As a student, you are expected to be available during exam periods. If you are not able to write your in-person or online final exam at the scheduled time, you may submit a deferred exam petition. A deferred exam petition is a request to write your exam at a later date.
Your request to 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 deferred exam petition. If you have required surgery scheduled during an exam, you may submit a deferred exam petition in advance of the exam.
If your petition for a deferred exam is granted, your deferred exam will 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.
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 Deferred Exam Petition
The deadline to submit a deferred exam petition is three business days after the 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 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 final exam.
The following information should be addressed in your personal statement, if relevant to your petition:
- Why you were unable to write the final exam
- If you wrote any other exams on the day of or around the missed exam, explain why you were able to write those exams.
- If you sought any support (e.g. from your instructor, advisor or other staff member) related to the missed exam. If you did not seek out any support, explain why.
- 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 exam in August 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 you do not have documentation to support certain information reported in your personal statement, explain why such documentation could not be obtained.
Supporting Documentation for Deferred Exam Petitions
You must submit supporting documentation when you submit your petition, i.e., within three business days after the date of the exam or 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 speak to your health on the day of the exam and be completed on the day of the exam. If you do not have documentation to support information reported in your personal statement, be sure to explain why such documentation could not be obtained.
You can find a list of medical services available to you at Health & Wellness' website. For more information about supporting documentation, visit the Preparing a Petition page.
Deferred Exam Fees & Schedule
If you are approved for a 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 Deferred exam takes place during a final exam period. If you are writing a regular 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 Deferred exam is scheduled outside of a final exam period. If you are writing a special 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 deferred exam schedule and be permitted to write the deferred exam.
If you have any questions, please contact your College Registrar’s Office.