If you miss a deferred exam, you will receive a mark of zero for that exam. In exceptional circumstances, you may submit a request to petition for a re-deferred exam. It is rare that a re-deferred exam petition is granted.
Your request to re-defer your final exam must be due to extenuating circumstances outside of your control. Personal travel plans during the exam period or not feeling adequately prepared to write the exam are not valid reasons for a re-deferred exam petition. If you have a required surgery scheduled at the same time as a deferred exam, you may submit a re-deferred exam petition in advance of the exam.
If your petition for a re-deferred exam is granted, your re-deferred exam may be scheduled during a future final exam period. You are strongly encouraged to reduce your course load by the credit value of your deferred exam(s) during that session to help you prepare.
You must seek academic advising support from your College Registrar’s Office for any re-deferral requests.
When a deferred exam petition is granted, your academic record in ACORN will show a standing deferred (SDF) notation for that course until your exam marks have been uploaded.
Deadline to Submit a Re-deferred Exam Petition
The deadline to submit a re-deferred exam petition is three business days after the deferred exam date. If your exam is within the last three days of the December exam period, the days within the holiday break are not considered business days. Check the Academic Dates & Deadlines page for other petition deadlines.
If you submit your petition late, it will be denied unless your personal statement includes compelling reasons for the delay. Documentation supporting the reason(s) you provide must also be included in your petition. If it is determined that your reason for submitting the petition late does not justify the delay or that the reason provided is not sufficiently supported by documentation, your petition will not be granted.
Personal Statement for Re-deferred Exam Petitions
In addition to the recommendations listed in Preparing a Petition, your personal statement should explain what circumstances caused you to miss or will cause you to miss the deferred exam.
In addition, the following information should be addressed in your personal statement, if relevant to your petition:
- Why you were unable to write the deferred/re-deferred exam
- If you wrote any other exams on the day of or around the missed deferred exam, explain why you were able to write those exams.
- Did you reach out for support (e.g. from your instructor, advisor or other staff member) related to the reasons you missed the re-deferred exam? If you did not seek out any support, explain why.
- Your level of engagement in the course. This includes any re-weighing of missed work. Provide a breakdown of the grades received in the course.
- If the date of the supporting documentation does not match up with the time of absence, explain why. For example, if you are seeking to defer an August final exam but your Verification of Illness or Injury (VOI) form shows that you were absent in July, explain why you do not have documentation dated in August.
- If your circumstances are ongoing, explain why other solutions or petition types (such as LWD or WDR) are not appropriate. Explain how you plan to be successful on the exam given how long it has been since you took the course. Provide information about whether you reduced your course load, and if you did not, describe your plan to manage the extra work.
- If you do not have documentation to support certain information reported in your personal statement, be sure to explain why such documentation could not be obtained.
Supporting Documentation for Re-deferred Exam Petitions
You must submit supporting documentation when you submit your petition, i.e., within three business days after the date of the deferred exam. This documentation should relate to your personal statement and explain what happened on the day of the exam. If your explanation describes an illness, the Verification of Illness or Injury form should be completed on the day of the exam. For more information, visit the Preparing a Petition page.
Re-deferred Exam Fees & Schedule
If you are approved for a re-deferred exam, you will be scheduled to write the exam during a future “Regular” or “Special” exam period. You cannot choose whether you are granted a Special or Regular deferred exam.
- A Regular Re-deferred exam takes place during a final exam period. If you are writing a regular re-deferred exam, you are encouraged to audit that course during the session when you will be writing the exam to prepare for it.
- A Special Re-deferred exam is scheduled outside of a final exam period. If you are writing a special re-deferred exam, it is based on the course that you originally took, so study the course materials from your original course to prepare for it.
You must pay a fee by the published deadline to receive your re-deferred exam schedule and be permitted to write the deferred exam.
If you have any questions, please contact your College Registrar’s Office.