Examinations in Absentia

Students, who for sufficient reason cannot be within 500 miles of Cambridge at the time of a seated final or makeup examination, may request to take the examination in absentia (at another location). Undergraduate in absentia examinations must be approved by the Administrative Board, and students must contact their Resident Dean to facilitate the petitioning process. Graduate students should contact the FAS Registrar’s Office. Student applications for in absentia exams should be submitted thirty days prior to the start of the Final Exam Period. Under extraordinary circumstances, the Administrative Board may grant examinations in absentia after the deadline has passed.

In absentia examinations are ordinarily administered at the same time and date as the examination in Cambridge and must be proctored by someone approved by the FAS Registrar’s Office. After determining that these conditions can be met, the FAS Registrar’s Office will work with the course head to facilitate the administration of the examination. For reasons of equity, the examination given to the student in absentia should be identical to that given at the regular examination in Cambridge. The examination should be returned to the FAS Registrar’s Office in Cambridge immediately after it has been administered.