Deferred Final Exams

Students may request a deferred final exam due to an incapacitating illness, severe domestic affliction or for other compelling reasons, including religious observation* per the UofA Calendar, under Academic Regulations, Absence from Final Exam. It is a serious offense to misrepresent facts in order to obtain a deferred examination or other advantage. Making a false statement will constitute grounds for a charge to be laid against you under the Code of Student Behaviour, Section 30.3.6(4) Misrepresentation of Facts: "No Student shall misrepresent pertinent facts to any member of the University community for the purpose of obtaining academic or other advantage."

Deferred final examinations are granted at the discretion of the Business Undergraduate Office for BCom students. Approval of a final exam deferral is not automatic and decisions are final.

For more details regarding the deferred exam process please read the following information:

If a deferred final exam is granted in a course that is a pre-requisite to another course or courses in the next term, students will normally be permitted to remain registered in the affected courses. However, if the deferred final examination is written after the add/drop deadline and the pre-requisite course is subsequently failed or a second deferred exam is granted, students will be withdrawn from all courses requiring the course.

Who is eligible to apply for a deferred final exam?
Anyone who has missed a final exam because of incapacitating illness, severe domestic affliction or other compelling reason (e.g. religious observation*, jury duty etc) may apply for a deferred final exam. A deferred final exam will not be approved if a student:

  1. has not been in regular attendance where attendance and/or participation are required, and/or
  2. excluding the final exam, has completed less than half of the assigned work.

Deferred examinations are not granted for vacations, weddings or travel arrangements. Because a tentative exam schedule is available when course selections are made, students cannot apply for a deferred exam due to scheduling problems.

Any deferred examination that is approved in advance of the final examination for any reason will be written after the scheduled date, not before.

Students with two or more deferred exams outstanding from a previous term may be required to reduce the number of courses in which they are registered.

*To apply for a deferred exam where the cause is religious observance or belief, students must inform the Business Undergraduate Office within two weeks of the start of Fall or Winter classes; and within three days of the start of Spring or Summer classes.

What if I am not a Bachelor of Commerce student?
If you are not a student in business but need to defer an exam for a business course, you will need to contact your Faculty/Department Office. Their requirements or procedures may be different and you are subject to their rules.

How do I apply?
If you are BCom student, please follow this procedure to apply:

  1. Read the notes above. If, after reading these notes and the associated documents you believe you will qualify, continue to step 2.
  2. Reach out to the Business Undergraduate Office via our Student Service Portal within two business days of the missed exam. Indicate:
    - Which exam was missed
    - Why you missed the exam, including any details that you feel may be relevant.
  3. The information you provided us will be reviewed.
    - If we feel that we need to meet with you (online via Google Meet) to discuss your request further, you will be contacted.
  4. We will reach out to you via a student service ticket to let you know the results of your application for a deferred final exam. 

Please do not contact the Instructor or Teaching Department for approval as only the Business Undergraduate Office can approve final exam deferrals for BCom students. 

When do I apply?
You must apply within two working days following the scheduled date of the examination.

Do I require documentation?

We will respond to your request and notify you should documentation be required.

What is a Statutory Declaration and where can I get it?
A Statutory Declaration is a legal document whereby you swear under oath that a statement is true to a Commissioner of Oaths. Making a false statement on this form constitutes grounds for a charge to be laid under the Code of Student Behaviour and may result in liability under the Criminal Code.

A Statutory Declaration can usually be obtained through the Office of the Registrar.  However, under Covid-19 restrictions the Office of the Registrar is unable to offer this service. As a result Statutory Declarations are not available and will not be required.

What happens if my application for a deferred final examination is denied?
If your application is denied, you will be assigned a final grade in the course based on a raw score of zero for the final examination.

My application has been approved, do I need to contact anyone else?
Once your application for a deferral has been approved, the Business Undergraduate Office will submit the paperwork to the Instructor. You do not have to contact the Instructor about your circumstances, but you must make arrangements to write your deferred examination with the Instructor.

When does the deferred exam need to be written?
Most courses will list a deferred examination date on the course syllabus. If no date is noted, please refer to the Academic Regulations, Deferred Final Exams in the UofA Calendar regarding the regulations.

Occasionally, a deferral may be approved with specific conditions set by the Associate Dean, Undergraduate Programs. If this occurs, you will be notified of the conditions that must be met.

Please remember it is your responsibility to contact your Instructor (or in absence of the Instructor, the Teaching Department) to make the arrangements to write your deferred final examination once approved. If you are unsuccessful in contacting the Instructor or Teaching Department, you may contact the Business Undergraduate Office for assistance.

What happens if I don't write my deferred exam?
If you have a justifiable reason to why you cannot write the examination on the scheduled deferral date, you may apply for a second and final opportunity to write the deferred exam. A justifiable reason is one resulting from incapacitating medical or extenuating circumstances that prevented you from attending your deferred examination on the date scheduled.

For the second final exam deferral you will need to follow the same application procedure listed above. You must be able to support your absence with the appropriate documentation. If approved by the Business Undergraduate Office, the Teaching Department will determine the date, time and place of the exam and will notify you. Should a second final exam deferral be granted and you are unable to write on the date scheduled for any reason, no further deferrals will be granted.

If you are absent from a deferred final examination without an acceptable reason or your application is denied, you will be assigned a final grade in the course based on a raw score of zero for the final examination.