academic Appeal

After reviewing the information included in the Undergraduate and Graduate Calendar, and the information on this website, if you believe that you have grounds for your appeal, email Student Judicial Services at judicial@uoguelph.ca with your request to appeal within 10 working days from the date you received the original decision (typically via email). Please note that disagreeing with a policy or decision, or being disappointed that your request was not granted, is not of itself grounds for an appeal. Please review the information in the calendar and the website to prepare your grounds for appeal. Your email to the Student Judicial Services must include your full name, your contact information, your degree program, and the nature of your appeal (see the categories below). The Governance and Judicial Officer will be in touch with you via your uoguelph email account to provide you with information on what documentation is required to submit an appeal.

Appeal Process

Once a staff member of Student Judicial Services has reviewed your Student Petition form and supporting documentation for completeness, those materials are sent to the college/ university representative who provided the original decision you are appealing for a response. Once the response is received by Student Judicial Services, a copy of that response is provided to you to review prior to the hearing. At this time, Student Judicial Services will begin the process of scheduling your hearing, unless you have requested a written hearing, in which case you will have the opportunity to submit a written reply to the response from the representative. Please see below for more detailed information regarding oral and written hearings.

Approximate appeal timeline:

Please note: this is only an approximate timeline, how long an appeal takes to process is dependent on the specific circumstances of the appeal and how long each party takes to submit their materials
  • Student Submissions - 4 weeks
    • Students are given 10 working days to submit their initial appeal materials, followed by an additional 10 working days to submit any supporting documentation.
  • Student Judicial Services review and student revisions - 1-2 weeks
    • Once the student has submitted all material to Student Judicial Services those materials are reviewed for completeness by a staff member of Student Judicial Services. If the materials are completed properly, the student moves to the next stage. If the materials are incomplete, the student is given an additional 5 working days to revise their materials as necessary.
  • Respondent's Submissions - 2 weeks
    • Once the student has submitted their completed appeal materials, those materials are sent to the original decision-maker to review and respond to the appeal explaining why the original decision was made and, if new evidence has been provided, whether or not that new evidence would have impacted the original decision.
  • Written Hearing - Student Reply - 1 week
    • If the student has selected a written hearing, the student is then provided with 5 working days to reply in writing to the response submitted by the Respondent.
  • Scheduling a hearing - 2-3 weeks
    • If the student has selected an oral hearing, the hearing is scheduled following the receipt of the response from the Respondent. If the student has selected a written hearing, the hearing is scheduled following the receipt of the written reply from the student. Scheduling a hearing is dependent on the availability of the Senate Committee on Student Petitions, as well, must provide ample time for all attendees to prepare for the hearing.
  • Decision letter - 1-2 weeks
    • The final decision of the Senate Committee on Student Petitions is communicated to all parties in writing within 1-2 weeks of the hearing.

overall process timeline: 2.5-3 months

Your Hearing

You may request an oral hearing or a written hearing, but the Committee on Student Petitions makes the final decision on the format of the hearing.

Oral Hearings

You and the college/ university representative (who provided the decision you are appealing) attend in person. You and the representative will each have the opportunity to present your cases, and ask and answer questions.

Information on oral hearings:

  • You may bring a support person which can be a family member, a friend, or a lawyer to provide either moral support or to assist you in the presentation of your appeal. You need to let the Judicial Office know in advance if you are bringing a support person.
  • The Committee members will introduce themselves to you and the chair will introduce you and the college representative to the Committee.
  • You will be asked to present your case. If you have asked to bring a witness who can bring evidence that directly bears on your appeal, you, the college/ university representative or the Committee members may question him/ her at this time.
  • The college/ university representative and Committee members will have an opportunity to ask you questions.
  • The college/ university representative will be asked to respond to your presentation of your appeal.
  • You and the committee members will have an opportunity to ask questions of the college/ university representative and his/ her response to the presentation of your case.
  • You will be asked if you have any final comments you would like to share with the Committee.
  • The college/university representative will be asked if he/she has any final comments to share with the Committee.

Written Hearings

The Petitions Committee will make its decision solely on the materials submitted by you and by the college or university representative. You and the college/ university representative will not be present.

The exchange between you and the college/ university representative is open and transparent. You and the representative receive copies of each other’s petitions materials prior to the hearing. This allows you and the representative the opportunity to respond to each other’s submissions.

The Decision

The Committee will make a decision on your petition immediately following the hearing. You, the college/ university representative, any witnesses, and any resource people will be dismissed so that the Committee can meet in closed session to deliberate.

The decision of the Petitions Committee will be sent to you by email to your University of Guelph email address.

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