University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Final Examinations

Final exams are scheduled in PAWS for two hours in accordance with the final exam policy and final exam schedule.

Prior approval, ahead of the schedule of classes publication date for the term, is required to change a final exam time for a class section. Changing a final time will require the exam to be held during the Optional Exam Time or later in the week. Requests must be first approved by the dean or director. The dean or director approved request must then be submitted to the Provost’s Office for final approval. If approved by the Provost’s Office, the Registrar’s Office must be notified prior to the schedule of classes publication date for the term for scheduling purposes and to avoid conflicts.

Students may request an alternate time for an exam if they have three or more scheduled exams on the same day. When a combined final exam conflicts with a student’s individual final exam, another combined final exam, or results in three or more exams in one day, it is the responsibility of the department giving the combined final exam to offer it at another time. The ‘Optional Exam Time’ is included on the schedule for make-up or rescheduled exams.

• • Individual Final Exams: Most final exams are scheduled based on the class sections’ meeting pattern during one of the four daytime blocks on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday morning during final exam week.
    • MWF, includes the following meeting patterns: MWF, M, W, F, MW, MF, WF, MTWR, MTWF, MWRF, MTRF, & MTWRF
    • TR, includes the following meeting patterns: TR, T, R, TF, RF, TRF, & TWRF
  • Combined Final Exams: These exams are given at the same time for a group of class sections for a course and are scheduled during one of the six blocks on Friday or Saturday (or from 6:30-8:30 PM on Saturday, if needed) during final exam week. Combined final exam blocks fall outside of the individual final exam schedule to reduce conflicts for students and space, particularly large lecture halls.
    • Student Conflicts: When a combined final exam conflicts with a student’s individual final exam, another combined final exam, or results in three or more exams in one day, it is the responsibility of the department giving the combined final exam to offer it at another time. The ‘Optional Exam Time’ is included on the schedule for make-up or rescheduled exams.
  • Evening Exams (5:30 PM and later): Evening final exams are held in the 6:30-8:30 PM block during final exam week.
  • Saturday Classes: Final exams for Saturday class sections are scheduled at the start of the hour, in which they are regularly scheduled, for two hours on the Saturday of final exam week.
  • Optional Exam Time: Based upon recommendation from the Academic Policy Committee, this optional exam period has been reserved for students with exam conflicts to take one of the conflicting exams.
  • Official Emergency Date: If the University must declare an official emergency during the final examination period, the exams that are postponed will be rescheduled in the same rooms at the same times on the designated date for the term. If more than one day of exams are cancelled, the Office of the Provost will announce plans for rescheduling.

Schedule Publication
The final exam schedule for fall and spring terms are published at the same time as the schedule of classes for the term. This allows students to be able to plan their final exams while planning their schedule for the term.

Final Exam Scheduling and Room Assignments
The final exam schedule for a term is generated in PAWS by the Registrar’s Office around late-September for fall terms and mid-February for spring terms. PAWS attempts to schedule all final exams in the classroom in which the section is taught unless a conflict arises with another final exam. Department academic schedule builders and coordinators are notified when final exams are scheduled, and rooms are assigned. It is the responsibility of the department to contact the instructor and students regarding any classroom changes.

Once scheduled and rooms assigned, final exam times, dates and locations are available to students, faculty, and teaching staff in PAWS. Follow the links below to find out how to see your schedules:

• • Finding Student Final Exam Schedules in PAWS
  • Finding Faculty Final Exam Schedules in PAWS

Instructor Email from PAWS
Instructors with grade approval access for a section will receive two auto-generated emails from PAWS indicating the section(s) for the term with their exam date, start and end time, and location.

Study Day Policy
The current iteration of the study day was created as a permanent fixture of the academic calendar via a motion by the Academic Policy Committee in 1987 as part of the 1989-90 academic calendar recommendation.

For more detailed Final Exam & Study Day policies, please refer to this document.