University of Washington Policy Directory

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*Formerly part of the University Handbook
Student Governance and Policies

Scholastic Regulations

Chapter 112



Examinations




1.  General Requirements

  A. Each instructor shall be responsible for the fair and equitable administration of the examinations in his or her course.

  B. A student absent from any examination or class activity through sickness or other cause judged by the instructor to be unavoidable shall be given an opportunity to take a rescheduled examination or perform work judged by the instructor to be the equivalent. If the instructor determines that neither alternative is feasible during the current quarter, the instructor may exempt the student from the requirement. Examples of unavoidable cause include death or serious illness in the immediate family, illness of the student, and might include attendance at academic conferences or field trips, or participation in University-sponsored activities such as debating contests or athletic competition. Instructors may require written communication from students in making these determinations, but instructors are prohibited from requesting, and students should not provide, medical documentation as proof of short-term illness to justify an absence. The regulations for Incompletes in Scholastic Regulations, Chapter 110, Subsection 1.A.3 shall apply.

S-B 110, May 26, 1970; S-B 112, October 27, 1970; S-B 140, December 1982; S-B 155, June 18, 1993; S-B 203, June 7, 2021: all with Presidential approval.

2.  Final Examinations

  A. All students shall be required to take final examinations, provided that in a course for which an examination is not the most appropriate test for the work covered, the instructor may dispense with the final examination. When a final examination is given it will be administered in accordance with the following procedures.

  B. A final examination schedule shall be provided by the Registrar, and all final examinations shall be administered in accordance with this schedule. The dean may permit an instructor to change the scheduled time of a final examination upon prior application demonstrating good cause for such a change. In such cases the final examination may be postponed; it may not be moved to an earlier time except to an earlier time within the examination period if agreed to by all the students and the instructor. Before approving the rescheduling of a final examination, the dean shall obtain assurances that the change will not have an undue adverse impact on the students. The dean shall notify the Registrar of approval granted to change the date of a final examination. An instructor shall not, except in very unusual circumstances, permit a student to take a final examination earlier than the scheduled time.

S-B 140, December 1982; S-B 155, June 18, 1993: both with Presidential approval.