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Deferred Exam Application Guide: Don't Gamble Your Exam on Luck ​

A deferred exam is not "I'll just skip it and take it next semester" — it requires a written application submitted and approved before the exam. Missing an exam without completing this process is considered an unauthorized absence, not a deferral. SCUT's current academic regulations allow deferred exams in two situations:

  • Illness preventing attendance, supported by a hospital certificate;
  • Schedule conflicts preventing attendance.

The applicant must submit a written application to both their home college and the course-offering college before the exam, approved by the vice deans of both colleges, in order to take the retake at the beginning of the next semester. Although deferred exam students sit the same exam as retake students, the grade is not recorded as a retake grade.

Scope of verification

The offline procedure described below is based on two deferred exam applications processed by a student from the School of Civil and Transportation during the 2025–2026 academic year: one due to high fever, and another due to a schedule conflict between UC Berkeley's summer session and SCUT's exam. In both cases, the home college and course-offering college were the same (School of Civil and Transportation).

Cross-college applications and last-minute illness on exam day have not been personally tested. If you encounter either situation, check with your counselor first — don't bet your academic record on this page.

One-Page Checklist ​

  1. Ask your counselor for the current semester's application form, and confirm the teaching secretary and stamping office locations.
  2. Notify your course instructor via WeChat that you plan to apply for a deferred exam, so you won't be marked as absent without excuse.
  3. Prepare evidence that covers the exam period.
  4. Fill out one form per course.
  5. Have the teaching secretary process the approval comments for both your home college and the course-offering college.
  6. Complete the vice dean's signature stamp, two college official stamps on the approval blocks, and the receipt stamp.
  7. Photograph the completed form, submit it to the course-offering college for filing as required, and give the stamped receipt to your instructor before the exam.
  8. After the next semester begins, complete "retake enrollment confirmation" in the academic system, then check the exam schedule.

Step 1: Ask Your Counselor First — Don't Download Forms from the Web ​

The university website has a deferred exam application form download page, but the public page was published in 2018 and the form's footer dates back even further. The safer approach is to ask your counselor directly:

I need to apply for a deferred exam for [course name]. Could you tell me which version of the form is in use this semester? Which teaching secretaries handle the home college and course-offering college approvals, and which offices should I go to for stamps?

Your counselor's value isn't to approve you — it's to give you the current form version and real office routes. The official form says "approved by the vice dean of teaching," but in practice, the authorized teaching secretary may handle the signature stamp and college stamp.

Step 2: Notify Your Instructor ​

The course instructor is not the final approver, but they must know in advance that you are not an unauthorized absentee. You can send:

Professor [Name], I am [Your Name], student ID [Number], enrolled in your course [Course Name]. The original exam is scheduled for [Date] at [Time]. Due to [Reason], I cannot attend. I plan to apply for a deferred exam through my college's procedure and wanted to notify you first. Once the approval is complete, I will send you the stamped materials and deliver the paper receipt before the exam.

In practice, verbal acknowledgment via WeChat from the instructor is sufficient to proceed. The "instructor" column on the form can be filled in by the student. The instructor's acknowledgment is a notification, not college approval.

Step 3: Solidify Your Evidence ​

Due to Illness ​

The tested path is:

  1. Visit the university hospital and register for a consultation;
  2. Ask the attending physician to issue a diagnosis based on your actual condition;
  3. Obtain a clear medical recommendation, e.g., "recommended rest for 1 day";
  4. Present the diagnosis and recommendation when processing approval.

In one actual application, the diagnosis recorded a peak body temperature of 39.5°C and related symptoms, with a doctor's recommendation of 1 day of rest. The university hospital could issue at most 1–2 days of rest recommendation at the time. The college did not retain the materials, but the stamping officer needed to see them on-site.

What matters is not the word "fever," but symptom records, diagnostic conclusions, and a rest recommendation covering the exam period. Doctors must write based on actual examination results — do not instruct them to fabricate wording.

The university's official rules only require a hospital certificate and do not publicly specify that it must be from the university hospital or mandate a fixed template. If using an external hospital, needing a longer rest period, or facing an emergency, confirm material requirements with your counselor first.

Due to Schedule Conflict ​

Do not interpret "business" as "any plane ticket qualifies." The official rule states course conflict.

One actual approved case: UC Berkeley's summer session started on July 6, and SCUT's exam was on July 7. The applicant presented their I-20 and was approved, without being asked to provide a plane ticket or explain why the trip couldn't be rescheduled. This only proves that "external course conflict + I-20" was once approved — it does not imply that personal travel, tourism, or ordinary schedule conflicts will be approved.

If your situation is not a course conflict, send your evidence to your counselor first to ask whether it's worth applying. Do not buy non-refundable tickets first and then expect the college to bail you out.

Step 4: Fill Out the Application Form ​

Blank sections must be handwritten, one form per course. You cannot use one form for multiple courses. Required fields include:

  • Name, student ID, home college, and major;
  • Course name and instructor;
  • Original exam time;
  • Whether you have read and understood the relevant regulations;
  • Reason for application;
  • Student signature and date.

Verify the course name and exam time from the academic system or exam notice before filling in — don't rely on abbreviations. Supporting documents do not need to be glued to the form, but you must bring the originals or verifiable materials when processing.

Step 5: Complete the Approval and Three Official Stamps ​

In the tested case where the home college and course-offering college were the same, a single teaching secretary handled both "Vice Dean's Opinion" columns. The sequence was:

  1. Review the application reason and evidence;
  2. Write the approval opinion;
  3. Apply the vice dean's signature stamp;
  4. Stamp both the "Home College" and "Course-Offering College" official seals;
  5. Stamp the "Deferred Exam Receipt" with the course-offering college seal one more time.

Even when both colleges are the same, the two columns cannot be combined — the form requires three college stamps in total. The signature stamp and college stamps may be handled in different offices. With complete materials and all relevant staff present, approval took about 10 minutes in practice. The real delay comes from finding the wrong office or the responsible person being away.

If the course-offering college is not your home college, follow the order of "home college first, then course-offering college," and confirm the teaching secretaries for both colleges in advance. The cross-college route has not been personally tested — do not copy the School of Civil and Transportation's office arrangements.

Step 6: File, Submit the Receipt, and Keep Evidence ​

The form's printed instructions require:

  • After approval, submit to the course-offering college's academic affairs office before the exam;
  • The top portion is retained by the course-offering college for filing;
  • The bottom receipt, stamped by the course-offering college, is given to the course instructor.

In practice, if the office returns the entire form to you, do not guess which section to cut. Ask on the spot: "Which part does the college keep, and which part does the instructor receive?" Before handing over any paper, take a clear photo showing the handwriting and all three stamps.

If you cannot submit in person, a classmate can do it for you, but at minimum:

  1. Send the complete stamped version to your instructor before the exam;
  2. Tell the person clearly who to give it to and which part to submit;
  3. Have the instructor or your classmate confirm delivery;
  4. Save the chat records and the complete photo.

When the instructor enters grades for this term, the course will be marked as "deferred exam." The paper receipt's purpose is to ensure the instructor knows this is not an unauthorized absence.

Step 7: Don't Forget to Enroll Next Semester ​

Approval for a deferred exam only resolves "why you didn't take it this time" — it does not automatically enroll you for the next sitting.

At the start of the next semester, the college will notify students to log into the academic system. The menu path is:

Applications → Retake Enrollment Confirmation

For example, in the 2025–2026 academic year, second semester notification opened from Wednesday of the first week to Wednesday of the second week — a window of only one week. Specific dates change each semester; only the current semester's notice is authoritative.

After enrolling, check two sources for arrangements:

  • Public courses: check the Undergraduate Academic Affairs Office or the course-offering college's retake schedule;
  • Major-specific courses: check the course-offering college's official website for undergraduate academic notices.

Deferred exam students typically sit the same exam as makeup and retake students, but this is only a shared exam arrangement. An approved deferred exam grade is not recorded as a retake grade. The overall course assessment still follows the original evaluation method, and your usual performance score is not voided.

You only get one retake opportunity. If you miss the "retake enrollment confirmation" window, or enroll but fail to show up, the only remaining option is course retaking. Don't leave a one-week window to your memory — set a reminder on the first day of the semester.

Four Common Pitfalls ​

  1. "The instructor agreed, so I'm good." No. The instructor is just informed — final approval requires both colleges.
  2. "One stamp from the same college is enough." No. The home college column, course-offering college column, and receipt each have their own stamp.
  3. "Any reason works." Not true. The published rules cover illness or course conflict. Other reasons are at the college's discretion.
  4. "Once approved, I just wait." No. You must actively confirm enrollment in the academic system next semester.

Sources and Timeliness ​

Policies, forms, and office assignments may change. This page can compress information for you, but it cannot stamp forms for you. Always defer to the current semester's Undergraduate Academic Affairs Office, course-offering college, and counselor notices.

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