Deferred Assessments

Winter 2025 

Posted on March 31st, 2025 

Deferring a Missed Exam or Final Assignment in the Final Exam Period 

B.Sc. and B. MATH students who are unable to write a final exam or complete a final assignment for medical, psychological, or compassionate reasons may submit a Deferred Assessment Request.  

Click here for more information about Guelph's Deferred Assessment policy.  

Submitting a Deferred Assessment Request 

Please do not write a final exam or complete a final course requirement unless you are confident that you are fit and able to do so. Otherwise, only very limited options exist for academic consideration, none of which are guaranteed. 

If you are unable to write a final exam or complete a final assignment for medical, psychological, or compassionate reasons, please follow the instructions listed below.  

1. Complete the Winter 2025 Deferred Assessment Form including a brief explanation of your circumstances on the form. Supporting documentation may be submitted with your request if available and if you wish, however please note that it will not be required for the Winter 2025 semester. 

2. Using your University of Guelph email please attach your completed form in a PDF format email it to bscdef@uoguelph.ca. Please include your student number and 'W25 Deferred Assessment' in the subject line of your email. 

3. Note that Deferred Assessment Requests must be submitted no later than 5 business days after the missed final exam or deadline. 

4. You will receive an Automated Response confirming that your email message has been received once submitted – this is your confirmation that your request has been received. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

How will I know if my Deferred Assessment request has been approved? 

Please know that all requests will be reviewed by the B.Sc. Academic Review Committee in May 2025.  As long as your request is in order (ie: there are circumstances beyond your control on the date in question), you should not anticipate any problems with your request being approved. 

Once grades are released on WebAdvisor, “INC” will initially appear instead of a grade for any course that a final exam/final assignment has not been completed. It will remain as "INC" until your request has been reviewed. After the Academic Review Committee has reviewed deferral requests, “DEF” will replace “INC” if the deferral has been granted. If you see the "DEF" posted instead of a numerical grade, your request has been approved. 

If your request for a Deferred Assessment is not approved, the "INC" will be replaced with a final grade calculated using a grade of zero on the final exam or final assignment. Please contact the B.O.H. and B.Sc. Academic Counselling Centre at bscweb@uoguelph.ca immediately for clarification and next steps. 

How and when will I receive information about completing my Deferred Assessment? 

If a Deferred Final Exam is granted, you will also receive an email to your U of G email account - from the Registrar's Office - at least one week prior to the deferred exam period (usually sooner), to confirm and advise you to check WebAdvisor for the day and time of the deferred exam. It is your responsibility to check your deferred exam schedule in WebAdvisor. 

When a Deferred Condition is granted, you will receive an email to your U of G email account from the Registrar’s Office, with instructions to contact your Course Instructor to establish the terms of the Deferred Condition (ie: confirm work to be completed, method of submission, etc.). 

What is the deadline for my Deferred Assessment to be completed? 

Once approved by the Academic Review Committee, Deferred Final Exams will be written during the University's official deferred exam period (which is June 9th to 13th, 2025). It is the student’s responsibility to check your deferred exam schedule in WebAdvisor. 

The Registrar's Office will set the Deferred Exam Schedule with dates and times that the exams will be completed, when the time comes. 

A Deferred Condition must normally be completed by the end of the deferred examination schedule, which would be Friday, June 13th, 2025.  

I have submitted my Deferred Assessment request – what if I have applied to graduate in the following semester? 

If you have applied to graduate in June 2025, please note that graduation will be delayed unless you can make arrangements with the course Instructor directly to complete the Deferred Final Exam or Deferred Condition and have it graded before the clearance for the June, 2025 graduation deadline (which is Friday May 16th, 2025). 

I still have questions, who can I ask? 

Please contact your Program Counsellor immediately if you have questions about the process (bscweb@uoguelph.ca). 

Please note that this process applies to B.Sc. and B.MATH students only. Students in other degree programs should contact the Program Counsellor from their degree or instructions.  

Fall 2024 Extensions

Posted on January 24, 2025

Effective September 1, 2024, a $200.00 administrative fee will be charged to your student account if you do not show up for your scheduled in-person deferred exam (Note: If you are scheduled for more than one in-person deferred exam, the fee will apply for each deferred exam that you do not show up for).  If you have questions or will be missing a Deferred Exam please email orsexams@uoguelph.ca at least 24 hours in advance. More information about this policy can be found here. 

Fall 2024 Deferred Final Exams will be written February 3rd to 7th, 2025. B.Sc. and B. MATH students who are ill or have other valid grounds to request an extension on a Deferred Final Exam or Deferred Condition, must apply to our office within 5 business days of the missed deferred deadline.

Documentation from a health care provider (such as Student Health Services, Counselling Services, family doctor, walk-in clinic, nurse, nurse practitioner, therapist, counsellor, naturopath, chiropractor, dentist, etc.) will be required for an extension to be approved (students may consult with the B.Sc. Academic Counselling Centre, if needed).

To request an extension, please submit a completed Fall 2024 Deferred Assessment Request (Extension) form and supporting documentation, to bscdef@uoguelph.ca. In addition to submitting these forms, students will need to email ORS Exams at least 24 hours in advance to inform them that they will be missing their deferred assessment or exam.

 A reminder that all Deferred Assessments from the Fall 2024 semester must be completed during the Winter 2025 semester, or future course registrations will be prevented. Please note that there are only a limited number of four extension dates available, once per week (all extension dates are in late February to late March 2025).

Do not write a Deferred Final Exam or complete a Deferred Condition unless you are confident that you are fit and able to do so. Otherwise, only very limited options exist for academic consideration, none of which are guaranteed or likely.