Revision to Rule 8.4 and 8.5 were approved on 7/9/2007 by Faculty Senate
and signed by the President on 7/27/2007. This rule change is effective 8/1/2007.  Please Rule 8 for up to date information.

8.1 Final examinations are not mandatory for undergraduate or graduate course instruction. If, however, a final examination is required by the instructor, then it shall be designed to be taken during a period not to exceed two hours. One credit hour courses may give final examinations during the last scheduled class period, but not during the final exam period. During the fall and spring semesters, the end-of-the-semester schedule shall be as follows: In the 15th week of the semester, students attend classes Monday and Tuesday and have two days of preparation time—“reading days”—on Wednesday and Thursday. Monday and Tuesday of this week are “prep days,” meaning no regular course examinations (except for laboratory and one-hour courses) shall be given on these days. Examinations shall begin on Friday of the 15th week, will resume on Monday of the 16th week of the semester and will conclude on Wednesday of the same week. All final examinations shall be given in accordance with the schedule published by the Office of the Registrar. Commencement shall be scheduled for Friday and Saturday of the 16th week.

8.2 In those instances where a student is scheduled for three final examinations in one day, the student may request of his or her dean a rescheduling of one of the examinations. The dean, department head and instructor will make every effort to accommodate the student when such a request is made.

8.3 Final examinations shall be given at the end of the five-week summer terms and the 10-week summer session in accordance with the schedule published by the Office of the Registrar.

8.4 Special Examinations. An undergraduate student who has completed all the requirements for graduation, both in hours and grade points, except for a passing grade in one course undertaken and failed during his or her last two semesters, may be given, with proper approval, one special examination in that course. Before a student will be considered for a special examination, he or she must have substantially completed the work of the course. A request for such special examination should be initiated by the student through the head of the department offering the course and the dean of the student's college, and submitted to the registrar for approval after the close of the semester or summer term. No special examination shall be given without the approval of both the head of the department in which the course was offered and the dean of the student’s college.

8.5 If a passing grade is made on an authorized special examination, the head of the department will notify the registrar, who will record on the student’s permanent academic record a notation of credit by special examination with the appropriate number of semester hours of credit.

8.6 Credit by Examination. Students come to Texas A&M University with a variety of educational experiences and backgrounds. In order to build upon this diversity, Texas A&M University encourages the use of Credit by Examination (CBE) opportunities to place students in the most advanced course for which they are prepared.

8.7 General Rules for Pursuing Credit by Examination

8.7.1 Admitted and/or officially enrolled students are eligible to pursue CBE.

8.7.2 CBE will be offered routinely for many courses during the school year as indicated by a test schedule available through the Office of Measurement and Research Services (MARS). It is the student’s responsibility to check and comply with this schedule.

8.7.3 There is no limit to the number of hours that may be earned through the CBE program. Credit earned through the CBE program, however, does not apply toward meeting university residence requirements.

8.7.4 All CBE credit is awarded without grade and is not included in the calculation of grade point ratios.

8.7.5 Credit earned by examination will not jeopardize eligibility for scholarships that require freshman standing.

8.7.6 A student may not have credit posted for credit by examination for courses in which he or she is currently registered or has acquired a grade other than Q or W or NG.

8.7.7 Students may not receive credit by examination for courses that are prerequisites to courses for which they already have credit except with the approval of the department authorizing the exam.

8.7.8 Credit earned via credit by examination will be replaced in a student’s academic record when a passing grade is earned in the corresponding course. Credit earned via credit by examination, however, will not be forfeited as a result of aborted course attempts.

8.7.9 Test scores and/or credit eligibility must be reported formally to Measurement and Research Services (MARS) for credit by examination to be awarded. Credit is posted to the academic record once appropriate scores are received by MARS and the student has officially enrolled in the university.

8.7.10 Only Texas A&M University administrations of appropriate tests or official score reports from an approved testing agency are acceptable for credit, e.g., official reports from the Educational Testing Service (ETS) are required for the College Board SAT II Subject Tests, the Advanced Placement Program and the College Level Examination Program (CLEP). Informal score reports or results of special administrations of national tests from other institutions are not accepted for credit.

8.7.11 Students can delete credit by examination at any point prior to graduation.

8.7.12 Officially enrolled students who believe they are proficient in the material of an undergraduate course may request that the offering department provide an appropriate opportunity for credit by examination. Department approval is required before an exam for a given course will be offered.

8.7.13 Credit by Examination requires a student fee that will be used to support such activities as test administration, preparation/selection of exams, scoring, analysis and reporting. Measurement and Research Services or academic departments may collect these fees.