91ÉçÇø

Step 1: Understanding your options and the consequences

Step 2: Find out if you are eligible for a deferred exam

The following are the eligibility requirements for a deferred exam:

• Requests are submitted according to your Faculty Guidelines (see "Submitting a request").
• You must cite a valid reason for requesting a deferred exam, even if this is your first-time request. Valid reasons are:
  • Serious medical illness;
  • Serious personal issues/circumstances;
  • Serious unforeseeable or extenuating circumstances.
    Note: Travel plans are not a valid reason.
• If this is not your first deferred exam request, you must also provide supporting documentation (such as a medical note) which confirms your inability to write the exam on the original date. Documents should be submitted as soon as you submit your deferral request in Minerva. Incomplete requests will be cancelled, and late documents will not be accepted. See "Submitting a request" for details on accepted supporting documents and how and when to submit supporting documents.
• First-time requests: Students in eligible faculties (listed below) who request a first-time exam deferral due to illness or other serious extenuating circumstance may be granted the deferral without the need for supporting documentation (such as a medical note). Students requesting a first-time deferral are nonetheless required to have a valid reason, and all other requirements and deadlines for submitting a request for a deferred exam will apply.
  Eligible faculties:

  • Science (including the Bachelor of Arts & Science)
  • Management
  • Law
  • Engineering (including School of Architecture)
  • Education
  • Arts (including Schools of Social Work and Religious Studies)
  • Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

  Ineligible faculties/schools:

  • Continuing Studies
  • Nursing
  • Information Studies
  • Physical and Occupational Therapy
  • Dentistry
  • Medicine and Health Sciences
  • Music
  • Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
• For ineligible faculties/schools, the guidelines for your home faculty or school are applicable.

Step 3: Submit your request

1. Read Step 1: Options and consequences, and Step 2: Eligibility.
2. Check the deadlines for submitting a request applicable to you. Visit My Exams to view deferred exams application deadlines.
3. Submit your request. You must do this by the posted deadline in your faculty guidelines.

   Faculty	How/Where do I submit an exam deferral request?	Where do I submit supporting documents (e.g., medical note)?	Where can I seek academic advising?
   Agriculture and Environmental Sciences	Minerva (Student Menu>Student Records Menu>Deferred Exam Application)	Student Affairs at Macdonald Campus	Student Affairs at Macdonald Campus
   Arts (including Information Studies and Social Work)	Minerva (Student Menu>Student Records Menu>Deferred Exam Application)	Current Student Contact Form	OASIS at Dawson Hall
   Continuing Studies	Minerva (Student Menu>Student Records Menu>Deferred Exam Application)	In person at School of Continuing Studies or joey.settino [at] mcgill.ca (by email)	Continuing Studies Front Desk (688 Sherbrooke W., 11th floor)
   Dentistry	Minerva (Student Menu>Student Records Menu>Deferred Exam Application)	Associate Dean of Student Affairs within Dentistry	Student Affairs within Dentistry - or norman.miller [at] mcgill.ca (Norman Miller)
   Education	Minerva (Student Menu>Student Records Menu>Deferred Exam Application)	In person at Student Affairs (3700 McTavish, room 243) or sao.education [at] mcgill.ca (by email)	Student Affairs at Education (3700 McTavish, room 243)
   Engineering (including Architecture and Urban Planning)	Minerva (Student Menu>Student Records Menu>Deferred Exam Application)	In person at Frank Dawson Adams Building (3450 University, Room 22)	Student Affairs at Frank Dawson Adams Building (3450 University, Room 22)
   Graduate Studies	Consult with the Graduate department - your Graduate Program Coordinator must submit a Deferred Exam Request on your behalf	Consult with your Graduate department	Departmental Supervisor
   Law	Minerva (Student Menu>Student Records Menu>Deferred Exam Application)	In person at Law Student Affairs (3644 Peel, room 433)	In person at Law Student Affairs (3644 Peel, room 433)
   Management	Minerva (Student Menu>Student Records Menu>Deferred Exam Application)	Student Affairs at Desaultels Faculty of Management	Student Affairs at Desaultels Faculty of Management
   Medicine and Health Sciences	Minerva (Student Menu>Student Records Menu>Deferred Exam Application)	Medicine The WELL Office ()	Medicine Student Affairs ()
   Music	Minerva (Student Menu>Student Records Menu>Deferred Exam Application)	Student Affairs at Music - Elizabeth Wirth Music Building (, 7th floor)	Student Affairs at Music - Elizabeth Wirth Music Building (, 7th floor)
   Nursing	Minerva (Student Menu>Student Records Menu>Deferred Exam Application)	Student Affairs (, 19th floor, room 1944)	Student Affairs (, 19th floor, room 1944)
   Physical and Occupational Therapy	Minerva (Student Menu>Student Records Menu>Deferred Exam Application)	In person at Student Affairs ()	In person at Student Affairs ()
   Religious Studies	Minerva (Student Menu>Student Records Menu>Deferred Exam Application)	In person at Service Point or servicepoint [at] mcgill.ca (by email) (BA in Religious Studies)	Religious studies (Birks Building, )
   Science (including B.A. and Sc.)	Minerva (Student Menu>Student Records Menu>Deferred Exam Application)	Current student Contact Form	SOUSA at Dawson Hall
   Summer Studies - Special Students	Minerva (Student Menu>Student Records Menu>Deferred Exam Application)	In person at Service Point or servicepoint [at] mcgill.ca (by email)	N/A

4. Submit supporting documents.

   What do you need to provide?

   Supporting documents must substantiate your claim of incapacity or inability to attend your exam(s) on the given date(s).

   Medical notes must be from a health practitioner who has observed and diagnosed your condition directly and in-person (telephone or remote diagnoses are not permitted). The following is a list of registered and licensed health practitioners deemed acceptable:

   • A Dental Surgeon or Dentist
   • A Psychologist, Psychotherapist, or Social Worker
   • A Physician, Psychiatrist, or Surgeon
   • A Nurse or Nurse Practitioner
   • A health professional from any of the 91ÉçÇø health services (i.e., Student Wellness Hub)

   All supporting documents must be clear, complete, and include the following:

   1. Your full name, and where applicable 91ÉçÇø ID#
   2. Information about your health practitioner:
      • their name, address, and license #
      • their signature
      • the date you met with them
   3. Information about your circumstances:
      • a statement of capacity, indicating that you weren't/aren't able to attend your exam and why;
      • the date(s) that you were/are incapable of doing so;
      • the date on which you'll be able to resume your studies/exams.

   When do you need to provide it?

   Supporting documents must be sent as soon as you have submitted your Minerva request. Note that incomplete requests will be cancelled.

   • Arts and Science students:
     • Submit PDF copies of your documents to Service Point by completing the Current student Contact form mcgill.ca/servicepoint/current-student-contact-form and selecting the option "Final Exams".
   • Students from all other Faculties must submit documents directly to their Faculty Student Affairs Office.

Step 4: Understanding your decision (approved or refused)

If your deferred exam request is approved

• It is your responsibility to verify the Deferred Exam schedule for the exact date, time, and location of your exam. The schedule will be posted at mcgill.ca/exams approximately two weeks prior to your deferred exam period.
  • Exams deferred from the December exam period (i.e., from the Fall term) are scheduled in the Winter term Reading Break.
  • Exams deferred from the April exam period (i.e., from the Winter term) are scheduled in the 3^rd week of August.
  • You are expected to be available during a deferred exam period to write your exam.
• You can only defer your final exam once. If you request a late course withdrawal (late-W) from a course with an approved exam deferral and the reasons for the late-W are similar to those for your deferred exam request, then your request will not be granted.
• If you requested a deferred exam and then ended up writing the original final exam, you will no longer be eligible to write the deferred exam, even if your request was approved. It is your responsibility to inform your Student Affairs office (or Service Point, for Arts and Science students) that you wrote the final exam at the originally scheduled time. Failure to meet this obligation may place you in violation of the Code of Student Conduct and may involve disciplinary measures.
• Take measures to avoid similar issues arising in your next exam period. If you have a chronic condition or disability, register with the Student Accessibility & Achievement. If you are experiencing anxiety or other mental health issues, see a counsellor or therapist and talk to your faculty adviser regarding ways you can better manage your course load. 91ÉçÇø offers many resources to help you avoid having to defer, including 91ÉçÇø Tutoring Services, 91ÉçÇø Wellness and Life Skills Workshops, Counselling resources through the Student Wellness Hub, and other academic resources.

If your deferred exam request is refused

• The refusal could be for any number of reasons, including but not limited to:
  • You did not provide a valid reason for your request;
  • Your medical documentation was non-specific, inadequate, or missing;
  • You have made previous requests for similar or the same reasons and there is no evidence that you have taken measures to address the challenges you are facing during exam periods.
• You must write the final exam at its originally scheduled date and time. If you do not or did not write your final exam, you will receive a grade of J, which counts as a failure in your TGPA and CGPA. If you receive a J, a supplemental exam may be an option for you if you meet the eligibility requirements. See Supplemental Exams.
• If you are an Arts or Science student, you may make a written request to have the decision reviewed; there must be new information or documentation relevant to your initial request that you did not originally submit.

If you believe that your situation warrants a decision review, submit your written request no later than 5 business days after the refusal of your initial request.

• How to submit a request:
  • Write a concise (max 500 words) statement explaining why you are requesting a decision review, and what new and relevant information you are sharing to support your request.
  • Email your statement - including PDF-formatted supporting documents - to servicepoint [at] mcgill.ca from your 91ÉçÇø email account, ensuring that the subject line reads "Decision Review: Deferred Exam".
• Decisions are reviewed by a committee consisting of the following individuals: Director, Service Point; Registrar and Executive Director of Enrolment Services; and either the Associate Dean (Arts OASIS) or the Director of Advising (Science SOUSA), depending on your Faculty.
• Decisions made by this committee are final.