Deferred Exams
Deadline to petition on eService- Late petitions will not be accepted
You must petition and submit supporting documentation within 5 business days from the date of the missed examination. Check eService regularly as you will receive updates and messages in your inbox.
- You may only request a deferred exam if you did not attempt or complete the final exam. Please note: downloading an exam and reviewing it is considered an attempt.
- Petitions will only be considered in case of illness or extreme emergency at the time of an exam.
- Use the Absence Declaration tool on ACORN or submit other appropriate supporting documentation within 5 business days from the date of the missed examination.
Missing an Already Deferred Exam
What is an already deferred exam?
Here is an example: You took POLC37H in Fall 2021, but you were unable to write the exam in December 2021 for documented reasons, and deferred it to April 2022. Now you have missed this exam again.
- We expect you to write your deferred exam. In the event of exceptional circumstances (e.g hospitalization or severe personal emergency), if you miss your deferred exam, you can petition on eService to request a FURTHER deferral of your exam to the following session.
- Petitions to defer an exam based on vacation, employment, or personal plans will not be considered. The final exam start and end dates are published on our website eight months in advance, and you are expected to be available before making plans.
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The ACORN Absence Declaration does not allow you to declare absence for a course from a previous session. IN THIS CASE ONLY, to submit an Absence Declaration you can e-mail askro.utsc@utoronto.ca no later than 5 days after the date of the missed deferred exam with the following information :
- Name
- Student ID
- Date of missed exam
- Course code
- Original term the course was taken
- PT number
Indicate in your petition statement if you have completed the Absence Declaration tool on ACORN or submitted supporting documentation to regpetitions.utsc@utoronto.ca.
Approved deferred exams
If your petition is approved, you will receive your deferred exam schedule in your eService inbox. These are typically scheduled in the next exam period.
Fee for approved UTSC deferred exams
- $70 for one exam, or $140 for two or more exams
- Your payment deadline will be provided in your eService message.
- Missing your payment deadline will result in a cancellation of your deferred exam, and your original grade in the course will be reinstated, which will trigger a reassessment of your GPA, which may result in a change to your academic standing (i.e., academic probation, or suspension which will result in a cancelation of your current courses).
- If you are writing a deferred exam for a course on another campus, you must pay a separate fee at that campus. Payment instructions and deadline will be available in your eService message.
Students registered with AccessAbility Services
- If your petition to defer an exam is granted, and you require accommodations, submit the Deferred Examination Request Form to AccessAbility Services. It is your responsibility to inform them and notify them by the necessary deadline in order to make arrangements for your exam.
- Once you have received a letter notifying you of the date and time of the exam, please make a copy and submit it to AccessAbility Services. You may do this after you submit the Deferred Examination Request Form.
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Deferred exam fee will be waived for students registered with AccessAbility Services and the reason for deferral request is disability-related.
Your grades
- A notation of SDF (standing deferred) will be placed on your transcript for the course, after the petition is granted. The course will not be included in the calculation of your GPAs (cumulative or sessional) until the exam is written, and a final grade is calculated.
- Until your final grade is calculated, your academic standing for the session will not reflect this course. If you are placed on academic suspension even with a notation of SDF for the course, you will not be permitted to take courses in the next session.
- You will not be granted a late withdrawal without academic penalty from the course once you have been granted a deferred exam opportunity.
Missing a deferred exam
- If you miss a deferred exam, you will receive a mark of zero for the exam in the calculation of the final grade.
- Only under exceptional circumstances (e.g., hospitalization or severe personal emergency), and when supported with strong and compelling evidence, will a petition for a second deferred exam be considered
Reducing your course load
- By submitting a petition to write a deferred exam, you do so with the understanding and compliance that you will take a reduced course load in the next semester
- Your course load in the following semester is reduced by the credit weight of the exam(s) you are deferring. For a simplified chart, visit the "Eligible Course Load" page under the Courses menu or by clicking the image below.
- To request an exception to this course load restriction with deferred exam, please complete this form. You must have a minimum CGPA of 1.85 to make this request.
