Final Exam Policies

Attention Faculty and Students

  • Students enrolled in fully online course sections cannot be required to take in-person exams at any point during the semester. Instructors of fully online course sections are encouraged to consider alternatives to high-stakes exams. 
  • The Remote Exam Considerations page page provides guidance on administering online exams.
  • It is the policy of the University to excuse without penalty students who are absent because of religious observances and to allow the make-up of work missed because of such absence. Examinations and special required out-of-class activities shall ordinarily not be scheduled on those days when religiously observant students refrain from participating in secular activities. Absences for reasons of religious obligation shall not be counted for purposes of reporting.
  • Questions concerning the above should be referred to the academic dean responsible for the course involved.

Restrictions on Exams and Assignments Due During the Last Two Weeks of Classes

  • Quizzes and lower-stakes tests worth less than 20% of the final grade are allowed during the last two weeks of the semester.
  • Faculty may also assign papers and projects that are due during the last two weeks of the semester. Faculty should be sensitive to students’ workloads. Faculty must provide instructions and materials needed for the assignments, papers, and projects worth 20% or more of the final grade at least three weeks before their due dates. 
  • However, final exams, papers, and projects cannot be disguised as hourly exams or weekly assignments. Cumulative final exams, papers, and projects must be given or due during the official final exam period.
  • Due dates for substantial final papers or take home exams assigned during the 13 and 14th week of the semester should be set no earlier than the scheduled exam time for the course.
  • The scheduled “Reading Days” must be respected. Faculty may not schedule exams for those days or have papers or projects due on those days.

Exams During the Final Exam Period

  • Group exams and exams for synchronous course sections – even if online – must be scheduled according to the published final exam schedule. See exam grid below.
  • For hybrid course sections for which the lecture is online and only the recitations or laboratories are in-person, any exam scheduled during the final exam period must be online. The exception to this is for hybrid course sections that are part of a Group Exam as noted on the Schedule of Classes by exam codes B, D, F, G, H, I, J, L, M, and Q.
  • For online asynchronous course sections that are not part of an exam group, the instructor must choose at least two exam slots to offer the exam. At least one of the chosen slots must be in one of the specially designated online asynchronous exam slots (Exam Code T). 
  • If instructors want to give students an extended time window to take an online exam during the final exam period, that window must be at least 24 hours. 
  • If instructors choose to offer students a 24-hour (or longer) time window for an online exam, the 24 hours must begin at the assigned time for the exam.

Make-Up Exams

  • As is the case in any semester, instructors and departments will need to accommodate students who are unable to take the final exam during the assigned exam period due to exam conflicts (see below) and authenticated absences.
  • Instructors are encouraged to make use of the exam periods allocated for online asynchronous courses as potential times for make-up exams.

Exam Conflicts

  • A student shall be said to have an exam conflict if that student has more than two exams beginning in a 24-hour period or two exams scheduled for the same exam period.
  • In resolving conflicts, priority will be given in the following order: 
    1. Exams in online synchronous and face-to-face courses
    2. Group exams
    3. Exams in online asynchronous courses
    4. “By Arrangement” exams (exam code “A”)
  • The student with three exams with equivalent priority (e.g., three group exams or three synchronous course exams) in a 24-hour period will try to reschedule one of the exams as a make-up. If the instructors involved do not volunteer to give a make-up exam for such a student, then the middle exam will be rescheduled as a make-up.

Exam Codes

  • A = By Arrangement
  • C = Class Hour
    Exam will be held synchronously during course’s currently scheduled exam period as indicated on the final exam grid; OR exam will be open for a specified window of time of 24 hours or more and will begin at the start of the assigned exam period.)
  • B, D, F, G, H, I, J, L, M, Q = Group Exam
    Exam will be held synchronously during currently scheduled group exam grid; OR exam will be open for a specified window of time of 24 hours or more and will begin at the start of the group exam period.
  • O = No exam
  • S = Single Day starting 6pm or later and Saturday Courses
    Exam will be held synchronously during currently scheduled exam period as noted on the final exam grid; OR exam will be open for a specified window of time of 24 hours or more and will begin at the start of the assigned exam period.
  • T = Online Asynchronous
    Instructor will choose two or more periods during which to hold the final. At least one of these periods must be one of the designated online asynchronous timeslots. Please note that the student final exam application will advise students that there will be multiple exam slots and that they should contact their instructor for details.
  • U = Project/Paper
    A final project or paper will be due during the week of finals instead of an exam requiring a physical location.