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The University’s expectations on this matter are articulated in the Policy on Scheduling of Classes and Examinations and Other Accommodations for Religious Observances.
As noted in the Policy, the University welcomes and includes students, staff, and faculty from a wide range of backgrounds, cultural traditions, and spiritual beliefs. The Policy includes the following provisions:
Please note that the obligation not to discriminate on the basis of religion (“creed”) is a statutory duty arising from the Ontario Human Rights Code. It carries with it the obligation to accommodate religious requirements where doing so does not cause undue hardship to the University. For example, accommodation normally requires that scheduled graded term work or tests conflicting with religious requirements be adjusted by providing similar evaluation on alternate dates.
Students who will miss an examination due to a religious observance should not normally be charged an examination deferral fee. However, all other normal examination deferral procedures should apply. With respect to minimum advance notice, the Policy provides that “Students have a responsibility to alert members of the teaching staff in a timely fashion to upcoming religious observances and anticipated absences.” Since students would normally be aware of upcoming religious observances as well as examination schedules in advance, a minimum of three weeks advance notice should be considered sufficient.
Letters/documentation from faith leaders to support requests for accommodation should not be requested. The University does not request this documentation because doing so would imply a potential assessment of the sincerity of the religious practice, and not all faith traditions necessitate involvement in an organized faith community.
The following are examples of requests that students may make to be excused from classes or examinations: Holy Days; on Fridays at 1:00 p.m. for Muslim community prayers; or on the Jewish Sabbath (one-and a-half hours before sunset Friday to one-and-a-half hours after sunset Saturday).
For assistance in interpreting the Policy and for support in the development of divisional or departmental procedures which are consistent with the Policy, please contact Meredith Strong, Director, Office of the Vice-Provost, Students & Student Policy Advisor at 416.978.4027 or meredith.strong@utoronto.ca.
For assistance in devising reasonable accommodations for religious observances and Holy Days, please contact Richard Chambers, Director, Multifaith Centre at 416.946.3119 or richard.chambers@utoronto.ca or the Anti-Racism and Cultural Diversity Officer at 416.978.1259 or antiracism@utoronto.ca.
The University’s expectations on this matter are articulated in the Policy on Scheduling of Classes and Examinations and Other Accommodations for Religious Observances.
Many of the relevant dates for the 2018-19 academic year are outlined in the table appended below. These dates are provided to assist instructors and those planning academic activities to anticipate when students might choose to seek accommodations for religious observances. Additional dates of religious observances may be found in the Interfaith Calendar.
It is important to note that there are many holy days associated with various faiths and that the absence of such dates on this list should not be interpreted to mean that there should be no accommodation for students who observe those holy days.
Finally, some observances are based on an interpretation of the lunar calendar, and thus may vary by one or two days depending upon the interpretation relevant to a student’s faith tradition.
For assistance in interpreting the Policy and for support in the development of divisional or departmental procedures which are consistent with the Policy, please contact Meredith Strong, Director, Office of the Vice-Provost, Students and Student Policy Advisor at 416-978-4027 or meredith.strong@utoronto.ca.
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May 2018 to June 2019 |
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| Ramadan* | Begins at sunset May 15, 2018 and ends on June 14, 2018. Muslims may fast from dawn to dusk, abstaining from food and drink. Examinations scheduled in the evening may pose a special burden. | |
| Shavuot | Begins at sunset on May 19, 2018 and ends at nightfall on May 21, 2018 | |
| Eid-al-Fitr* | Begins at sunset on June 14, 2018 and ends on June 15, 2018 | |
| National Indigenous Peoples Day | June 21, 2018 | |
| Tish’a B’av | Begins at sunset on July 21, 2018 and ends at nightfall on July 22, 2018 | |
| Eid-al-Adha* | Begins at sunset on August 21, 2018 and ends on August 25, 2018 | |
| Rosh Hashanah | Begins at sunset on September 9, 2018 and ends at nightfall on September 11, 2018 | |
| Yom Kippur | Begins at sunset on September 18, 2018 and ends at nightfall on September 19, 2018 | |
| First Two Days of Sukkot | Begins at sunset on September 23, 2018 and the second day ends at nightfall on September 25, 2018 | |
| Shemini Atzeret | Begins at sunset on September 30, 2018 and ends at nightfall on October 1, 2018 | |
| Simchat Torah | Begins at sunset on October 1, 2018 and ends at nightfall on October 2, 2018 | |
| Diwali | November 7, 2018 | |
| Hanukkah | Begins at sunset on December 2, 2018 and ends at nightfall on December 10, 2018 | |
| Epiphany | January 6, 2019 | |
| Feast of the Nativity(Orthodox) | January 7, 2019 | |
| Lunar New Year | February 5, 2019 | |
| Ash Wednesday | March 6, 2019 | |
| Purim | Begins at sunset on March 20, 2019 and ends at nightfall on March 21, 2019 | |
| Norooz | March 21, 2019 | |
| Maundy Thursday | April 18, 2019 | |
| First two days of Passover | Begins at sunset on April 19, 2019 and ends at nightfall on April 21, 2019 | |
| Last two days of Passover | Begins at sunset on April 25, 2019 and ends at nightfall on April 27, 2019 | |
| Holy Friday (Orthodox) | April 26, 2019 | |
| Easter (Orthodox) | April 28, 2019 | |
| Ramadan* | Begins at sunset on May 5, 2019 and ends on June 4, 2019. Muslims may fast from dawn to dusk, abstaining from food and drink. Examinations scheduled in the evening may pose a special burden. | |
| Eid-al-Fitr* | Begins at sunset on June 4, 2019 and ends at nightfall on June 7, 2019 | |
| Shavuot | Begins at sunset on June 8, 2019 and ends at nightfall on June 10, 2019 | |
| National Indigenous Peoples Day | June 21, 2019 | |
| * Some observances are based on the lunar calendar, and thus may vary by one or two days. ** Information regarding the Hajj Pilgrimage is articulated in Accommodation for the Hajj Pilgrimage. |
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Many of the relevant dates for the 2019-20 academic year are outlined in the table appended below. These dates are provided to assist instructors and those planning academic activities to anticipate when students might choose to seek accommodations for religious observances. Additional dates of religious observances may be found in the Interfaith Calendar.
It is important to note that there are many holy days associated with various faiths and that the absence of such dates on this list should not be interpreted to mean that there should be no accommodation for students who observe those holy days.
Finally, some observances are based on an interpretation of the lunar calendar, and thus may vary by one or two days depending upon the interpretation relevant to a student’s faith tradition.
For assistance in interpreting the Policy and for support in the development of divisional or departmental procedures which are consistent with the Policy, please contact Meredith Strong, Director, Office of the Vice-Provost, Students and Student Policy Advisor at 416-978-4027 or meredith.strong@utoronto.ca.
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May 2019 to June 2020 |
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| Ramadan* | Begins at sunset on May 5, 2019 and ends on June 4, 2019. Muslims may fast from dawn to dusk, abstaining from food and drink. Examinations scheduled in the evening may pose a special burden. | |
| Eid-al-Fitr* | Begins at sunset on June 4, 2019 and ends on June 7, 2019 | |
| Shavuot | Begins at sunset on June 8, 2019 and ends at nightfall on June 10, 2019 | |
| National Indigenous Peoples Day | June 21, 2019 | |
| Tish’a B’av | Begins at sunset on August 10, 2019 and ends at nightfall on August 11, 2019 | |
| Eid-al-Adha* | Begins at sunset on August 11, 2019 and ends on August 15, 2019 | |
| Rosh Hashanah | Begins at sunset on September 29, 2019 and ends on October 1, 2019 | |
| Yom Kippur | Begins at sunset on October 8, 2019 and ends on October 9, 2019 | |
| First Two Days of Sukkot | Begins at sunset on October 13, 2019 and the second day ends at nightfall on October 15, 2019 | |
| Shemini Atzeret | Begins at sunset on October 20, 2019 and ends at nightfall on October 21, 2019 | |
| Simchat Torah | Begins at sunset on October 21, 2019 and ends at nightfall on October 22, 2019 | |
| Diwali | October 27, 2019 | |
| Hanukkah | Begins at sunset on December 22, 2019 and ends at nightfall on December 30, 2019 | |
| Epiphany | January 6, 2020 | |
| Feast of the Nativity(Orthodox) | January 7, 2020 | |
| Lunar New Year | January 25, 2020 | |
| Ash Wednesday | February 26, 2020 | |
| Purim | Begins at sunset on March 9, 2020 and ends at nightfall on March 10, 2020 | |
| Norooz | March 20, 2020 | |
| First two days of Passover | Begins at sunset on April 8, 2020 and ends at nightfall on April 10, 2020 | |
| Maundy Thursday | April 9, 2020 | |
| Last two days of Passover | Begins at sunset on April 14, 2020 and ends at nightfall on April 16, 2020 | |
| Holy Friday (Orthodox) | April 17, 2020 | |
| Easter (Orthodox) | April 19, 2020 | |
| Ramadan* | Begins at sunset on April 23, 2020 and ends on May 23, 2020. Muslims may fast from dawn to dusk, abstaining from food and drink. Examinations scheduled in the evening may pose a special burden. | |
| Eid-al-Fitr* | Begins at sunset on May 23, 2020 and ends on May 26, 2020 | |
| Shavuot | Begins at sunset on May 28, 2020 and ends at nightfall on May 30, 2020 | |
| National Indigenous Peoples Day | June 21, 2020 | |
| * Some observances are based on the lunar calendar, and thus may vary by one or two days. ** Information regarding the Hajj Pilgrimage is articulated in Accommodation for the Hajj Pilgrimage. |
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The Hajj is a once-in-a-lifetime Pilgrimage to Mecca for some Muslims. As the Islamic calendar is based on the lunar cycle, the dates for the month of Dhu al-Hijjah change each year. Because the month must begin and end on sighting of the moon, the estimated dates for the Hajj over the next two years are as follows:
While the pilgrimage itself last only a limited number of days, pilgrims travel as a group and most groups leave a minimum of two weeks in advance in order to complete related obligations. The early departure means that students would likely have to leave at a time that may affect a number of academic activities. Furthermore, because of the dates being fixed for the entire group, there is often very little flexibility.
The Policy provides that “It is the policy of the University of Toronto to arrange reasonable accommodation of the needs of students who observe religious holy days other than those already accommodated by ordinary scheduling and statutory holidays.” While the Hajj is a once-in-a-lifetime obligation, there are several related factors that may compel our students to make the decision to attend to that rite of passage in any particular year and/or at a time that conflicts with a scheduled academic events or activities. These issues pertain to their potential need to accompany family members on this journey, as well as issues of financial ability.
It is not the University’s role to pass judgment of the necessity of students to partake in an activity that may be central to their faith, but rather to help determine what would comprise reasonable accommodation without causing undue hardship to the activities of the institution. With respect to final exams, the customary practice is to allow for exams to be deferred until the next exam period. Students should be encouraged to make the request through their college or divisional offices.
In relation to accommodations required for students who will miss an examination due to a religious observance, an examination deferral fee should not normally be charged. However, all other normal examination deferral procedures should normally apply. With respect to minimum advance notice, the Policy provides that “Students have a responsibility to alert members of the teaching staff in a timely fashion to upcoming religious observances and anticipated absences.” Since students would normally be aware of upcoming religious observances as well as examination schedules in advance, a minimum of three weeks advance notice should be considered sufficient.
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