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Appeals Process

Students can appeal decisions about academic misconduct only under certain circumstances.

Academic Appeal (Undergraduate) [Policy] [Procedures]

If you signed an Agreement on a Lesser Academic Offence, then you have agreed that you committed the offence and that you accept the sanction. In this circumstance, you are not able to appeal the decision.

If you did not sign the Agreement on a Lesser Academic Offence or if you received a sanction for a Major Academic Misconduct, then you have the right to appeal any decision. However, you are only allowed to appeal under certain conditions. Your appeal must be submitted within 10 working days of the original faculty-level decision. Appeals can only be made based on:

  • New evidence (i.e., evidence relevant to the decision made at the faculty level, but through no fault of the appellant (i.e., the student) not presented at that level. Generally speaking, events or academic performance that happened after the faculty-level decision is not considered new evidence); or
  • Evidence of procedural irregularity in the original consideration of the case (i.e., a mistake may have been made).

Your appeal must contain:

  • The specific decision which is being appealed;
  • The form of redress requested (i.e., how could the incorrect decision be remedied);
  • The specific grounds on which the appeal is made (i.e., is there new evidence or was there a procedural error);
  • A summary of the evidence in support of these grounds (i.e., what is the new evidence or what was the procedural error);
  • The complete text of the decision being appealed (i.e., the paragraph or wording from the decision letter); and
  • The text of the relevant procedural regulations (if any) allegedly violated or otherwise deemed applicable to the case.

The student will be given 10 working days from the date of the decision to gather new evidence and to submit a letter of appeal to the Academic Appeals Committee. Under normal circumstances, disciplinary penalties will not be imposed before an appeal is decided, nor will official transcripts be issued. Formal registration may be revoked. A student may apply to the Dean for continued attendance in classes and related activities while the appeal is being heard. If the appeal is granted, formal registration will be reinstated.

How long does the appeal process take?

The length of the appeals process depends on the nature of the case (i.e., a complicated case may take longer to resolve than a straightforward one), if the appeal is presented in person or on paper (i.e., an in person appeal may take longer because a meeting time with the whole committee will need to be found), how much evidence needs to be collected, and so on. Every case is different.