Submission of Course Work to Instructors

Students in Yale College are expected to take personal responsibility for the timely delivery to their instructors of all course work, including examinations, in the manner and format prescribed by the instructors. Students who submit course work in a manner other than in person and directly to an appropriate individual should confirm as soon as possible after the submission that the work has been received. Students who submit work electronically should also confirm, before the work is due, that they are sending correct and readable files, and they should take appropriate measures (e.g., by copying themselves on any emailed submissions; taking computer screenshots; checking their submission status if using Canvas or Gradescope) to confirm that they submitted their work to the instructor on time.

Late or Postponed Work

There are three kinds of late or postponed work: (1) work late during term time; (2) work incomplete at the end of term (i.e., the last day of Reading Period); and (3) postponed final examinations. When students know in advance that they must miss or postpone work for a legitimate reason, as described in “Work Missed During the Term” and in “Postponement of Final Examinations” below, they should inform the instructor and the residential college dean as soon as possible.

Work Missed During the Term

A student's residential college dean may give confidential permission for a student to make up work missed or delayed because of an incapacitating physical or mental health condition, the death of a family member, or a comparable emergency. The residential college dean also has authority to give permission to make up work missed in person because of the observance of religious holy days and because of participation in intercollegiate varsity athletic competition. This permission is conveyed by means of a special form which, upon approval by the college dean, is sent to the student's instructor. Students participating in events of intramural or club sports, as differentiated from varsity events sponsored by the Department of Athletics, are not eligible for a postponement of work by the dean on account of those events.

In all other cases of work missed during the term, permission to make up course work can only be secured directly from the instructor of the course. Instructors have full discretion and authority to grant or deny requests for extensions for work due during the term for any reason. This permission may not, however, extend beyond the last day of Reading Period, except for term papers and term projects. See “Work Incomplete at the End of Term” below.

Work Incomplete at the End of Term

Only the residential college dean has authority to give confidential permission to a student to submit work, other than term papers or term projects, in a course after the last day of Reading Period. The college dean may give such permission because of an incapacitating physical or mental health condition, the death of a family member, or a comparable emergency. In such cases, the college dean may authorize a mark of Temporary Incomplete for a period not to exceed one month from the beginning of the final examination period. Note that the mark of Temporary Incomplete refers to unfinished course work that was originally due in the closing weeks of the term, and not to assignments (such as lab reports, problem sets, reading responses, etc.) originally due prior to the closing weeks of the term. Note also that the mark of Temporary Incomplete does not refer to a final examination missed for any reason; see “Postponement of Final Examinations” below.

The residential college dean, in authorizing a mark of Temporary Incomplete, will stipulate the date on which the student’s late work will be due and the date on which the instructor is expected to submit a course grade to the registrar. The college dean may not set this second date later than one month after the beginning of the final examination period. If the student’s work has not been completed in time for the instructor to report a grade to the registrar by the deadline stipulated, then the instructor will submit a grade for the student that reflects the absence of the missing work, or the registrar will convert the mark of Temporary Incomplete to a grade of F. See section B, Grades, “General Regulations Concerning Grades and Transcripts,” and section F, Withdrawal from Courses.

Permission for a mark of Temporary Incomplete to last beyond one month from the beginning of the final examination period can be granted only by the Yale College Committee on Honors and Academic Standing. Such an extension may be given only for a brief period of time, usually one to two weeks, and only in response to extraordinary circumstances, usually of a medical nature. A petition for such permission must be submitted at the earliest possible date. In considering such requests, the Committee on Honors and Academic Standing takes into account the original deadline for submission of the work and the date on which a petition is delivered to the committee.

Use of Computers and Postponement of Work

Technological problems, such as computer failures or corrupt files, normally do not qualify for extensions or other accommodations. Students should exercise reasonable prudence to safeguard materials, including backing up data in multiple locations and at frequent intervals and making duplicate copies of work files. Any computer work should be completed well in advance of the deadline in order to avoid last-minute technological problems. A student who experiences a computer-related problem while completing an assignment should immediately contact the course instructor for guidance.

Postponement of Final Examinations

Only the residential college dean may authorize postponement of a final examination. The residential college dean may give such confidential permission because of an incapacitating physical or mental health condition, the death of a family member, or a comparable emergency. The residential college dean also has authority to give such permission because of the observance of religious holy days and because of participation in intercollegiate varsity athletic competition. Finally, the college dean may authorize postponement of a final examination if a student has three examinations scheduled during the first two full days of the final examination period, or three examinations scheduled consecutively in the final examination schedules.* The postponement of a final examination for any other reason requires the permission of the Committee on Honors and Academic Standing. A student’s end-of-term travel plans are not a basis for the postponement of a final examination. See Final Examination Schedules and section G, Reading Period and Final Examination Period, paragraph 4.

*

The final examination schedules indicate three examination sessions, or time slots, per day: one in the morning, one in the afternoon, and one in the evening. Some of these time slots contain examinations; others do not. A college dean may postpone an examination if a student has three examinations scheduled within any four consecutive time slots, whether or not each of those time slots has an examination assigned to it. See Final Examination Schedules. Occasionally an instructor may arrange an option for an alternative final examination in addition to the regularly scheduled examination. See section G, Reading Period and Final Examination Period, paragraph 5. Such an optional arrangement cannot be the basis for a postponement of an examination if three of a student’s final examinations would thereby acquire “consecutive” status.

It is normally the expectation that when a student begins a final examination but does not complete it, the student will receive credit only for the work completed on the examination. If, however, a student becomes unable to complete an examination because of a sudden and serious illness or other emergency during the examination, the student may request authorization from the residential college dean to take a makeup final examination. In such a case, the student must explain their departure to the instructor, or to some other person proctoring the examination, before leaving the room, and must contact the residential college dean and Yale Health as appropriate as soon as possible thereafter.

Instructors generally administer makeup final exams. Makeup examinations for the fall term should be scheduled by the end of the second week of classes in the spring term. Makeup examinations for underclass students who miss final examinations in the spring term should be scheduled by the end of the second week of classes in the following fall term. Students who will not be enrolled at these times—whether because they are on leave of absence or on a Year or Term Abroad, or because they have withdrawn from Yale—must contact their residential dean's office in advance of the second week of classes about alternative arrangements. The registrar automatically records a grade of F in a course for a student who fails to take an officially scheduled makeup examination in that course at the appointed time, unless the student is able to earn a passing grade without taking the final examination. 

Permission to postpone a final examination does not authorize a student to submit other work late in that course. See “Work Incomplete at the End of Term,” above.