Final examinations are mandatory for all undergraduate courses, with the exception of laboratory courses or their equivalent (e.g., seminars, fieldwork, studios). Final exams shall be completed by all students within an announced time limit (no longer than three hours), be written whenever practicable, and be given at the time listed in the Online Schedule of Classes. See Academic Senate Regulations 770 and 772.

Final examinations are optional in graduate courses and are given at the instructor's discretion.

Students with disabilities may require accommodations during testing (e.g., special rooms or extended periods of time). See "How do I respond to a student request for classroom or testing accommodations?" for more information.

Exam locations are published in the schedule of final examinations toward the end of the semester. If you wish to change the exam time, permission from the Committee on Courses of Instruction is required by the Friday of the fifth week of the term. The Committee will grant the change only if all your students have consented to it or if those students who wish to take the final exam at the scheduled time are allowed to do so.

The regularly scheduled three-hour final examination may be waived, either once or for a longer period, on the recommendation of the department concerned, and with the approval of the Committee on Courses of Instruction. The Committee may authorize an indefinite exemption from the final examination requirement for certain courses where the subject matter or the method of instruction is such that a written final examination is inappropriate, for instance, performance courses, studios, or seminars. The Committee may grant exemptions in other cases if provided with an alternative plan that proposes a better basis for the evaluation of student performance. Petitions for final exam variances must be received by the Committee by the Friday of the fifth week of the term.

One-time alternate final examination methods, such as term papers, oral exams, take-home exams, and special projects, may be approved by the department chair. One-time alternate final exam methods must be announced in the course syllabus given to students at the beginning of the semester. With very few exceptions, final examinations in any format must not be required to be completed or turned in during the regular semester’s period of instruction or during "exam prep days." Visit the Committee on Courses of Instruction website for more information.

After you have submitted grades for a course, you may either return the exams or copies of them to the students, or keep the exams or copies of them for 13 months, allowing students to review them under supervision. Students have the right to pay for and retain a photocopy of their examination. See Berkeley Division Regulation A251.

last updated on 3/15/07