Extensions Within the Semester
Expectations
All exams and assignments should be submitted at the scheduled time.
Established Policies
Recognizing that circumstances may occasionally prevent students from completing assignments when scheduled, professors will often establish policies for late work and extensions, and include this information on course syllabi or other documents.
If your professor has not specified policies, you should contact your professor as soon as you know you may not be able to meet a deadline.
Resources
Although the College does not require a dean's permission for extensions within the semester, your professor may ask that your dean be consulted, particularly if you have requested more than one extension in the same semester.
If you find yourself needing extensions frequently or getting more and more behind on work, please make an appointment to discuss your situation with your dean.
You may also want to consult with Rachel Heiser, Assistant Dean and Director of Academic Support.
Extensions After the Last Day of Classes
An extension beyond the semester's deadline for written work (the last day of classes) requires:
- Permission of both the professor and the student's dean. Students should contact both before the deadline has expired.
- The dean and the professor must agree to all terms of the extension.
Your dean will generally support an extension request when the following are involved:
- Circumstances beyond the student’s control, such as illness or family or personal emergency.
- Cases where three or more of the student’s classes have no work due during the finals period itself.
- Lacking the above two circumstances, the dean may also support an extension with grade penalty.
Extensions are not granted:
- To accommodate travel plans.
- To allow students to do the best possible job on an assignment.
- For prearranged family or social events.
- Because several assignments fall due at the same time.
- Because an assignment was started late.
Not all cases are clear-cut. The student’s dean will take into consideration whether or not an extension would be fair to the student, their classmates, and their professors. If an extension is warranted, the dean will make sure that the terms are fair, clear to all parties, and officially recorded. If an extension does not seem warranted, the dean will help the student come up with strategies for managing a difficult workload and meeting academic obligations.
Note: Students seeking extensions in Haverford classes must follow Haverford's procedures and deadlines. See Haverford's Academic Regulation Guidebook for more information.
Extensions Beyond the End of Finals, Deferred Exams, and Incompletes
Extensions before Finals
Students who have significant periods of illness, injury, or other emergency near the end of the semester should work with their dean and faculty to develop a schedule in advance that will allow them to complete their work.
Extensions during Finals
In the case of serious illness or some other emergency that arises during the finals period itself, students should contact their dean as soon as possible. The dean will make every effort to contact the student's faculty member. If necessary, a student may be entitled to be granted an extension or have an examination deferred by their dean.
Extensions on written work will normally only be for a few days. Most commonly, the professor will still be able to submit the student's grade on time, and no grade of Incomplete is necessary.
Beyond the End of Finals
Extensions beyond the last day of finals are very rare and subject to intense scrutiny, because the last day of finals marks the end of the semester and is one of the most significant dates in the academic calendar.
Deferred Exams
In contrast, a student who has had an exam deferred must normally take that exam on the deferred exam date. Deferred exams are usually given:
- From the fall: the Sunday before classes begin in January.
- From the spring: the Sunday before classes begin in September.
- For students able to travel to Bryn Mawr, there may also be a deferred exam date in early June.
Incompletes
When necessary, students will be assigned a grade of Incomplete. Once the work is complete and the professor has submitted a grade, the registrar replaces the Incomplete with the grade. The Incomplete is merely a temporary grade. There is no permanent record on the transcript of this temporary grade.
Note: Students seeking an Incomplete in a Haverford course must abide by all Haverford regulations and deadlines. See Haverford's Academic Regulation Guidebook for more information.