The information on this page is for UBC faculty and staff.
Students, please visit this page for instructions on Standing Deferred and Supplemental exams.
A Standing Deferred (SD) exam is an exam written at a later date, while a Supplemental (S) exam is an exam provided in addition to the usual exams for a course. Find more details on the Academic Calendar.
Students granted deferred standing may be given the opportunity to write the outstanding exam by:
- Writing at the next regularly scheduled final exam period in December, April, June or August.
- Taking a make-up examination arranged by the department or instructor offering the course.
- Applying to write through Enrolment Services during the official SD/S exam period in July (for Winter Session courses) or November (for Summer Session courses).
Students can only apply to write an deferred exam for the most recent academic session. If an SD exam is not written during the exam period for that session, the student will be responsible for contacting their academic advising office for their next steps.
Staff can review the How Students Apply for Standing Deferred and Supplemental Exams on the Exams Canvas Course. You will first need to register to gain access.
SD exam periods and application deadlines
2024 Winter session courses
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SD and S application period: May 1 - June 9, 2025
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SD exam period: July 21 - August 1, 2025
2025 Summer session courses
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SD application period: September 3 - October 6, 2025
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SD exam date: November 15, 2025
SD exam schedule
After the application deadline, Enrolment Services will build the exam schedule for the SD exam period. The finalized exam schedule will be published here when available, approximately three weeks before the start of the exam period.
Students writing on campus
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Once the schedule has been finalized, it will be posted on the Exam Application tool via Workday for students to view on their account.
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An email will be sent to students to inform them that the SD/S exam has been scheduled and to remind them to check the date, time, and room location of their exam(s).
Students writing off campus at a partner centre
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Enrolment Services will make arrangements to confirm exam dates and times with the partner centre. Exams are scheduled within 48 hours of the exam offered on-campus.
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An email will be sent to students to inform them that the SD/S exam has been confirmed with their requested partner centre and to remind them to check the date, time and location of their exam(s).
Students writing off campus at a non-partner centre
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Students may request to write their exam(s) at an alternative location. They will be required to provide invigilator information (ex. location, name, contact information) before submitting the application.
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Students will receive email from our office once we have approved the location and have determined the invigilator meets our guidelines. The student will be informed that they must schedule the exam within 48 hours of the on-campus exam. The date must fall within the SD exam period.
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Once confirmed with the invigilator, students must provide our office with the date and time to update the exam schedule record.
Procedures for staff
The SD/S Online Exam submission form opens May 15, 2025.
After the application period deadline, Enrolment Services will email department contacts with:
- A list of students who have applied to write an SD/S exam.
- A list of required exams from your department.
- A link to the online SD/S Online Exam Submission form in Qualtrics.
Submit SD Exam info
The online SD Exam Form should be completed by the instructor. Please ensure the submission form link is shared with them well in advance of the deadline. It is critical to submit the form and include all required information accurately by the deadline. If exams are not received, students will be informed that their exam has been cancelled.
Deadline for 2024 Winter Session SD/S Exam Submissions: Monday, June 23, 2025
The Qualtrics form will allow instructors to submit the required SD/S exam info to ensure Enrolment Services can administer the exam on their behalf. Most exams are submitted electronically by PDF. If a hard copy is required, please indicate this in the submission form and make arrangements to deliver the exam to Enrolment Services.
- All uploaded exam files must contain the course name, course number, section number, and an area for the student to write their name and student number.
- A separate form should be submitted for each unique exam.
- Instructors do not need to submit a form for each student.
- One form may be submitted for multiple sections if they have a common exam. Please indicate all course sections the exam file is applicable.
Once a form has been submitted by an instructor, you as the department contact will receive an automatic email notification which includes the exam info provided by the instructor. This is for your information only and does not need to be forwarded to Enrolment Services. Please review the email notification carefully to check the information submitted is correct.
End of Exam period
All on-campus SD/S exams will be sealed and returned to your department once the exam period is over within 1 week. All off-campus SD/S exams will be returned electronically to your department once received from the invigilator. This process may take 2 weeks.
Alternative Arrangements
Please let us know as soon as possible if any students on your department list has made alternate arrangements to write their exam with their department/instructor or has completed their requirements so that we can update our records.
Standing Deferred/Supplemental Exams Contact
Scheduling Services
0040–1874 East Mall
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1
For emergencies relating to scheduled standing deferred/supplemental exams, please call 604-827-1981.
For all other inquiries please email: student.exams@ubc.ca
Hours: Monday to Friday 8:30 am to 4:00 pm