Deferred examinations are allowed in the following circumstances: illness, domestic affliction and religious conviction. Students who submit a final examination for marking may not subsequently request a deferred final examination. Lack of writing a final examination does not guarantee approval of a deferred examination. Travel arrangements and misreading of the Examinations Timetable are not valid reasons for requesting a deferred examination.
The authority to grant or deny a deferred final examination is vested with the associate dean of the faculty in which the course is offered or Enrolment Services. The Application for Deferred Final Examinations form is available on the web () and at Enrolment Services. Deferred final examinations will not be granted if it is determined that just cause is not shown by the student.
Students who have three final examinations within 24 hours will be allowed, at their request, to defer one examination to the deferred examination period.
If during the course of an examination a student becomes ill or receives word of domestic affliction, the student should report at once to the supervisor, hand in the unfinished paper and request that it be cancelled. If physical and/or emotional ill-health is the cause, the student must report at once to a physician/counsellor so that subsequent application for a deferred examination is supported by a completed Physician/Counsellor Statement form. Students can consult professionals at University Health Services or Counselling Services or consult their physician/counsellor in the community.
All requests for deferral of a final examination due to health reasons must be accompanied by a completed Physician/Counsellor Statement form. Letters from a physician/counsellor in lieu of a Physician/Counsellor Statement form will not be accepted. Students should be aware that there may be a charge for the medical assessment and documentation and they are responsible for the cost of this service.
In the event of an intended absence due to religious conviction, domestic affliction, or health reasons which makes it physically impossible to write an examination, an Application for Deferred Final Examinations form accompanied by written evidence must be submitted to the appropriate faculty office or Enrolment Services.
Students absent from a final examination due to unforeseen reasons must notify the appropriate faculty office or Enrolment Services no later than two business days after the missed final examination and apply for a deferred final exam as soon as they are able. Students who are eligible but do not apply for a deferred final examination by this prescribed deadline will not be granted an approved deferred final examination.
Deferred final examinations are scheduled by the Registrar and a timetable will be made available on the web () a week prior to the deferred examination period. Students writing a deferred final examination must consult this timetable to determine the exact date and time of their deferred examination.
A deferred final examination question paper will differ in content (to the extent possible) from the regular final examination and may not necessarily be of the same format as the regular final examination.
Students in their graduating year who write Winter Term deferred final examinations may not graduate until the following convocation ceremony in November.
Writing a deferred final examination may affect eligibility for certain undergraduate awards.
Academic Regulations