Final Exam Policy

The Committee on Examinations and Standing has delegated the responsibility for short-term postponements of in-class final exams to the Office of the Registrar. Individual faculty members may not authorize preponement or postponements of final examinations.

  • Authorization: A request to reschedule an in-class exam is authorized by the Registrar under very few circumstances:
    • Religious Obligations
    • Personal emergencies (considered case-by-case)
    • More than two examinations scheduled on the same day
  • New Exam Timing: Examinations will normally be rescheduled the day immediately following the day of the scheduled examination. Only under the most extraordinary circumstance will an examination be rescheduled to a day prior to the regularly scheduled exam time.
  • Authorization Notification: The Registrar’s authorization notification will indicate the date, time, and location of the rescheduled exam.
  • Faculty responsibilities: In circumstances in which the Office of the Registrar administers a rescheduled examination, the faculty member in charge of the course must make a copy of the examination available to the Registrar.

Illness and in-class final exams

A student who feels too sick to take an examination should seek medical care and must immediately email the Deputy Registrar, Justin T. Bronfeld. There are two possible outcomes:

  • Short-term postponement: If the student recovers sufficiently, they may take the same examination within 24 hours of the originally scheduled time. The Deputy Registrar will notify the student of the new time and place of the rescheduled examination.
  • Longer-Term postponement: If the student is so ill that a long-term postponement is needed, the student should contact their Dean as well as the Deputy Registrar. All postponed exams are rescheduled for the week prior to the start of the next term. Medical documentation will be required.

Falling Ill during an in-class final exam

A student who begins an in-class examination will, except in rare circumstances, be held accountable for taking the examination and will be assigned a grade based on the work completed on that examination. Therefore, any student who becomes ill during an examination should try their best to complete it. A student whose condition is so serious that it requires urgent medical attention should seek immediate medical care. Students should be aware that falling ill during an examination will rarely be cause for rescheduling; if rescheduling is authorized, the exam will be rescheduled as a longer-term postponement (rescheduled for the week prior to the start of the next term). 

Missed Exams

If a student misses a scheduled in-class final exam, they must report immediately to their residential college dean or assistant dean of studies.