Illness During Final Exams

UNC students who become ill during the final exam period may be eligible for an excused exam process if their condition significantly affects their ability to prepare for or take a final.

What Students Need to Know

1. Seek care promptly
Students must consult with a medical or mental health provider on the day of the exam or prior to it. Exam excuses cannot be issued retroactively.

2. Authorized providers

• A Campus Health or CAPS provider can issue an exam excuse if they determine the student is significantly impaired.
• Students seen by an outside provider must send visit documentation to the Health Information Management Department: campushealth_records@unc.edu.
  • Documentation must include dates, times, and course numbers of the exams the student is requesting to be excused from.

3. Review and approval
Campus Health reviews all submitted documentation and authorizes exam excuses when appropriate.

4. Receiving the permit
Approved students will receive a “Permit to Schedule Alternative Final Exam” in their Healthy Heels patient portal.

What Happens Next

5. Notify instructors
While waiting for the permit, students should email their instructor(s) to let them know they have been placed on the Final Excused Exam List.

Once the permit is received, students are responsible for forwarding it to each instructor to schedule an alternative final exam time.

6. Instructor confirmation
Instructors may confirm the validity of an exam excuse by emailing campushealth_records@unc.edu from their official UNC address.
No personal health information will be shared—only the validity of the excuse.

Questions?

Students can email campushealth_records@unc.edu with questions. Include full name and PID on all correspondence.

For additional details about Academic Advising Program policies on exam excuses, visit:
advising.unc.edu/policies-and-procedures/final-exam-excuses