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Deferred Exams
Deferred examinations may be granted in limited circumstances and for legitimate, documentable reasons only, such as:
- Illness.
- Religious reasons (see Accomodations for Religious Observances).
- Extraordinary personal or family circumstances (e.g. death in the family).
- Scheduling conflict with another exam or 3 exams within 24 hours.
Please follow COVID Protocols for students to determine whether or not you can attend an in-person exam on campus.
To be considered for deferred exam privileges, students must submit a petition as described below.
The following are not considered legitimate reasons for requesting a deferred exam:
- Appealing for more study time.
- Travel arrangements or vacation plans during the final exam period.
- Commuting.
Students must be available for exams during the examination periods of all terms in which they are registered and are responsible for ensuring they attend their final exams as scheduled.
Deferred Midterms
For information regarding deferring a midterm due to religious observance, see Accomodations for Religious Observances.
The information on this page does not apply to midterm tests. Aside from religious accomodations, policies on deferring midterms may differ by course, program, department or faculty. Contact your instructor for details. Some instructors, programs, departments and faculties do not allow any deferral of midterms at all.
Deferred Final Exams
Final exams are a mandatory part of most courses. Students are expected to write the final exam for a course as scheduled by the Examinations Office. The majority of students complete a degree without ever deferring a final exam.
For information regarding deferring a final exam due to religious observance, see Accomodations for Religious Observances.
If you are unavailable to write the exam at the scheduled time due to documented extenuating circumstances or if you miss a final exam for legitimate reasons, you must appeal for deferred examination privileges.
All appeals for deferred exams must be directed to the petitions committee in the faculty in which the course is offered rather than the one in which you are registered. If you are unsure of the faculty in which the course is offered, contact Academic Advising. Be sure to see if faculty offering the course in question has additional faculty-specific information on exam deferrals.
A final examination cannot be deferred more than twice for any course. Students may receive a maximum of five exam deferrals throughout their degree. Deferred examination petitions are not automatically approved; each petition is reviewed before a decision is made.
Scheduling Conflicts
If you have two final examinations scheduled at the same time, you must complete the appropriate final exam conflict form to have one of the exams rescheduled. The deadline to submit the form is at least 3 business days before the first problematic examination.
- Brantford Final Exam Conflict Form: For Brantford campus students.
- Waterloo Final Exam Conflict Form: For Waterloo campus students.
Students are not normally required to complete more than two final examinations in a 24-hour period. In order to receive relief under this rule, the third problematic exam must finish within 24 hours of the beginning of the first. The university reserves the right to select which exam is to be deferred. The deadline to submit the form is at least 7 calendar days before the final day of classes of the term.
Submit a petition for a deferred exam through the Faculty responsible for the second course in the sequence.
Petitions Based on Extenuating Circumstances
If you are unable to write an examination as scheduled for reasons other than a scheduling conflict as detailed above, or if you miss your exam for an unavoidable reason, you may appeal to the petitions committee in the faculty that offers the course.
Supporting documents must come from an official source and be specific to the date of the missed exam. All documentation is subject to confirmation. Fraudulent information and/or altered supporting documents provided on or with your petition submission is considered a serious academic offense and will result in immediate denial of your petition. Allegations of academic misconduct will also be considered by the associate dean for possible further penalties.
Required Documentation for Petitions
In lieu of documentation, medical grounds deferred examination petitions require a personal attestation, which is available directly on the petition form. The attestation is accepted in lieu of documentation within the maximum of five deferred examinations permitted. Should a student petition to exceed five deferred examinations, medical documentation will be required for deferral requests based on medical grounds.
All second deferral requests (a request to defer a previously deferred exam) based on medical grounds require medical documentation, in addition to the personal attestation.
For unforeseen medical grounds, requests should be submitted as soon as possible and no later than three business days after the scheduled date of the examination.
If you are sick on the scheduled date of a final exam and unable to write, do not write the exam. If you choose to write it, your attempt will count, and re-writes are rarely approved.
For information regarding deferring a final exam due to religious observance, see Accomodations for Religious Observances.
Recommended documentation includes an original death certificate, a published obituary notice or an original note from the funeral home which clearly indicates your relationship to the deceased.
For unforeseen circumstances on the day of the examination, requests should be submitted as soon as possible and no later than three business days after the scheduled date of the examination.
If a student knows of a conflict in advance, they must submit a request for a deferred final examination as soon as possible and at least seven calendar days before the last day of classes for the term. If the conflict arises later, the petition must be submitted as soon as possible.
For unforeseen circumstances on the day of the examination, requests should be submitted as soon as possible and no later than three business days after the scheduled date of the examination.
Appropriate documentation may include police reports, a counselling/treatment letter, or other legal documents.
Examples of “other” reasons include, but are not limited to:
Major Athletic Event/Competition
An original supporting letter from your coach or designate (on letterhead), which includes contact information and verification that you must be available at the time of the scheduled final examination, must be submitted as documentation. Sports practices are not accepted as reason for deferral.
Employment-Related Conflict
An original supporting letter from your employer (on company letterhead), which includes contact information and verification from your supervisor that you must be available at the time of the scheduled final examination, must be submitted as documentation. Regularly scheduled shifts are not normally accepted as reason for deferral.
Wedding
Wedding conflicts will only be approved if you are either in the wedding party or the wedding involves an immediate family member. You must submit an original wedding invitation or a certified copy as supporting documentation. A written declaration confirming your relationship to those being married must also be submitted.
What Happens if a Deferral is Granted?
Most students will write deferred exams during the next regularly scheduled deferred exam period. Typically, this takes place in the last week of the month following the originally scheduled exam. For example, if you successfully petition to defer a fall term exam scheduled for December, you will write your exam in the last week of January unless otherwise instructed. A grade of "DEF" will be assigned until the examination is written. See the academic calendar for more details.
Students who require their final grade sooner to meet prerequisite, progression, or graduation requirements may, time permitting, be able to write a deferred exam during a faculty-designated period commonly referred to as a "slip day." Slip day exams are typically held during or soon after the regularly scheduled examination period.
A non-refundable deferred examination fee applies in most circumstances. The fee effective as of Sept. 1, 2023, is $65. This fee is subject to change without notice. Please note that deferrals on the grounds of religious observance may be exempt from the deferral fee.
Accessible Learning
Are you registered with the Accessible Learning (AL) and approved for exam accommodations?
If you are registered, and wish to use your approved exam accommodations for your deferred exam, you must notify the AL at least 10 business days in advance of the scheduled deferred exam.
Follow AL's procedures for "Booking Deferred Exams" (scroll down to "Exam Types" and then "Deferred Final Exams").
Please carefully review all the information on this page as well as on the form itself before proceeding with your petition. In addition, see the following faculty-specific information.
Form and Submission Instructions
Exam deferral requests for Faculty of Arts courses should be submitted online using the Faculty of Arts Final Exam Deferral Petition Form, along with any available supporting documentation in electronic form. Any additional supporting documentation (original copies where possible) may be submitted to the Dean of Arts Office, located on the fifth floor of the Dr. Alvin Woods Building (DAWB 5-106), or emailed to artsdeferrals@wlu.ca. Supporting documents should come from an official source and be specific to the date of the missed examination.
If granted, the deferral will be scheduled for the deferral period, unless the course is needed as a prerequisite for the next semester or to qualify for graduation. If this is the case a slip day will be arranged.
A deferral fee will be charged to your student account for each deferral.
Students Registered with the Accessible Learning Centre
A Faculty of Arts final deferred examination appeal form is no longer required for Accessible Learning Centre (ALC) examination scheduling accommodations.
Form
Faculty of Arts Final Exam Deferal Petition Form
Questions?
If you have a general question regarding the Faculty of Arts deferral process, contact artsdeferrals@wlu.ca.
Two exams at the same time or three exams within a 24-hour period: Complete the Brantford Final Exam Conflict Form.
For all other reasons, students may petition for a deferred exam. Optional: Students may first connect with their instructor to discuss an accommodation prior to submitting a petition.
Questions? Contact Academic Advising at lbacademicadvising@wlu.ca.
If you are enrolled in a Public Safety program, contact publicsafetyadvising@wlu.ca.
Two exams at the same time or three exams within a 24-hour period: Complete the Brantford Final Exam Conflict Form.
For all other reasons, students may petition for a deferred exam. Optional: Students may first connect with their instructor to discuss an accommodation prior to submitting a petition.
Questions? Contact Academic Advising at lbacademicadvising@wlu.ca.
The form below alone does not contain all the information you need to submit your exam deferral request. You must carefully review all the information on this page as well as on the form itself before proceeding with your petition. In addition, see the following faculty-specific information.
- A student who wishes a deferred examination must submit the petition within a reasonable time before the scheduled examination to allow the committee to reach a decision before the scheduled date.
- The following form can be used to either petition for an examination deferral or for an academic regulation to be waived.
Form
Carefully review all the information on this page prior to completing the appeal form.
Courses are offered by the Faculty of Science on the Waterloo Campus, Brantford campus (BR sections) and Online (OC sections). Faculty of Science offerings include the following course codes: AS, BI, CH, CP, CLIM, DATA, ES, GESC, GG, GL, HE, HN, KP, MA, PC, PS, SC, ST, UU150, WASC. Deferral petitions for courses with these codes are submitted to the Faculty of Science, with the exception of Psychology (PS) courses offered at the Brantford campus. Deferral petitions for these PS courses are submitted to the FHSS.
Most students complete their undergraduate degree without ever requiring a deferred final examination. Students who defer final examinations, on average, score lower on the deferred final examination compared to students who write the final examination as scheduled.
Deferring a final examination may delay a progression decision or graduation for a student in their last term of study.
Medical Grounds
Deferral appeals based on medical grounds WILL NOT be accepted prior to the scheduled time of the examination, as a student cannot be certain that they will be medically incapacitated at the scheduled time of the examination. We are unable to provide verbal or written assurances prior to the scheduled time of the examination that your deferral appeal will be granted. If you are medically incapacitated at the time of the scheduled examination, it is presumed that you cannot attend the scheduled examination. If an examination is missed due to medical grounds, the deferral appeal must be submitted no later than three business days after the scheduled date of the examination. Delayed filing may result in a denial of your appeal.
Three Examinations That Start and Finish Within 24 Hours
If you have three examinations scheduled such that the third examination finishes within 24 hours of the beginning of the first examination, you may submit the Faculty of Science Three Final Examinations Scheduled Within 24 Hours Appeal Form,The deadline to submit the form is at least 7 calendar days before the final day of classes of the term. There are no students that have three examinations within 24 Hours in the Winter 2025 term schedule. No other examination scheduling concerns will be favourably considered by the Faculty of Science.
Time Zone Relief (OC sections only)
Students registered in an online course (OC section) will not be required to complete a Faculty of Science examination that extends into the period of midnight to 5:30 a.m. for their local time zone. To receive relief under this policy, the problematic examination must start or finish within this period. In the explanation, the student must specify the country / time zone in which they have been residing for the entire term. If this information does not match their home address on record with Enrolment Services, the student may be asked for documentation to support their appeal. Students completing both in-person and online courses do not qualify for this relief. Students electing to defer an examination under this policy should submit their appeal at least 7 calendar days before the final day of classes of the term.The deferred examination will be written during the next regularly scheduled deferred examination period.
Documentation
You are required to provide a detailed description of the legitimate documentable extraordinary circumstances that prevented you from writing your final examination as scheduled.
You are required to provide supporting documentation, from an official source and specific to the date of the scheduled examination, for ALL extraordinary circumstances, except for petitions based on medical grounds. Review the medical grounds section on the main page above for further information.
Supporting documents must come from an official source and be specific to the date of the missed examination. Familiarize yourself with the required documentation for your stated reason, prior to submitting the deferral appeal form.
- All documentation is subject to confirmation. Any falsification or fabrication of documentation will be addressed through academic misconduct procedures.
- Keep the original documentation as we may request to see the original.
- If you have documentation on file with Accessible Learning for a relevant chronic condition, you may contact your disability consultant and request that a copy of the documentation be forwarded to the Faculty of Science to support your appeal for a deferred examination.
- Although the Faculty of Science prefers the Laurier Verification of Illness Form for examinations missed on medical grounds, it will accept original certificates from the medical office. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that all requested information is included on your submitted medical documentation.
- Only scanned documents are acceptable for electronic submission. Photos of documents will not be accepted. If you submit a photo, your deferral appeal will be considered incomplete and it will not be processed until you submit scanned documentation to the Science Academic Advising Office.
- All second deferral requests (a request to defer a previously deferred exam, or re-deferral) require robust documentation from an official source, dated the day of the missed deferred examination, including appeals on medical grounds.
Instructions for Form Completion
Note that you cannot save the Faculty of Science Final Deferred Examination Appeal Form in progress or exit the form and re-enter the partially completed form. If you do not complete all required sections of the form, your appeal will be closed and you will be required to re-submit the form.
The standard non-refundable deferred examination fee will be charged to your WLU student account upon submission of the form for each deferred examination.
If granted, the deferral will be scheduled for the next university-wide deferral period (last week of May, August, September or January). Exceptions may be granted for religious grounds or where the final course grade is needed to qualify for graduation. For these cases, scheduling on a slip day may be considered.
NOTE: The time required to process the deferral appeal will vary from two to fifteen business days or more. DO NOT resubmit an appeal form as this will slow the process.
Questions?
If you have a general question regarding the Faculty of Science final examination deferral process, submit a Faculty of Science Academic Advising Inquiry form to initiate a request for information. Inquiries about the status of a deferred examination appeal form will not be responded to unless a minimum of fifteen business days has passed since the appeal form and original supporting documentation (if applicable) was submitted.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) – Winter 2025 Term
Form
Faculty of Science Final Deferred Examination Appeal Form.
The form below alone does not contain all the information you need to submit your exam deferral request. You must carefully review all the information on this page as well as on the form itself before proceeding with your petition. This form can be used to either petition for an examination deferral or for an academic regulation to be waived.
Form
The form below alone does not contain all the information you need to submit your exam deferral request. You must carefully review all the information on this page as well as on the form itself before proceeding with your petition. In addition, see the following faculty-specific information.
Form and Submission Instructions
All exam deferral requests/petitions for Business or Economics courses must be submitted to the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics petitions coordinator, Lazaridis Deferrals Lazaridisdeferrals@wlu.ca.
Petitions must include:
- Lazaridis School of Business and Economics petition form;
- Personal statement (typed), and
- Supporting documentation (original copies are required).
If granted, the deferral will be scheduled for the deferral period, unless the course is needed as a prerequisite for the next semester or to qualify for graduation. If this is the case a slip day may be required by Lazaridis School or requested by the student.
A deferral fee may be charged to your student account for each deferral.
Midterms
Midterm deferral requests will only be considered by Lazaridis Petitions Coordinators for reasons pertaining to academic conflicts, religious observances and varsity athletics. (Midterm deferral requests for any other reason should be addressed directly with your course instructor.) Midterm deferral requests must be submitted via the Petitions Form within one week of the start of classes or as soon as possible given changes to the academic schedule (e.g. One week after the last day to add a course.). Petitions submitted late may be denied.
Missed Exams
If an exam is missed due to unforeseen circumstances, the appeal must be submitted no later than three business days after the scheduled date of the examination.
Three Exams Within 24 Hours
If you have three final exams scheduled such that the third examination finishes within 24 hours of the beginning of the first examination, you may submit a deferral petition at least three business days before the first of the three final examinations to be written. The middle exam will be considered for deferral.
Students Registered with the Accessible Learning Centre
If rescheduling of an exam is required by the Accessible Learning Centre, the student is to submit a petition form to the Lazaridis School petitions coordinator.
Questions?
If you have a general question regarding the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics deferral process, contact Lazaridis Deferrals, Lazaridisdeferrals@wlu.ca.