Deferred Examinations

Deadline

Submit your petition and payment within 72 hours of the missed final examination. A non-refundable fee for each deferred exam applies.


Missing Your Final Exam

In case of illness or extenuating circumstances at the time of a final examination, students should consider not writing. Instead, they should:

  • seek medical attention on the day of the exam
  • submit a petition online within 72 hours of the missed examination.
  • submit the appropriate supporting documentation, as needed
  • UTM students living on residence must speak with Residence Services if an extension will be required.

Important Notes

  • The examination schedule is published well in advance and students are expected to be available during this period. Students who make personal commitments during the examination period do so at their own risk.
  • Students who are granted a petition to defer their final exam are not excused from any of the work of the course, but may be allowed to write their examination at a later date.
  • Students who are requesting a deferred exam due to a religious accommodation are not required to pay the standard exam deferral fee, as it will be waived.
  • Students cannot re-write an examination that they have already attempted.
     

Approved Deferred Exam Requests

If your petition for a deferred examination is granted, an "SDF" notation is assigned in place of a grade on your transcript. Courses with the notation SDF are not included in grade point average calculation.

A student who writes a deferred examination in a course that serves as a prerequisite for subsequent courses may enrol in those courses at the discretion of the department, provided that the term mark in the prerequisite (deferred) course is at least 60%. Failure to pass the prerequisite course or to meet other departmental grade standards may result in cancellation of enrolment in the subsequent courses.
 

Missing Your Deferred Exam

If you miss the deferred exam, you will receive a mark of zero for the exam, and it will be calculated in your final grade. Under extenuating circumstances, students can petition for a further deferral. Students should seek academic advising support in the Office of the Registrar when submitting a request for a further deferral of their unwritten final examination.

Petition for a Further Deferral of an Unwritten Final Exam

  • Submit your petition within 72 hour of the missed exam
  • Submit supporting documentation that demonstrates the exceptional circumstances that prevented you from writing your exam (e.g., hospitalization, severe personal emergency)

Only petitions that are supported by strong documentation will be considered and granted. In such cases, students should be prepared to write the exam during the next academic session in which the course is offered. The SDF notation will remain on record until the deferred exam has been graded and the amended grade has been approved.