Exam policies & accommodations
On this page
Senate policy on examinations
You can find the Senate policy on examinations, including information on supplemental and deferred exams, under Academic Assessment in the Policies and Regulations chapter of the UBC Academic Calendar.
Accommodated exams for students with disabilities
You can find detailed information about accommodated exams for students with disabilities on the Disability Resource Centre website.
Illness Policy
Students who are absent from final exams held during official examination periods must request an academic concession from the office of their dean or director. The request should be accompanied by a certificate of illness completed by either the attending Student Health Service physician or provided a family physician.
Academic concessions are granted only by the dean or director (or their delegate) and are a privilege, not a right. If you request an academic concession, you may be asked to provide additional information. For more information, see the Academic Concession section of the Calendar.
Religious accommodation
Religious observance may preclude attending classes or examinations at certain times. In accordance with the UBC Policy on Religious Holidays (55KB PDF), students who wish to have their exams accommodated for religious reasons must notify their instructors in writing at least two weeks in advance of the exam, and preferably earlier. Further details can be found on the Religious accommodation page.
Exam hardships and clashes
Exam clashes
Winter Session daytime exams
An examination clash is defined as multiple examinations that are scheduled on the same day at the same time, and that are listed on the UBC Exam Schedule for the current winter session.
If you have a daytime exam clash, students should contact their instructor immediately to determine if an alternate writing time is available. If this can't be arranged, students complete the Daytime Exam Clash form available at the Information Centre on the main floor of Brock Hall. Enrolment Services will arrange for the student to write their exams back-to-back on the original examination date, under supervision.
Winter Session evening and weekend, and Summer Session exams
For exams listed under the Winter Session evening and weekend timetable, as well as all Summer Session examinations, clashes are the responsibility of the instructor. Please contact your instructor as soon as possible for assistance.
Exam hardships
An examination hardship is defined as three or more end-of-term examinations scheduled within a 24-hour period. See more details on exam hardships on the Academic Assessments section of the UBC Calendar.
