Final Assessments (Examinations)

As per Academic Senate Resolution AS-631-05 "Resolution on Final Assessments" (approved 5 July 2005):

Courses with Lectures & Seminars (other than 1-unit courses)

Course activity, including assessments, shall continue through the week designated for final assessments for all courses with a lecture component. Faculty are required to meet with students at the scheduled final assessment period and will use the week designated at the end of the term for the final assessing of student work. Faculty should decide the pedagogically appropriate assessment activity: for example, exams, receipt of term papers or projects, presentations, etc.

The university's schedule for final assessment periods is available at the Office of the Registrar's Calendars and Deadlines site. The schedule, drafted by University Scheduling Office and approved by the Vice President for Academic Affairs, will designate an assessment period for each time block in which lecture and seminar sections are normally scheduled and the location assigned.

Final assessments will be given in all sections of lecture and seminar courses, and their date and time included in the course syllabus, unless exempt under the provisions below.

The maximum time for which a facility that is normally controlled by the University Scheduling office will be allotted for final assessment is three hours.

Nonlecture Courses and 1-unit Courses

Final assessments in nonlecture courses (labs/activity courses and 1-unit courses) will be held during the last week of instruction in the regularly designated meeting time and location unless an alternate time and location are (1) pedagogically necessary, (2) do not create an academic scheduling conflict for any student, and (3) do not have to be scheduled by the University Scheduling Office.

Exempt Courses

Assessment exemptions may be granted for such reasons as uniqueness of course content or method of instruction, and/or a more appropriate procedure for establishing an evaluation of the student's performance in the course. Exemptions ordinarily will be established at the time the course is proposed by the department for inclusion in the University Catalog. Subsequent requests for exemptions will be submitted in writing through the department chair/head for approval by the appropriate college dean with notification of approved exemptions sent to University Scheduling Office.

Rescheduling

• Early Assessments
  No final assessments shall be given prior to the scheduled final assessment period without written approval of the appropriate college dean and notification sent to University Scheduling Office at least two weeks before the final assessment.
• Common Assessments
  Courses with two or more sections may hold assessments during "common assessment" times designated by the University Scheduling Office with approval by the department chair/head and appropriate college dean. Faculty who have requests approved must notify the University Scheduling Office at least two weeks before the final assessment. Any student who is unable to attend the common assessment time due to a conflict with another course's final assessment shall be permitted to arrange an alternate assessment time.
• Alternate Assessments
  Faculty may offer an additional (i.e., alternate) assessment period during the final assessment week; however, the assessment must also be offered at the original time set aside in the final exams schedule. Courses with alternate assessment periods during the final period must notify the University Scheduling Office at least two weeks before the final assessment.

 

As per Academic Senate Resolution AS-1007-26 "Resolution on Final Assessments/Exam Scheduling Overload" (adopted by Senate, 14 April 2026):

Effective Fall 2026: A final assessment overload is three or more final assessments scheduled for the same day during finals week.

Faculty should make a reasonable effort to offer an alternative final assessment time to students with a final assessment overload.

The deadline for a student to notify instructors of a final assessment overload and request to reschedule is before the end of 80% of instruction for the term.  (This date will be posted each semester on the Office of the Registrar’s Planning Calendar website.)

Rescheduling is at the instructor’s discretion and is not guaranteed.

Final assessments for online asynchronous courses without a scheduled final assessment period in the University’s schedule for finals week are not included as an overload of three or more final assessments scheduled for the same day, unless the assessment has an availability window of 24 hours or less, in which case it is counted toward the overload.

 

Updated: 8/22/2026