Microsoft 365 Licensing – Exceptions policy


Introduction

The University of Toronto (U of T) provides all community members with access to a Microsoft 365 toolkit. These toolkits give staff, students and faculty access to core Microsoft applications such as Outlook email and calendaring, in addition to a range of other Microsoft 365 applications.   

U of T uses a Microsoft licensing model to grant access to Microsoft 365 products automatically: the license provisioned to an individual user is determined by their official employee and/or student database records. However, sometimes a U of T community member may require access to a Microsoft product outside of their toolkit. In these instances, IT support staff should submit an exceptions request form on behalf of the individual. Exceptions requests must be submitted through divisional IT teams to be considered. Individuals who submit their own requests will be redirected to their divisional IT office.

Please review the rest of this knowledge article to learn more about the exceptions request policy. For an overview of the licensing model and which tools are included in each toolkit, please review these knowledge articles:

Note: The exceptions request form should only be used for tools that are included in an existing Microsoft 365 toolkit (e.g. Bookings). It should not be used for non-toolkit Microsoft tools that require additional subscription fees (e.g. Microsoft Projects).  

Exceptions policy

If you require access to an advanced administrative tool that is not included in your toolkit, your local IT support staff are required to fill out an exceptions request form on your behalf. If approved, IT will change your license assignment so that you may access the required tool(s). 

Exceptions requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. The approval of an exceptions request is contingent on the business use case submitted as part of the exceptions request form. Only business use cases that are relevant to the duties associated with an individual's role at the University will be considered. Personal use cases are not considered valid reasons for license reassignments. 

Please note that individuals’ employee and/or student database records must accurately reflect their relationship to the University. Falsification of information so that community members may obtain access to additional Microsoft tools is not permitted.  

Exceptions request form

The exceptions request form will ask for the following information:

  1. Request owner: The name of the IT support staff member submitting the request. Note: Only requests submitted by IT staff will be considered; please work with your divisional IT office on your request.
  2. Submitted on behalf of: The name of the individual who requires the exception.
  3. Microsoft tool(s) the requester requires access to: List the Microsoft tool(s) the individual requires access to.
  4. Business use case: Describe why the individual needs access to the identified Microsoft tool(s) as part of their role with the University.
  5. Additional notes: Include any additional information that may be relevant to the exceptions request.

Once submitted, the Microsoft 365 exceptions team will review the request and inform the individual's divisional IT team of the decision.

Access the exceptions request form here: Microsoft 365 Licensing - Exception Request