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This archived information is dated to the 2011-12 academic year only and may no longer be current.

For currently applicable policies and information, see the current Stanford Bulletin.

End-Quarter Policy Statement

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Examinations

The End-Quarter Period is a time of reduced social and extracurricular activity preceding final examinations. Its purpose is to permit students to concentrate on academic work and to prepare for final examinations.

In Autumn, Winter, and Spring quarters, End-Quarter starts seven full days (to begin at 12:01 a.m.) prior to the first day of final exams. In Spring Quarter, final examinations begin on Friday; no classes are held on Thursday, the day before. In Summer Quarter, this consists of the weekend and the four class days preceding the final examinations, which take place on Friday and Saturday of the eighth week. (See the Time Schedule for dates.)

During the End-Quarter Period, classes are regularly scheduled and assignments made; this regular class time is used by instructors in whatever way seems best suited to the completion and summation of course material. Instructors should neither make extraordinary assignments nor announce additional course meetings in order to "catch up" in course presentations that have fallen behind. They are free, however, and even encouraged to conduct optional review sessions and to suggest other activities that might seem appropriate for students preparing for final examinations.

No graded homework assignments, mandatory quizzes, or examinations should be given during the End-Quarter Period except:

  1. In classes where graded homework assignments or quizzes are routine parts of the instruction process.
  2. In classes with laboratories where the final examination will not test the laboratory component. In such a case, the laboratory session(s) during the End-Quarter Period may be used to examine students on that aspect of the course.

Major papers or projects about which the student has had reasonable notice may be called due in the End-Quarter Period.

Take-home final examinations, given in place of the officially scheduled in-class examination, may be distributed in the End-Quarter Period. Although the instructor may ask students to return take-home examinations early in the final examination period, the instructor may not call them due until the end of the regularly scheduled examination time for that course. Such a policy respects the principle that students' final examinations are to be scheduled over a period of several days.

End-quarter examinations may not be held during this period. This policy preserves the instruction time for courses and protects the students' opportunities for extensive review and synthesis of their courses.

During the End-Quarter Period, no musical, dramatic, or athletic events involving compulsory student participation may be scheduled, unless approved as exceptions by the Committee on Undergraduate Standards and Policy (C-USP), nor may routine committee meetings be scheduled (such as those of the ASSU, the Senate of the Academic Council, or the committees of the President of the University) when such meetings normally would involve student participation.

Note—Students who believe that there are faculty who are violating End-Quarter policy should contact the Office of the University Registrar.

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