Academic Petitions

If an academic petition is appropriate for your situation, review the following information before opening the form.

Important: Financial Aid and Program Impacts

Changes requested through an academic petition, such as changes to your course load or enrolment status, may affect your current or future eligibility for student financial assistance, including OSAP. A petition may also affect your academic progress and proram completion.

Before submitting your petition, you are strongly encouraged to consult with:

• the Financial Aid Office at finaid@nipissingu.ca to understand the possible impact on your current or future funding; and

• Academic Advising at advising@nipissingu.ca to understand the possible impact on your academic progress and program completion.

Consulting these offices before submitting can help you make an informed decision and avoid unexpected financial or academic impacts.

Gather all relevant documentation electronically before opening the Academic Petition Form. Documents must be uploaded when you submit the form.

Accepted file types: Word, PDF, GIF, JPG, JPEG and PNG.

Once the form is submitted, uploaded documents cannot be changed or removed due to system limitations.

What Your Documentation Must Show

Your documentation must:

• support the extenuating circumstances described in your personal letter;
• cover the relevant timeframe; and
• demonstrate the nature and impact of the circumstances.

Documentation should come from a third party whenever possible.

Examples of Supporting Documentation

A third party is someone other than you who has direct or professional knowledge of your circumstances. Submit only documentation relevant to your petition.

Examples may include:

• Medical circumstances: A completed Attending Physician’s Statement confirming the medical circumstances, relevant dates and impact. This form is required for petitions based on medical grounds.
• Mental health or counselling circumstances: The required form or a letter from a counsellor or clinician confirming the relevant dates and impact on your studies.
• Accessibility-related circumstances: Documentation from Student Accessibility Services or a registered professional confirming the circumstances and relevant timeframe.
• Academic Advising: Emails, appointment confirmation, course plans or follow-up notes relevant to your request.
• Bereavement: An obituary, death notice, funeral program or other documentation confirming the loss and date.
• Unexpected financial hardship: Documents confirming an unexpected or significant change in your financial circumstances.
• Legal or safety-related circumstances: Police reports, court documents or documentation from a legal, safety or victim-support service.
• Caregiving responsibilities: Documentation from a healthcare provider, social worker or other professional confirming your caregiving responsibilities and the relevant timeframe.
• Other circumstances: A letter from a social worker, case manager, employer or other professional who can confirm the circumstances, dates and impact.

Documentation must do more than confirm that an event occurred. Where possible, it should also help explain when it occurred and how it affected your ability to meet your academic obligations.

Important: Your petition may not be reviewed without appropriate supporting documentation. It is your responsibility to submit all documentation required for your request. Petitions that remain incomplete will be closed after 30 days and may be resubmitted once all documentation is available.

All academic petitions must include a personal letter. Include your full name and student number and organize your letter under these two headings:

1. Regulation(s) Being Petitioned

Clearly explain:

• the university regulation, policy, rule or deadline from which you are requesting an exception;
• the exception or outcome you are requesting; and
• the applicable term, course code and section.

2. Extenuating Circumstance(s)

Clearly explain:

• what happened;
• when it happened;
• how the circumstances were beyond your control; and
• how they affected your studies or ability to meet the regulation, policy, rule or deadline.

If you are requesting to withdraw from some, but not all, courses in a term or session, explain why only certain courses were affected and provide supporting documentation.

Include a list of the supporting documents submitted with your petition.

Depending on the type of petition, you may need to submit an additional form or recommendation:

• Medical circumstances: A completed Attending Physician’s Statement is required.
• Mental health or accessibility circumstances: The appropriate Mental Health & Wellbeing or Student Accessibility Services form is required.
• Late registration: A completed Late Registration Form with the course instructor’s approval is required.
• Exception to program requirements: A recommendation from the appropriate academic department is required.
• BScN-RPN Bridging applicants: Additional petition and consent form requirements may apply. See BScN-RPN Bridging Applicants below.

Link each form name directly to the form.

Applicants who have previously been unsuccessful (or asked to withdraw) from a BScN program within the last 5 years must submit:

• A petition outlining the extenuating circumstances that affected their performance and the steps taken to ensure future success in Nipissing’s BScN Program.
• A Consent for Release of Information Form to authorize the institution where the applicant was previously registered in a BScN program to release any relevant misconduct and/or clinical performance information to Nipissing University.

A confirmation will be sent to your Nipissing University student email account after your Academic Petition Form is submitted.

If additional information is required, you will be contacted by email.

Receiving Your Decision

Please allow two weeks for your petition result to be processed.

Once a decision is available:

1. Sign in to WebAdvisor.
2. Go to Communication and select Other Correspondence.
3. Select the appropriate petition item.
4. Click Submit to view your petition request and decision.

All academic petition decisions are final and cannot be appealed.

Use the links below to access the petition form and any additional forms required for your request:

• Academic Petition Form
  Use this form to submit an academic petition and upload your personal letter, supporting documentation and any additional required forms.

• Personal Letter (mandatory)
  All academic petitions must include a personal letter. See Prepare Your Personal Letter above for instructions about what to include.

• Attending Physician's Statement
  Required for petitions submitted on medical grounds. This form must be completed and signed by your physician.

• Mental Health & Wellbeing and Student Accessibility Services Form
  Required if your petition is related to support received through Mental Health & Wellbeing or Student Accessibility Services. This form must be completed and signed by the appropriate counsellor.

• Late Registration Form
  Required if you are requesting to register in a course after the last date to add the course has passed. Instructor approval is required.

• RPN-BScN Bridging (Blended Delivery) Program Consent for Release of Information Form
  Required for applicants who were unsuccessful or asked to withdraw from a BScN program within the last 5 years. This form authorizes the previous institution to release relevant misconduct and/or clinical performance information to Nipissing University.

If you have questions about academic petitions or are unable to use the online Academic Petition Form, contact petitions@nipissingu.ca for assistance.

When necessary, academic petitions and supporting documentation may be accepted by email at petitions@nipissingu.ca.

Please ensure your contact information is current in WebAdvisor so you receive important communications about your petition.