How to Send Your Professor an Email Requesting a Changed Exam Date

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Learn how to write a polite request & follow-up

Co-authored by Tami Claytor

Last Updated: December 9, 2024

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• Drafting and Sending the Email
|
• Following Up
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• Tips

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Have you ever needed a couple of extra days to study for an upcoming exam? If unavoidable life circumstances have stopped you from being ready for a big test date, it doesn't hurt to ask for an extension. The easiest way to ask for more time to prepare is through an email. Your professor’s response to your request to change an exam date is very much dependent on the way you write the email to them and its content. These steps will ensure that your email is polite, informative, and properly formatted.

How to Ask Your Professor to Change Your Exam Date

Begin the email with a formal salutation such as, "Good morning." Next, state your name and the class and section you attend. State your reason for emailing and then explain the reasons you need an extension. Repeat the purpose of your message before politely thanking them for their time and closing with your name.

Steps

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Drafting and Sending the Email

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1. 1
   Make sure you have a legitimate reason(s) that you would like the exam date to be changed. Not having studied for the exam is not a good enough excuse for the exam date to be changed.

   • Reasons like having multiple exams on the same day, or not being able to attend the exam session due to other university or familial obligations are more appropriate. Medical issues can also be grounds for an extension.
2. 2
   Write a proper email subject line.

   • This subject should include the class’s course number and a short (1-3 word) description of the email's content.
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3. 3
   Begin the email with an appropriate greeting. This greeting can depend on the professor you are emailing and the level of professionalism you feel is appropriate. Usually a "Good Morning" or "Good Afternoon" should suffice.
4. 4
   Introduce yourself. Unless you email with your professor often, your introduction should include your name, the class, and section you are a part of.
5. 5
   Explain your purpose of emailing. At this point you would state that you are emailing to ask for an exam extension.
6. 6
   State your reasons for needing an extension. These reasons need to be valid and need to prove that the current exam date would be inconvenient for you.
7. 7
   Politely restate your purpose after stating your reasons.
8. 8
   Conclude the email. Be polite; thank the professor for his/her time and/or consideration.

   • It can also be beneficial to add a sentence towards the end to encourage a response to your email.
9. 9
   Close the email with your name.

   • You may choose to leave your contact information if you wish to be reached via another source.
10. 10
    Double check the email before you send it. At this point after making sure that you don’t have any spelling/grammar mistakes, you are ready to send your email.
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Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Following Up

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1. 1
   Follow up on email.

   • If the professor does not respond to your email within a few days, you may choose to send a follow up email to them to inform them of your previously sent email and ask for a response.
2. 2
   Thank your professor.

   • If you receive a response and the professor has chosen to change the exam date, it's important to thank the professor for taking your circumstances into consideration. This can be done through another email or in person.
   • If you receive a response and the professor has chosen not to change the exam date, send them a reply thanking them for their time and consideration anyway.
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Tips

• Remember you are not writing an email to a friend. Be sure to use formal and appropriate language throughout your email.
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• Be sure to reread you email before sending to check for coherency and any other mistakes you could have made.
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