Academic Concessions & Accommodations

At Allard Law, requests for academic concessions are directed to the Chair or a member of the Academic Procedures Committee (through your Allard Law Advisor) rather than through your professor. The Allard Law Advisors are:

• JD students: Kaila Mikkelsen, Assistant Dean, Students, mikkelsen@allard.ubc.ca
• Requests related to the First-Year Moot: Barbara Wang, Manager, Student Experience, wang@allard.ubc.ca
• Exchange Students: Barbara Wang, Manager, Student Experience, wang@allard.ubc.ca
• LLMCL/LLMT Students/Distance Learning: Tania Astorino, Director, Professional Programs, astorino@allard.ubc.ca
• LLM/PHD Students: Joanne Chung, Graduate Programme Advisor, jchung@allard.ubc.ca
• Students who are registered with the Centre for Accessibility: If you are already registered with the Centre for Accessibility and the need for your concession is related to your registered medical condition or disability,  copy your Accessibility Advisor in addition to your Allard Law Advisor when submitting the law school Academic Concession Request Form.

Requests for academic concessions should be made promptly and must be made in advance of an exam and no later than 3 days after the due date for an assignment or paper, or a missed class. 

Barring exceptional circumstances, requests submitted more than 3 days after the due date of an assignment or missed class, will not be considered. For clarity, days include weekends and holidays. Where a student has received an approved extension of the due date for an assignment or paper, any concession requests for further extensions of the due date must be made in advance of the approved extension due date.

Requests for an academic concession with respect to an examination (such as a request to defer an exam) must be made in advance of the start time of the examination. Requests received after the start time of the examination will only be considered where there are extenuating circumstances. Barring extenuating circumstances, requests submitted after an examination has begun, will not be considered. For clarity, days include weekends and holidays.

Requests for an exam to be rescheduled due a religious observance or, for First Nations, Métis, or Inuit students of Canada, a cultural observance, are due no later than the last day to add a course for that term.

Determination of whether to grant an academic concession and which type of academic concession is most appropriate will depend on your individual circumstances. Though not an exhaustive list, the most common concessions granted are:

• More time to work on your paper or assignment
• A deferral of your examination (midterm or final) to a later date
• A waiver of the participation requirement for a missed class day
• Rescheduling of a presentation to a different day

1. Students Registered with the Centre for Accessibility

If you are a student that is registered with the Centre for Accessibility, and your request for a concession is related to your registered medical condition or disability, you do not need to provide documentation to the law school. Instead, students should contact their Accessibility Advisor to discuss the request.

If your request for a concession is unrelated to your registered medical condition or disability, you will need to provide documentation or a self-declaration directly to your Allard Law Advisor.

2. Students who are not Registered with the Centre for Accessibility

Requests for academic concession generally require documentation. However, a Self-Declaration of your circumstances may be sufficient for:

• the first occurrence of an acute illness
• a request on compassionate grounds
• a conflicting responsibility for which there is no practicable way to provide a letter or other official document from an organization relevant to the conflict
• religious or cultural observances

For some circumstances, you may still be required to submit supporting documentation along with, or following, your self-declaration. Please see the Self-Declaration form for further information and conditions on the use of the Self-Declaration.

We trust that the information you provide in a request for academic concession is accurate and truthful. The submission of false information for the purpose of obtaining academic concession is classified as non-academic misconduct, and will be investigated and penalized accordingly.​​​

If you need to request an academic concession, please choose the category below that you believe most accurately reflects your situation and read the instructions carefully. Supporting documentation may be required before a concession is granted.

1. Conflicting Responsibilities 

It is your responsibility to arrange your personal life so that your attendance and participation in courses is not impacted. Conflicting responsibilities that create grounds for academic concession must be unexpected and unanticipated, are beyond your control and normally arise after you have registered in courses. Examples (which are not exhaustive) include:

• being absent from campus to represent the University, British Columbia or Canada in a competition or performance
• a change in the need to provide care for a dependent or family member
• being called to serve in the military
• being required to attend a hearing on a matter of university discipline or academic standing
• being required to report to a government office for immigration or citizenship proceedings
• participating in a religious observance or, for First Nations, Métis, or Inuit students of Canada, a cultural observance 

Documentation for Conflicting Responsibilities: Supporting documentation should normally be provided in support of requests for academic concessions on the grounds of conflicting responsibilities*. A Self-Declaration may be sufficient where there is no practicable way to provide a letter or other official document from an organization relevant to the conflict. Contact your Allard Law Advisor if you do not have supporting documentation for a concession request based on conflicting responsibilities.

*Documentation is not required for care of a family member.

For students who may miss a final exam due to a religious observance or, for First Nations, Métis, or Inuit students of Canada, a cultural observance, per Allard Law policy, they must request an academic concession no later than the last day to add a course for that term.  The exam will be rescheduled to a different date during the examination period. Documentation is not required.

2. Medical Grounds

Medical circumstances that create grounds for academic concession are normally unanticipated and include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Acute physical or mental illness or a medical circumstance that emerges or recurs during a term

• The emergence of, or a change in, a chronic physical or mental health condition

Documentation for Medical Grounds: Supporting documentation is generally required for academic concessions related to medical grounds. However, for a temporary injury or illness, a self-declaration of your circumstances will usually be sufficient. An Allard Law Advisor will contact you if supporting medical documentation is required before granting a concession. For second or subsequent requests for an academic concession based on the same injury or illness within the same academic term, you may be required to submit medical documentation.

If you believe you are experiencing the emergence of a chronic condition, please speak to your Allard Law Advisor as soon as possible to discuss appropriate referrals and campus resources.

If you are a student that is registered with the Centre for Accessibility: see “Will I be required to provide documentation to support my request”.

3. Compassionate Grounds

Compassionate grounds for academic concession may arise in the immediate aftermath of an unanticipated event, or later. Examples include:

• a traumatic event experienced by you, a family member, or a close friend
• an act of sexual misconduct experienced by you, a family member, or a close friend
• a death in the family or of a close friend

Documentation for Compassionate Grounds: For academic concession on compassionate grounds, a self-declaration of your circumstances will usually be sufficient. An Allard Law Advisor will contact you if additional information is required before granting a concession.

If a prolonged absence is anticipated on compassionate grounds, supporting documentation may be requested. Supporting documentation can be provided by a professional (for example, a counsellor or psychologist) or by a unit (for example, Counselling Services or UBC Hospital) that can assess the effect of the event on you.

The law school recognizes that circumstances may arise (e.g. incidents of sexualized violence) where documentation is unavailable or not appropriate. Students with questions about documentation requirements should contact the Assistant Dean, Students, for advice in advance of making an academic concession application.

Requests for academic concessions will not be considered due to job interviews, conference attendance, court duties, volunteer commitments, travel or vacation plans, work schedules or a failure to back-up work. Students are expected to plan their personal affairs around their academic responsibilities. 

If you think you may be eligible for academic accommodations, you should contact the CfA AS SOON AS POSSIBLE to register for accommodations. Registration may take some time to complete and students are strongly encouraged to register at the beginning of the academic term. If you register after the term begins, your registration may not be finalized in time for you to use accommodations in that term.

Please visit the CfA webpage, including their frequently asked questions page, for additional information regarding CfA Accommodations.

1. Generate a Letter of Accommodation and Provide to Allard Law

All students must generate a Letter of Accommodation using the CfA Online Portal for each law course you are taking and provide a copy to the law school to receive your accommodations.

JD Students: Send a copy of one Letter of Accommodation listing all of your accommodations to studentservices@allard.ubc.ca. You only need to send a letter once per academic session (i.e. Winter session (September – April) or Summer session (May – July)) unless there are changes to your accommodations. If there are any changes to your accommodations, generate a new letter and send an updated copy to studentservices@allard.ubc.ca. 

Graduate Students: In addition to sending a copy of one Letter of Accommodation listing all of your accommodations to studentservices@allard.ubc.ca, you must also send a copy to your graduate advisor. 

2. Exam Accommodations

Students receiving exam accommodations must also book their exams with the CfA in each exam period by the applicable booking deadline. The CfA has created this helpful Step-by-Step Instruction Sheet outlining the process for Law Students to book exams with their office. Please refer to the CfA Exam Accommodations webpage for additional information on writing exams with the CfA.

Students receiving exam accommodations should not provide copies of their Letters of Accommodation to their professors to receive their exam accommodations. Student Academic Services processes exam accommodations centrally with the CfA. To preserve anonymity in grading, your professors should not be alerted of your exam accommodations.

3. Classroom / Course Accommodations

If you are a 1L student: First year students do not need to send their Letter of Accommodation to their professors to receive their classroom / course accommodations. After you provide a copy of your letter of accommodation to studentservices@allard.ubc.ca, you may contact Kaila Mikkelsen to request that your instructors be informed of your classroom / course accommodations.

If you are a 2L/3L student: In addition to sending copies of your Letters of Accommodation to studentservices@allard.ubc.ca, you should also send a copy of your Letter of Accommodation listing your classroom / course accommodations to your professors, copying Kaila Mikkelsen. Kaila can help you work with your instructors to implement your classroom / course accommodations and address issues if they arise.

If you also receive exam accommodations, do not include the exam accommodations in your Letter of Accommodation that you provide to your professors. Student Academic Services processes exam accommodations centrally. To preserve anonymity in grading, your professors should not be alerted of your exam accommodations.

If you are graduate student: you do not need to send your Letter of Accommodation to your instructors to receive your classroom / course accommodations. After you provide a copy of your letter of accommodation to studentservices@allard.ubc.ca and to your graduate advisor, you should contact your graduate advisor to request that your instructors be informed of your classroom / course accommodations.

1. Book your Exams with the Centre for Accessibility by the Booking Deadline

If you are eligible for exam accommodations, you must book your exams with the CfA for each exam period in order to receive your exam accommodations. The CfA has strict deadlines for exam bookings. Ensure you book your exams before the deadline as late bookings will not be accepted. Once you have booked your exams through the CfA portal, the CfA will contact Allard Law to obtain information regarding your exam.

December / April / Summer Exams

To book an exam taking place during the regular exam period, students should refer to the relevant Allard Law exam schedule, which will be posted on the Upper Year Courses & Exams webpage or the Summer Program webpage,  and confirm the date of their exam. Using the CfA Online Portal, students must then schedule the exam according to the Allard Law exam schedule. Please review the CfA Instructions for Law Students re: How to Book Exams (PDF) for a step-by-step guide on how to book exams using their online portal.  

• Ensure you have generated an accommodation letter for each course that you are writing an exam in or the system will not allow you to book an exam in that course. If you have generated your letters and you are still not able to book your exam, you should email the CfA front desk, copying Barbara Wang, for assistance with booking your exam. 

Deferred Exams 

To book an exam during the deferred exam period, students should refer to the Allard Law deferred exam schedule. Student Services will provide this schedule to all students writing deferred exams well in advance of the deferred exam period. Students must then email the CfA front desk, copying Barbara Wang, to book their exams according to the Allard Law deferred exam schedule.

2. Writing your Exam at the Centre for Accessibility

Students wishing to use their exam accommodations must write exams with the CfA at its designated exam location:

• For December / April final exams, the exam location is typically in Buchanan D, Check in Room 201.
• For Summer final exams and Deferred Exams (e.g. January, July, September), the exam location is typically in Ponderosa Annex C.

However, students should always confirm the designated exam location on the CfA’s Exam Accommodations webpage prior to their exam period.

On the day of the exam, Students should only bring their UBC Student ID and any approved exam materials. Please aim to arrive at the designated exam location at least 15 minutes early. A CfA exam invigilator will check you in and provide you with additional instructions.

Note that students may choose to write at Allard Hall without exam accommodations. Allard Hall does not have the facility space nor resources to facilitate CfA Exam Accommodations. Accordingly, if you choose to write your exams at Allard Hall, you will write your exams without your CfA Exam Accommodations.

3. Exam Procedures

You will receive information in advance of each exam period from Allard Law Student Services regarding the exam procedures for writing exams at the CfA. Review this information carefully as you are responsible to follow all exam procedures.

Most notably, you must immediately alert the CfA exam invigilators and request that they contact Barbara Wang, Manager, Student Experience, if during the exam: you have any exam-related questions, you are experiencing any technical issues or if you feel unwell and cannot continue. This will allow us to assist you while the exam is still taking place, as our ability to help you will be limited after the exam ends.

Please also refer to the additional information on writing exams with the CfA available on the CfA Exam Accommodations webpage.

1. Exam Time-Extension Accommodations on Take-home Exams

Under the CfA’s exam policies, not all take-home exams are eligible for exam time-extension accommodations. Instructors with take home exams are responsible to notify students to advise whether their take home exam is eligible for time-extensions.

For exams less than 24 hours, you will be entitled to your time-extension accommodation. However, CfA Exam Time-Extension Accommodations generally do not apply to exams that are 24 hours or more in length. If you have any concerns regarding not receiving an accommodation for a take-home exam that is more than 24 hours in length, please contact your accessibility advisor.

If the take-home exam is eligible for time-extensions, you do not need to register the take-home exam with the Centre for Accessibility to access your time-extension accommodation. Instead, you must provide a copy of your accommodation letter to studentservices@allard.ubc.ca. Then, Allard Law will work with your instructor to ensure that you receive your accommodation for your take-home exam.

 2. Other Exam Accommodations on Take-home Exams

For take-home exams, Allard Law has limited capacity to help students access their exam accommodations (other than time-extension accommodations):

• If you receive exam accommodations such as the use of special software or equipment, you will be responsible for arranging your home access to such software or equipment when you write a take-home exam. If you anticipate issues with accessing these resources, please contact your accessibility advisor to discuss possible solutions months prior to the exam period so there is time to work together.
• If you receive exam accommodations such as private space or distraction-reduced environment, you will be responsible for creating or locating an appropriate environment for your take-home exam. If you anticipate issues with accessing these resources, please contact your accessibility advisor to discuss possible solutions.
• If you receive exam accommodations that have not been addressed above or if you have other concerns about accessing exam accommodations for take-home exams, please contact your accessibility advisor to discuss possible solutions.

Students are expected to make requests for an exam deferral prior to entering the examination room. Once a student sees an examination paper, the student has committed to writing and completing that exam.  If during the exam, a student experiences a sudden, debilitating illness, which renders them unable to complete an exam, the student must alert the invigilator or Academic Services Staff immediately for assessment.

Requests from students for retroactive exam deferrals or concessions after an exam is written or submitted (e.g. claiming an in-exam illness or incident) will not be reviewed unless the student alerted the invigilator during the exam as per the above process.

Withdrawal from a course after the last date to drop with a W is available as an academic concession, but only in exceptional circumstances.  Late withdrawals can only be granted with approval from the Assistant Dean, Students (JD students) or the Associate Dean, Graduate Studies (graduate students). Students requesting a late withdrawal should do so promptly and are expected to provide supporting documentation. Late withdrawals are not available if you have written the final exam or completed the final assessments in the course.

December exams are mandatory for 1L students. Exam deferrals are not available for December practice exams. If a 1L student qualifies for an academic concession for a 1L December Practice exam, the student will be granted an exam waiver. The student's April exam in that course will be worth 100% of their final grade.

If you have been approved for an academic concession to defer an exam, or have a paper or assignment deadline extended beyond the date for faculty members to submit final grades, then your transcript will include a “SD” (Standing Deferred) notation in place of a grade for your course. After you have written your exam or submitted your assignment, your instructor will submit your final course grade. The SD notation will be removed when your final grade is posted and there will be no indication that you were approved for an academic concession.

The law school sets specific dates for deferred exams. Students cannot choose when they write their deferred exam. Please see the Academic Concession Request Form for the dates of the deferred exam periods for each term. Student and Academic Services Staff will notify you by email of the specific date and time of your deferred exam following the conclusion of the term.

You will lose access to your courses in Canvas once the term is finished. If you have an approved exam deferral, Student and Academic Services staff will contact the LT Hub to ask them to extend your Canvas course access to after the deferred exam period and alert your instructor of this request. Your continued access will be subject to approval from your instructor. 

Please refer to Book your exams with the Centre for Accessibility (PDF).

If you need to request an academic concession and the reason for your request is related to a condition for which you are registered with the Centre for Accessibility, then you may request an academic concession by filling out the Academic Concession Request Form and submitting it to your Allard Law Advisor, copying your accessibility advisor. Then, you must contact your accessibility advisor to share information about what is impacting your ability to complete your assessment. Your accessibility advisor will then follow up with your Allard Law Advisor to confirm whether or not they support your request. Note that you do not need to share medical details or why you are registered with the Centre for Accessibility in the Academic Concession Request Form.

If your request for a concession is unrelated to your registered medical condition or disability, you will need to complete and return the Academic Concession Request Form. If applicable, you may also need to complete and return a Self-Declaration with your Request Form.