Examinations

Some HDS courses require a three-hour in-class final examination. These exams must be taken at the times specified by the HDS Registrar’s Office during the examination period published in the HDS Academic Calendar. Morning examinations are typically held from 9:15 am to 12:15 pm and afternoon examinations are typically held from 1:15 pm to 4:15 pm. The definitive final exam schedule is published online after the add/drop deadline has passed.

Examination Accommodations for Students with Disabilities 

Depending upon the nature of the student’s documented disability, HDS will provide appropriate examination accommodations. Students who are seeking accommodations for exams due to a disability should meet with and present written documentation to the Assistant Director for Student Support at least two weeks before the examination date. If students are unsure whether or not they are eligible for this accommodation, they should contact the Assistant Director for Student Support as soon as possible. Exam accommodations cannot be evaluated for approval until documentation is reviewed. Accommodations and services cannot be provided retroactively. More information regarding the exam accommodation policies and procedures is available online.

Make-up Examinations

Make-up examinations for final exams are granted only in the case of illness, grave emergency, or other extreme circumstance. In the case of illness, such illness should be reported to Harvard University Health Services prior to the examination. A letter must be submitted to the Registrar’s Office from HUHS certifying the date and nature of the illness. Students must then file a petition for a make-up exam. The petition form is available at the Registrar’s Office. 

Students who must be absent for reasons other than illness, such as a death in the family, must notify the Registrar prior to the examination. In accordance with Massachusetts law, students who are unable to participate in a final examination as a consequence of their religious beliefs shall be provided with an opportunity to make up the examination, without penalty, provided that the make-up examination does not create an unreasonable burden. In such instances, students must obtain a petition from the Registrar. 

Petitions for a make-up exam must be approved and signed by both the instructor and the associate dean for faculty and academic affairs prior to the exam and filed with the registrar within one week after the close of examinations. A student who is present for any part of an exam is not entitled to make it up. Dates and times for make-up exams for Divinity School courses must be arranged by the student with the course instructor and the registrar. 

Students who, for compelling reasons, cannot be in Cambridge at the time of a final or make-up examination may petition to take the examination in another place with the written permission of the instructor. In absentia petitions and information for HDS courses are available at the HDS Registrar’s Office. Completed petitions must be filed at least 30 days before the regularly scheduled examination date. 

Please note that the rules regulating make-up exams vary from school to school. Students must follow the rules of the school where the course is offered. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the school where the course is offered if circumstances warrant the need for a make-up examination. Make-up exams for Faculty of Arts and Sciences courses take place on prescribed days in mid-September (for spring and full-year courses) and in early February (for fall courses).