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Rights and Responsibilities
The University of British Columbia Academic Policies and Regulations govern student conduct. Upon registering, a student has initiated a contract with the University and is bound by UBC’s Student Declaration and Responsibility.
Attendance
As per the UBC Attendance Policy, regular class attendance is expected of DAP students. Instructors may exclude students from final examinations if they have been unjustifiably absent from class or have neglected their academic course work.
If you have been absent from classes, have missed midterms or final examinations, or are performing poorly in courses because of illness, disability or other unforeseen extenuating circumstances, you need to notify the DAP office immediately and be prepared to provide verifiable medical or other appropriate supporting documentation. Further information can be found under Academic Concessions.
Academic concessions
If you are experiencing a situation of personal crisis due to an unforeseen or extenuating circumstance that is adversely affecting your attendance or performance in a course or the program, you may submit an academic concession request to be reviewed in accordance with UBC’s academic concession guidelines and policies.
Reasons for submitting an academic concession request
Circumstances for which an academic concession may be requested would generally fall into one of the following categories:
- Conflicting responsibilities (Unanticipated changes in personal responsibilities that create conflict)
Responsibilities may include family-care, paid employment, religious practices, or military duty that conflicts with academic requirements and is beyond your control. - Medical circumstances
This can cover a mental or physical health issue that emerges or recurs during a term. - Compassionate grounds
A concession may be granted when a student experiences a traumatic event, sexual assault, or death in the family or of a close friend.
Available academic concession types
DAP primarily considers requests for the following types of academic concessions:
- Make-up missed mid-terms in accordance with the policies established for each course by the instructor
- Deferred standing for final exams (see Deferred Final Exams for further details on this option)
- Late withdrawal from a course
Any in-term concessions related to minor course components should be discussed with your instructor directly.
How to submit an academic concession request
To submit your academic concession request for review, you should complete the following steps within 48 hours of the missed exam.
- Complete the online Academic Concession Request Form.
- Submit supporting documentation, if required (review the supporting documentation requirements below to determine whether supporting documentation may be required for you request or if a self-declaration may be sufficient). If applicable, the self-declaration form is linked within the online academic concession form.
Supporting documentation
Depending on the nature of the request, a self-declaration may be acceptable or supporting documentation may be required. The guidelines below provide further information on what may be required.
If a prolonged absence is anticipated on compassionate grounds, supporting documentation may be requested. Supporting documentation can be provided by a professional (for example, a counsellor or psychologist) or by a unit (for example, Counselling Services or UBC Hospital) that can assess the effect of the event on you.
Please note:
- Submission of supporting documentation in and of itself is not considered a request for academic concession
- If supporting documentation is deemed to be required for your request and the documentation is not available in English, official translations must accompany the original documentation.
- The DAP office reserves the right to contact the person or agency issuing the supporting documentation to verify authenticity.
Conflicting responsibilities
Supporting documentation should normally be provided in support of requests for academic concessions on the grounds of conflicting responsibilities. Self-declaration of your circumstances may be sufficient where there is no practicable way to provide a letter or other official document from an organization relevant to the conflict. Documentation is not required for care of a family member.
Medical circumstances
An academic advisor will evaluate your request and contact you if supporting documentation and/or a discussion is required before granting a concession.
For second or subsequent requests for an academic concession based on an acute illness within the same academic term, you may be required to submit medical documentation and to speak with an academic advisor within 72 hours of submitting your request. To ensure the proper documentation is obtained if needed upon the onset of illness, do not delay in submitting your academic concession request. If you believe you are experiencing the emergence of a chronic condition, please speak with an academic advisor as soon as possible to discuss appropriate referrals and campus resources.
Compassionate grounds
For academic concession on compassionate grounds, self-declaration of your circumstances will usually be sufficient. An academic advisor will evaluate your request and will contact you if additional information is required before granting a concession.
Grounds for refusal
Academic concession requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis and it should not be assumed that the request will be approved upon submission. In particular, the request may be refused for any of the following reasons:
- The request has not been submitted within a timely manner (see Deadlines)
- Supporting documentation has not been submitted (where required)
- The student is not in overall good standing in the program
- Specific to make-up missed mid-terms: The student has already started the mid-term exam. For online exams, this includes launching the online exam instance.
- Specific to deferred standing for final exams and late withdrawals from a course: The student has already started the final exam. For online exams, this includes launching the online exam instance.
In addition to the above, requests for deferred standing may also be refused if:
- The student is not in good standing in the course, which is generally defined as attending classes regularly for lecture-based classes and completing all other assignments and exams required for the course up to the final exam, with acceptable performance; OR
- The student cannot obtain a passing grade in the course by passing the exam; OR
- The student was already approved for deferred standing in the course and fails to write the deferred exam as scheduled. If there are circumstances that preclude the student from writing the deferred exam, the only academic concession that will be considered is a late withdrawal.
Academic concession submission deadlines
All academic concession requests and supporting documentation must be submitted by the following deadlines:
- Academic concession requests for make-up missed mid-terms should be submitted within 48 hours of the missed exam.
- Academic concession requests and supporting documentation for deferred standing of a final exam or late withdrawals must be submitted by the following deadlines:
| Academic term | Request and supporting documents deadlines |
|---|---|
| Summer Term 1 | June – last Friday of the month at 4:00 pm |
| Summer Term 1-2 | August – last Friday of the month at 4:00 pm |
| Summer Term 2 | August – last Friday of the month at 4:00 pm |
| Winter Term 1 | January – second Friday of the month at 4:00 pm |
| Winter Term 2 | May – second Friday of the month at 4:00 pm |
Deferred final exams
Scheduling
Students approved for Deferred Standing (SD), will be scheduled to write the exam with the next regularly scheduled examination for that course, which in most cases will be during the final exam period of the following term. If the deferred exam is not written as scheduled, a grade of 0% will be awarded for the final exam and final course grade will be calculated based on the coursework that was originally completed. If there are further extenuating circumstances that precludes a student from writing the deferred exam, the only academic concession that will be considered is a late withdrawal.
Preparation
Students writing deferred exams are expected to prepare for exams on their own, using course notes and materials from the course they were enrolled in. Instructors are not expected to provide any additional support for assisting students in the preparation of deferred exams. Students are not permitted to attend classes, complete assignments or mid-terms for the deferred exam’s courses.
Students will be given access to the live course for the term that their exam will be written approximately one week before the final exam period to review exam announcements from the instructor and for launching the online exam, if applicable.
Program continuation
A Standing Deferred is considered an INCOMPLETE course and therefore, if a student holds deferred status in a course which is a prerequisite for a subsequent course, students cannot register in the next level course until the exam for the deferred course is written and the course has been successfully completed.
As well, students who have deferred a substantial amount of their courses will have their eligibility for the following session placed on hold. They will not be able to register for the following session until they have successfully completed an appropriate number of credits.
To submit an academic concession request, please use the link below to access the online request form.
Academic appeals
Should you believe an error has been made with regards to your final grade in a course, contact the instructor to arrange an appointment to review the marking criteria and to view your final exam. Instructors will make every reasonable effort to meet with you within 30 days of your request. Should you have difficulty getting in touch with the instructor please contact the DAP office for assistance. If you are not satisfied with the outcome of this review, you may submit a formal request for a Review of Assigned Standing.
Your contact information
It is your responsibility to maintain up-to-date contact information with DAP and UBC so you can receive important information pertinent to your studies.
To update your address (mailing or e-mail), please complete the following steps:
- Update your address on UBC’s WDS as per the instructions available on Workday Tutorials – Adding or changing your contact information.
- Once you have updated your address on UBC’s WDS, send the UBC DAP office an e-mail to update your records in the DAP system.
To ensure your records are kept current and accurate, please ensure you complete both steps in sequential order when notifying our office of a change to your contact information.
For security reasons, the DAP office will not accept requests to change contact information over the phone.