About academic concessions
An academic concession may be granted for a student when an unexpected situation or circumstance prevents them from completing graded work or exams.
Academic concessions may include:
- Later deadline for an assignment
- Make-up test or quiz
- Deferred standing for coursework and exams
- Late withdrawal from a course
For complete details on academic concessions, please visit the UBC Academic Calendar.
Eligibility for academic concessions
You may request an academic concession for:
- Unanticipated changes in personal responsibilities that create a conflict
These may include family care, paid employment, religious practices, or military duty that conflict with academic requirements and are 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.
Requesting a concession
Requests should be made as early as reasonably possible. We understand that some issues may make it impossible for you to report until you’ve received medical attention or support for a traumatic event.
Depending on the situation, your academic advising office or course instructor will manage your request.
Read the course syllabus
First, check the course syllabus to determine the options you have for making up missed work in your course.
If the work you missed is optional (e.g., it’s one of several quizzes and two can be missed without penalty), you may not need to make up for the missed work.
Check with your advising office
Find information from your faculty about requesting an academic concession:
If you don’t see your faculty in the list above, contact your faculty’s academic advising office.
You can also contact your faculty’s academic advisor if the following applies to you:
- You’re unsure whether you’re eligible for an academic concession.
- Your circumstance or situation lasts more than a few days.
- You continue to face difficult life events repeatedly.
Submitting documentation
Talk to your academic advisor about your specific situation and to find out your options. In some cases, submitting a “self-declaration of absence” to your faculty’s academic advising office or your instructor may be enough.
Example cases include, but are not limited to:
- A sudden illness that keeps you from attending an exam
- An arm injury the week a paper is due
- Death in the family
- Mental health crisis
Tuition adjustment or refund
If you’ve received an academic concession, or withdrawn from a course under extenuating circumstances, you may be eligible for a tuition adjustment or refund.
If you have questions
Talk to your academic advisor for questions related to academic concessions and next steps.