Final Examination Schedules and Guidelines

About the schedule

• Final examination schedules are determined based on the first listed meeting days, times and location. Classes that do not follow the standard time matrix are assigned an exam day based on the first listed meeting day and start time.
  • For example, a class that regularly meets on M/W at 10:15am-12:20 will have their Autumn Quarter 2020 final examination on Wed, Dec 16 at 10:15am-12:20pm. 
• In the case of a scheduling conflict for a particular classroom during finals week, space priority will be given to the class that follows the standard time matrix over one that meets off-matrix. The Office of the Registrar will assign an alternate classroom to the class meeting off-matrix. 
• Faculty and students can view final exam information via MyUW.
  • Faculty: Please work with your departmental time schedule coordinator if you have any questions about your finals week assignment(s). 
• Students are responsible for taking any number of examinations scheduled on a given day.

Final examinations should be administered in accordance with the exam schedule. The Dean/Director may permit an instructor to change the day or time of a final examination upon prior application demonstrating good cause for such change. In such cases, the following guidelines shall be observed:

• With Dean/Director permission, the final examination may be postponed or moved to an earlier time within the examination period if agreed to by all students and the instructor. Before approving the rescheduling of a final examination, the Dean/Director shall obtain assurances that the change will not have an undue adverse impact on the students. The Dean/Director shall notify the Registrar of the approval granted for the date of a final examination.
• An instructor shall not schedule a final class examination before the beginning of finals week. An instructor shall not, except in very unusual circumstances, grant permission to individual students for an early examination. If the student is unable to take an examination on the scheduled date, the procedure outlined in the following paragraph should be followed.
• A student absent from any examination 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, provided previous notification is given, observance of regularly scheduled religious obligations, and might possibly include attendance at academic conferences or field trips, or participation in university-sponsored activities such as debating contests or athletic competition. Students are responsible for taking any number of examinations for which they are scheduled on a given day.
• Multiple section courses, courses with two or more lecture or lab sections in a given quarter, may schedule a common final with the approval from the Dean/Director and the Registrar. Common finals will usually be held the Saturday before or during finals, or on occasion in the evening. Common finals dates and times are normally indicated in the comment section of the Time Schedule, under individual course listings. They will be announced at the beginning of the quarter in each course section, and included in the course syllabus. The times for common finals differ from the times shown in the above examination schedule. A make-up examination time is to be arranged for any student who cannot be present for the common final.
• Final examinations for classes without meeting times may be set by the instructor or offering department for any time during the regular finals examination week. However, accommodations must be made for students who have a conflict with otherwise scheduled final examinations, and students should in no way be penalized for such conflicts.
• If an examination is held during finals week at a time other than what the schedule indicates, instructors must contact their departmental time schedule coordinator who will confirm a classroom location with the Office of the Registrar.

Questions concerning the final examination schedule should be directed to the Office of the Registrar.