Deferred Final Exam FAQs

The deadline to apply for a deferred final examination depends on the rationale of your request:

Deferral requests due to Unforeseen Crisis/Personal Hardship, University Representation or a Faculty Approved Activity, Religious or Spiritual Grounds, and Three Exams in 24 Hours reasons are due no later than two business days after the scheduled final exam.

Deferral requests due to Debilitating Illness open on the day of the exam. The deadline to apply is two business days after the scheduled exam.

Submission of supporting documentation does not in itself constitute grounds for the approval of a deferral.

If a course does not have a registrar-scheduled final exam, you will not be able to request a deferred exam for the course. If you are seeking accommodations for other components of a course, i.e. final essay, take-home exam, etc., please contact your instructor to discuss.

If you are unable to select “three exams in 24 hours” for the reason of deferral, it is because your schedule does not qualify.

If you have already submitted an application for a course, you will not be able to submit another application for that course. If you need to amend an application, please contact your faculty advisor.

To apply for a deferred final exam, submit your application through the Student Centre. Any required documentation can be uploaded right with your application. 

Instructions for submitting your online application are available in this step-by-step guide.

It is important to submit your application within the deadline of 2 business days after the scheduled final exam. The deferred final exam application contains a Student Declaration of Absence that can be submitted as valid supporting documentation.

Deferral applications due to Debilitating Illness, Unforeseen Crisis/Personal Hardship, and University Representation or a Faculty Approved may be denied if no valid supporting documentation is included.

Submit your application with the Student Declaration of Absence (embedded in the deferred final exam application). If you would like to add additional supporting documents, you can email them to dfedocs@ucalgary.ca.  If you are still having trouble submitting an application, please email a screenshot of the error and a brief description of the problem to dfedocs@ucalgary.ca as soon as possible.

Applications will be reviewed within five business days. You will be contacted via your UCalgary email address if there are questions regarding your application or if additional information or documentation is required.

Visit the “Deferred Final Exam” page on your Student Centre. Your approval status is next to your tracking number for a specific application. Click “view request” to review details and comments from the approver (if any) on your application.

Approved applications are subject to further review and evaluation which may result in approved applications being placed under administrative review or denied. Students are encouraged to periodically check the status of their deferred final examination application and respond to any email requests for additional information within the deadlines set in the email.

An automated email will be sent to your UCalgary email address once your application has been approved.

The reason will be noted on your application in the approver comments at the bottom. Click “view request” to see these details on your application. 

If you have further questions regarding the decision, please contact your faculty advising office.

In some cases, you may be requested to meet with your Associate Dean or an advisor prior to approval. If this applies to you, your faculty will be in contact with more information.

Check your UCalgary email for information regarding why you have been placed in Under Review status. If your supporting documentation is insufficient, there will be a document submission deadline indicated in the email. Please ensure to submit new documentation to your deferred final examination application by the stated deadline. Supporting documentation submitted after the stated deadline will not be reviewed.

The schedule will be available approximately one week prior to the start of the deferred final exam period.

The schedule will be sent to your UCalgary email address. You are responsible for confirming your schedule prior to the deferred final exam period.

If you are registered to write your exams with Student Accessibility Services, you will be contacted by their exam centre.

Note: The deferred final exam schedule will not be available on your Student Centre and is not posted online. Questions regarding the deferred final exam schedule should be sent to dfedocs@ucalgary.ca

First, check your other inboxes in your UCalgary email account, such as clutter or junk box. The email will include keywords such as “deferred exam”, “schedule”, and your UCID. If you have set filters on your @ucalgary.ca email account, you may have to check the inbox where you have designated emails to be routed to – this could include the deleted box, depending on your settings.

If you are unable to locate the email after troubleshooting, please contact dfedocs@ucalgary.ca.

If you are unable to access your UCalgary email account, please contact IT Services to resolve the issue.

Students must be available to write their exam as scheduled during the deferred exam period. No accommodations will be provided to suit individual scheduling needs. The deferred exam period is the last opportunity for students to write a final exam.

Exam locations will be listed on your deferred final exam schedule.

Will I be able to write my deferred exam at their exam centre?

Yes. If you are registered with Student Accessibility Services for your final exam, their exam centre will support the scheduling of your deferred exam. Please contact them for more details.

Please contact Student Accessibility Services to discuss your situation and eligibility to register. The Office of the Registrar is unable to advise on their registration process.

You can review your online deferred exam applications on your Student Centre. Applications prior to the Fall 2018 term will not be available for review.

On your unofficial transcript, a “DFE” notation will be visible next to any courses for which you had an approved deferred examination. DFE notations are not included on official transcripts.

Please contact Student Records at dfedocs@ucalgary.ca to withdraw your deferral application.

Please include your first and last name, UCID, DFE request #, and the name and number of the course you applied to defer,

Please contact Student Records at dfedocs@ucalgary.ca to withdraw your deferral application.

Please include your first and last name, UCID, DFE request #, and the name and number of the course you applied to defer,

Will this affect my course next term?

It may affect courses requiring the prerequisite. Please contact your faculty advising office to verify your progression options.

Will deferring an exam affect my convocation approval?

Please contact your faculty advising office to inquire.

Whom can I contact?

Please contact your instructor to inquire about your grade status.