Deferred and Supplemental Examinations

Please review the Faculty's Regulations 45 – 47 (the Handbook of Academic Regulations can be downloaded from the Courses & Registration page.)

45. Deferred evaluations: Deferred examinations or other evaluations are permitted where a candidate has been excused from earlier assessments or regular examinations by reason of illness or analogous causes. These are granted at the discretion of the Dean or the Dean's delegate and subject to such conditions as are from time to time established and posted in the Faculty. Applications for deferred examinations and evaluations must be made through the Student Affairs Office.

46. Regulations for deferred evaluations: Where a deferred examination or other evaluation has been taken, the regulations respecting regular examinations, term papers and essays shall, in so far as possible, apply. In such cases, the regulations respecting evaluation of studies shall apply.

47. Failures in deferred evaluations: However, where a candidate receives a failing final grade after re-reading by the co-examiner, the grade received is final. In special circumstances, the Dean or the Dean's delegate may permit candidates receiving a failing grade to undertake special supplemental evaluation.

Students are expected to be available during a deferred exam period to write their exam(s).

Deferred examinations

Deferred examinations are available to students who, for medical reasons or analogues causes, cannot write examinations at the normal time. Students must submit their deferral request on Minerva, (Student Menu>Student Records Menu>Deferred Exam Application), prior to, or within twenty-four (24) hours of, the examination, explaining the reasons for requesting permission to write a deferred examination. Supporting documentation, such as a doctor's note, is normally required. 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

More information consult Deferred and Supplemental Exams.

First year and graduate students are to complete the Deferral and Final Examination form.

To see what you need to know before deferring an exam, consult see our page on Deferred Exams under our Policies and Procedures section.

For further information, see our page on Academic accommodations and student support.

Other rules and details

  • If you have already written an examination, you cannot later request for the exam to be deferred.
  • For each deferred exam that is approved, an “L” (deferred) will appear on your record beside the course; it will not appear on official transcripts after the final grade has been determined
  • The format of the deferred exam may not necessarily be identical to the final exam of the same course.
  • Accommodations for deferred December midterm exams for First-Year students only are arranged in January with the SAO and instructor.
  • Vacation and/or personal travel plans do not constitute grounds for the deferral or re-scheduling of final exams.

First-time Final Exam Deferral 

A number of Faculties and Service Point/Enrolment Services, including the Faculty of Law, have agreed to grant a student’s first-time deferred final exam request without requesting supporting documentation. This policy will apply to new and current students’ first time ever deferred final exam request. It does not apply to current students who already have one deferred final exam on record.

Si vous êtes dans l’impossibilité de passer un examen final pour cause de maladie ou autres circonstances atténuantes et vous n’avez pas d’examens différés antérieurs, vous pouvez, une seul fois durant le cadre du programme, déposer une première demande d’examen différé sans soumettre de documents justificatifs.

For more information, visit our Academic accommodations and student support page.

Supplemental Examinations

A student who fails to obtain credit for a required course and who does not write, or who fails, the supplemental examination, must re-register for that course in the next term in which it is offered.

You must have received a final grade of D, F, or U in a course to be eligible to apply to write a supplemental examination.  

Regular supplemental examinations are available to a student who has failed a course, but is not required to withdraw from the Faculty. Regular supplemental examinations may be written in up to two courses which do not exceed a total of seven credits together, or in any one course even if it exceeds seven credits.

The grade received on a supplemental examination is final. Both the original grade and the supplemental grade appear on the student's transcript and are factored into the GPA.

No provision can be made for deferral of a supplemental examinations.

Supplemental examinations are written at the Law Faculty in the month of August. A student who has failed a course in the final year of studies may be permitted, upon application, to write a special supplementary examination at a time other than August.

Students who wish to write supplemental examinations for certain courses must apply via Minerva.

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