Just in time for final exam season, here’s a useful Canadian expression. Our British and Australian readers may be familiar with this phrase, but it was one I never heard in the U.S.

If students are granted “aegrotat standing,” they’re given credit for a course in which they haven’t taken a required exam or completed all the course requirements, generally for medical reasons.

For example, several Canadian provinces, including British Columbia, Alberta, and Manitoba, have provincial exams that are required for high school graduation. If a high school student has been hospitalized and is unable to take a required provincial exam, s/he can apply for aegrotat standing, which would grant credit for the course toward graduation, even without completing the necessary examination.

Similarly, a university student who is unable to complete certain course requirements due to illness can — in limited circumstances — apply for aegrotat standing and receive credit for the course.

Check your school’s policy, but in general, to apply for aegrotat standing, high school students should contact their teacher and counselor; university students should discuss the request with their professor and the appropriate dean or administrator.

Photo by dcJohn (flickr)