Expansion of Religious Holiday Accommodations

To the George Washington University Community:

The Faculty Senate resolved in November to update the university’s religious holiday policy, including significantly expanding the list of approved religious holidays and increasing the amount of time students have to inform professors of an upcoming absence for a holiday. Students now are permitted to inform their instructors of an absence due to a religious holiday up to three weeks before the holiday occurs.

The policy also includes a final examination provision, in which students observing a religious holiday during the final examination period are permitted to reschedule the examination that conflicts with their days of religious observance. Should a religious holiday coincide with the entire final exam period, students may reschedule examinations to alternate days or times to avoid taking more than one final exam per day.

The new policy with the expanded list of religious holidays is posted on the Office of the Provost website, and the final exam policy is updated as well on the Office of the Registrar website. These accommodations honor the cultural and religious diversity of GW’s student body and demonstrate our commitment to ensuring an equitable academic experience for those who observe religious holidays.

For their work on this effort, we would like to thank the students, especially Nicole Cennamo, '21, and the Faculty Senate. Our thanks to the GW community for observing the expanded policy moving forward.

Sincerely,

Brandon W. Hill
Executive Vice President, GW Student Association

M. Brian Blake
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs