Using the ACORN Absence Declaration Tool (ADT) for Academic Consideration Requests

You may use the ACORN Absence Declaration Tool to support your request for academic consideration in your courses. The tool can be used to declare an absence once per academic term (e.g., the fall term) for a maximum period of seven (7) consecutive calendar days. The ACORN Absence Declaration Tool cannot be used to seek academic consideration for any matters that requires a petition such as missing a final exam or final assessment. Ensure that you check if your division uses the ACORN Absence Declaration Tool for academic consideration first.

What is the ACORN Absence Declaration Tool?

If you are or will be temporarily absent from your studies and need academic consideration for a missed academic obligation (e.g., test, quiz, paper), you can formally declare your absence in ACORN by using the ACORN Absence Declaration Tool. If you are enrolled in an academic division (faculty or campus) that participates, you can access the tool in ACORN under the Profile and Settings menu.

The ACORN Absence Declaration Tool helps you create an official record of your absence that is used to support a request for academic consideration in your courses, without the need to present additional supporting documentation.

Academic consideration is the process of granting a student an academically appropriate exception in a course for not having met an academic obligation by request with their instructor or academic division. Academic obligations include but are not limited to in-class assessments such as: quizzes, tests, papers, or lab reports. The process of academic consideration is outlined by a student’s home academic division.

Please note: submitting an absence declaration through ACORN does not start the process of academic consideration. It is the student’s responsibility to arrange for academic consideration with the appropriate contacts (e.g., instructor) by following instructions provided by the course syllabus, or by their home academic division’s procedures for absence reporting and academic consideration. 

Students who submit a record of their absence created by the ACORN Absence Declaration Tool should expect to receive reasonable academic consideration from their instructor without the need to present any additional supporting documentation.

What can I declare an absence for?

Which circumstances qualify?

The ACORN Absence Declaration Tool is intended to be used for the following circumstances: 

  • A health condition or injury (e.g., illness, physical injury, mental health issue, scheduled surgery)
  • A personal or family emergency (e.g., an unanticipated and unavoidable familial incident beyond your control)
  • Bereavement (e.g., the death of a student’s immediate family member or close friend)

Which circumstances do not qualify?

The ACORN Absence Declaration Tool is not intended to be used for the following circumstances:

  • Personal social obligations 
  • Travel not related to your academic program
  • Technological issues
  • Avoiding deadlines or tests:
    • Developing good study habits and strong time management skills are important for staying productive and not falling behind. A learning strategist or academic mentor can help students create a personalized plan for academic success.  
    • Stress can also be a contributing factor and students should seek support from on-campus and community resources by referring to the Well-Being Support tab (located in the Health & Wellness section, under the purple Life ribbon) in ACORN. 

If you will be absent due to any of the following circumstances and require academic consideration, check with your divisional registrar’s office for existing processes: 

You can find support from your divisional registrar’s office if you are unsure of what resources are available.

How do I declare my absence?

The way in which you report your short-term absence depends on your academic division (faculty or campus). Some divisions use the Absence Declaration tool in ACORN, while others have their own specific procedures for seeking academic consideration outside of the tool. 

See the Divisional Procedures section below for a list of participating academic divisions.

Alternatively, login to ACORN and click the Profile & Settings tab. Next, click on the ‘Display and update absence declarations’ link.

For academic divisions that do use the tool:

  • You will have the ability to declare your absence in ACORN. 
  • Proceed to Step Two, and use ACORN to declare your absence.

For academic divisions that do not use the tool:  

  • You will see a message that states: “You cannot declare absences as your division does not allow absence declarations via ACORN.” 
  • Consult your Divisional Procedures for additional next steps for absences or academic consideration. 

If you have completed Step One, and your division participates in the ACORN Absence Declaration Tool, you can follow the instructions in ACORN to declare your absence.

  1. The ACORN Absence Declaration Tool requires you to select the course(s) you plan to seek academic consideration for.  
  1. You may provide the email address for your course contact(s) listed by your course syllabus or division’s website (e.g., instructor, TA, advisor).  
  1. A record of the absence is sent to the email(s) that you provide at the time of submission, and a receipt of the absence declaration is also sent to your University of Toronto email address. 

Note: Submitting an absence declaration through ACORN does not start the process of academic consideration on its own. It is your responsibility to arrange for academic consideration by following instructions provided by the course syllabus, or by your home academic division’s procedures for absences or academic consideration. 

After you have used the Absence Declaration Tool in ACORN to declare your absence, ensure that you do the following: 

  • Check your U of T email address for the ACORN Absence Declaration receipt  
    Once submitted, a receipt for the absence declaration will be sent to your U of T email address as well as to email addresses you provided in the declaration. You can also view and print a record of absences that you have declared during the current academic term in ACORN at any time.   
  • Arrange for academic consideration 
    Follow the instructions outlined in your course syllabus, or by your home academic division’s procedures and make your academic consideration request with the appropriate contact(s). For example: email your professor, notify them of your absence declaration sent to them through ACORN, then make your academic consideration request for missed academic work. 
  • Reach out to your divisional registrar’s office at any point if you need support with reporting your absence or seeking academic consideration. 

Limitations of the ACORN Absence Declaration Tool

The ACORN Absence Declaration Tool has specific limits for how you can use it to report your short-term absence. Review the restrictions for declaring your absence in ACORN:

Once you have declared an absence, you will be restricted from using the ACORN Absence Declaration Tool to report any further absences in the current term. The term duration is defined by your home academic division (e.g., the start and end of classes). If you need clarification on term dates, please see your academic division’s published academic dates.  
 
More than one short-term absence to declare in the current term 
For any additional absences, you will need to:  

  • Follow the instructions outlined in your course syllabus, or by your home academic division’s procedures and make your academic consideration request with the appropriate contact(s). 
  •  You may be asked to provide supporting documentation such as the verification of illness form (VOI). 

You may use the ACORN Absence Declaration Tool to declare an absence for a maximum period of seven (7) consecutive calendar days. The seven-day declaration period can be retroactive for up to six (6) days in the past, or proactive, up to six (6) days in the future.  
 
An absence declaration longer than seven (7) consecutive days will not be accepted by the ACORN Absence Declaration Tool.  
 
Please contact your divisional registrar’s office for assistance should you wish to record an absence for a longer period. 

The ACORN Absence Declaration Tool cannot be used to seek academic consideration for any matters that requires a petition such as missing a final exam or final assessment.

If you need academic consideration or have a concern about a final examination or final assessment, please refer to your academic division’s website on petitions or contact your divisional registrar’s office for assistance.

Note: Your academic division may impose additional restrictions for using the Absence Declaration Tool for in-class assessments that do not require a petition. Please contact your divisional registrar’s office for more information about additional restrictions.

Canceling a submission 

After an absence declaration is submitted in ACORN it cannot be cancelled.  

Modifying a submission 

If you are trying to correct information in the declaration, you can modify the absence declaration until the end of the submission day (11:59PM EST). You can update the absence end date, courses selected, notes, and email addresses within this period.  

If you are seeking to cancel or modify an absence declaration submission after this period, please contact your divisional registrar’s office. 

Note: Modifying a submission will resend it to the email(s) that you provided.  

Dual Registration

If you are a student registered in two academic divisions (e.g., dual degree) the ACORN Absence Declaration Tool cannot be used to declare your absence. You will be directed to contact your registrar’s office for next steps on how to declare an absence.