Final Examination Schedule

Summer 2026

• Summer 2026 Finals

Fall 2026

• Tentative Fall 2026 Finals Listed by Exam Time
• Tentative Fall 2026 Finals Listed by Common Final Exams
• Tentative Fall 2026 Finals Listed by Class Time

Fall 2026 Final Examination Schedule Pilot

Texas Tech University is piloting a four-day final examination schedule for the Fall 2026 semester. The pilot will help the university evaluate scheduling options in preparation for the Fall 2027 academic calendar, which will include a fall break and a more condensed end-of-semester timeline.

The Fall 2026 pilot is designed to improve the final examination experience by reducing scheduling challenges for students while giving the university an opportunity to collect data, gather feedback and make adjustments before Fall 2027.

Fall 2026 Final Examination Dates

Final examinations are scheduled on:

• Friday, Dec. 4
• Monday, Dec. 7
• Tuesday, Dec. 8
• Wednesday, Dec. 9

Standard final examination periods will be two hours, a change from the current 2.5-hour periods. Approved common final examinations will continue to use 2.5-hour blocks.

Students should plan to be available for examinations on all four days until the final examination schedule is confirmed.

Why the Schedule Is Changing

The pilot was developed by the Final Examination Working Group using faculty feedback, analysis of previous examination patterns and scheduling optimization.

The group focused on several goals:

• Reducing back-to-back examinations.
• Minimizing the number of students with three or more examinations in one day.
• Eliminating regularly scheduled Saturday final examinations for weekday classes.
• Creating a schedule that can accommodate the more condensed end-of-semester timeline planned for Fall 2027.

Faculty feedback was an important part of the process. A university survey found that many faculty members use end-of-term assessments other than a traditional in-person final examination during their assigned examination period. Faculty also expressed support for reviewing the final examination process while recognizing that assessment needs vary by discipline and course type.

A Data-Informed Approach

To evaluate potential schedules, a faculty member on the working group developed an optimization tool that compared proposed schedules with previous examination patterns and identified opportunities to reduce student scheduling challenges.

Because the university does not currently have complete information about which courses use their assigned final examination periods, the modeling took a conservative approach and assumed every assigned period would be used. Gathering better information about the actual use of examination periods will be an important part of the Fall 2026 pilot.

What Faculty Should Know

The tentative Fall 2026 final examination schedules are available above. Faculty should review their assigned examination periods and ask students to reserve all four examination dates until the schedule is finalized.

Faculty who are not part of an approved common examination but have an academic need for a 2.5-hour examination may request an extended examination period. Requests should include an academic justification and have the support of the appropriate chair, director or area coordinator before being submitted to the associate dean through the extended examination request form.

Extended examination requests are due by the 12th class day, Sept. 9. Faculty submitting a request should notify their students that an extended examination period has been requested.

The final examination schedule is expected to be finalized by the 20th class day, Sept. 21.

If you have not requested an extension, your exam times and dates will not change.

What Students Should Know

Students should reserve all four final examination dates, Dec. 4, 7, 8 and 9, until the final schedule is confirmed.

Students who have three or more examinations scheduled on the same day should contact their instructors as early as possible. Faculty will be encouraged to work collaboratively with students to identify reasonable solutions when possible.

Students should continue to follow the examination and assessment expectations communicated by their instructors.

Final Grades and Commencement

As another component of the Fall 2026 pilot, final grades for all students, including graduating students, will be due the Monday following commencement. This mirrors the process currently used for August commencement.

Because final grades will not be due until after commencement, degrees will not be cleared before the ceremonies. Diplomas will be distributed after grades have been submitted. Latin honors will follow the process currently used for summer commencement.

Final Examination Policies

• Examinations will take place in the rooms in which the individual classes have been meeting, unless a change is announced or a common final examination is given. A change in the final examination time or room assignment may only be made with written approval from the department chair and dean of the college or school in which the course is taught. Approvals and justification should be sent to Academic Support and Facilities Resources, and the request will then be forwarded to the senior vice provost with the recommended accommodations.
• Common final examinations occur when all sections of the course meet simultaneously. No courses other than those listed on the Official Publications website may use a common examination time. Departments approved to administer common final exams are responsible for making arrangements for students who have a conflict with a regularly scheduled class exam.
• Instructors of sections taught exclusively online who wish to give a final exam should select a 24-hour period within the final exam period, excluding Sunday, in which to make the exam available. Timed examinations should follow the examination-period requirements applicable to the semester.
• Off-time-cycle courses have final exams at the same time as the on-time-cycle course immediately preceding their class time. For example, a MWF 3:30 p.m. class will test at the same time as the MWF 3 p.m. classes. For more information regarding standard university time-start and time-stop cycles, refer to OP 61.23.
• Students should review the Final Examination Schedule and plan for their assigned examination periods. Students with three or more examinations scheduled on the same day should contact their instructors as early as possible to discuss potential scheduling accommodations.
• In accordance with OP 34.10, class-related activities, with the exception of office hours, are prohibited on designated individual study days and during the final examination period. These dates are set aside for students to prepare for and take scheduled final examinations. During this period, review sessions are not to be scheduled, quizzes are not to be given and no other class-related activities can be scheduled.
• No substantial examinations, other than bona fide makeup examinations, may be given during the last week of classes or during the individual study day. Courses in which lab examinations and design studio reviews are normally scheduled the week prior to finals are excluded from this policy.
• No extracurricular activities of any kind may be scheduled in academic space within the individual study day and the final examination period without written permission of the Office of the Provost.

For additional information regarding final examination policies, refer to OP 34.10.

Contact Amanda Lange, Assistant Registrar of Course and Section Inventory for the Office of the Registrar, at 806.834.1278 with questions, comments or concerns regarding the final examination schedule.

 

School of Law Finals Schedule

• Exam Schedule