Final Exams
Final exams for fall and spring semesters are held at the close of the semester. For summer courses, final exams are typically held during the last regularly scheduled class meeting.
Exam times are scheduled by the One-Stop Student Services Center, and instructors will indicate their final exam requirements on the course syllabus or during the first week of class.
If a course does not require a final exam, a course-related activity will be substituted during the scheduled finals week time slot. Classes may not meet at other times during finals week without written consent from the appropriate academic Dean and Provost.
Prepare for Final Exams
Here’s what you need to know to navigate final exam week successfully:
- No Early Exams: Final exams cannot be taken before the last official class meeting unless you have written approval from your academic Dean or the Provost.
- Exam Length: Final exams are scheduled for two hours. Instructors cannot extend this time without written approval from the academic Dean or the Office of Academic Services and Retention.
- No Changes to Exam Schedule: The date and time of your final exam cannot be changed by your instructor.
- Exam Conflicts: If you have more than two final exams scheduled on the same day, contact your academic Dean or the Office of Academic Services and Retention to resolve the conflict.
- Postponed Exams: If you’re seriously ill or have more than two exams in one day, you may request to postpone an exam. Make arrangements through your academic Dean or the Office of Academic Services and Retention. Postponed exams must be taken no later than the first week of the following term.
- Make-Up Exams: If you miss a final exam due to illness or an exam conflict, your instructor is required to offer you a make-up exam.
Final Exam Periods
The Final Exam Period for each semester consists of the following:
Garden City Campus Finals
- Courses starting before 5:30 pm, Monday through Friday, meet in the standard undergraduate time grid (Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 8:00 am-8:50 am, etc.; Tuesday, Thursday, 8:00 am-9:15 am, etc.) converted as indicated. Courses not meeting in the standard time grid will be found in the Final Exam Schedule.
- A preliminary schedule of exam dates and times (excluding classroom assignments), is released prior to the start of each Fall and Spring semester. The Master Final Exam Schedule (including classroom assignment) is distributed on November 15 for the fall semester and April 15 for the spring semester. Both schedules include all graduate and undergraduate sections assigned a final exam date/time and includes on and off-grid courses.
- Courses starting after 5:30 pm, Monday through Friday, meet at the same time in the same room as they have all semester unless on the list of the Final Exam Schedule.
- Courses on the Weekends meet at the same time in the same room as they have all semester.