Religious Accommodations in the Classroom

The University of Michigan–Ann Arbor strives to enable students to fulfill both their academic requirements and to reasonably observe their genuine religious obligations. The university affirms each student’s right to observe their faith traditions and spiritual practices without academic penalty through reasonable accommodation. Reasonable religious accommodations support, rather than conflict with, academic excellence and inclusive education.

Policy

The university provides reasonable accommodations to students whose religious observances conflict with course requirements. Students must submit requests for religious accommodations in advance, briefly explaining why their sincerely held religious belief conflicts with a course requirement, and instructors must work with the student to identify a reasonable accommodation in a timely, respectful, and appropriately confidential manner.

A reasonable accommodation is an adjustment to academic requirements, schedules, or activities that enables a student to observe a sincerely held religious belief or practice without fundamentally altering essential academic requirements or imposing an undue burden on the instructional program.

Reasonable accommodations that may be explored and implemented include, but are not limited to:

• rescheduling exams, presentations, or due dates
• excused absences with no academic penalty
• alternative assignments or flexible participation options
• modified exam times during fasting or holy periods

Reasonable accommodations do not require instructors to compromise essential academic standards, but instructors are expected to make reasonable efforts to support students’ religious commitments.

Resolution of Disagreements: Should an instructor and student be unable to reach agreement on a reasonable accommodation, the relevant chair/director, dean, or designee will provide a reasonable accommodation appropriate to the circumstances.

Institutional Resources and Support: Additional guidance, implementation resources, and support information are available at the Office of the Provost and Religious, Secular, and Spiritual Life | Student Life

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Guidelines for Students

Students who anticipate a conflict between academic requirements and religious observances are expected to:

• Notify instructors in writing as early as possible and, when possible, no later than two weeks before the anticipated conflict.
  • Provide their name, course number, specific dates impacted, and a brief explanation as to why their sincerely held religious belief conflicts with the dates or times for the course, exam, or other academic requirement.
  • To support communication with instructors, students may utilize the Student Accommodation Request Template, which is provided at the bottom of this webpage.  
• Engage in good-faith communication regarding accommodation needs.
• Work collaboratively with instructors to complete required coursework within mutually agreed-upon timelines. 

For further student resources and engagement opportunities, please visit Religious, Secular and Spiritual Life at U-M.

Guidelines for Faculty/Instructors

• Review key observance dates during course and assessment planning and make reasonable efforts to avoid scheduling major examinations, presentations, required activities, or other high-impact academic events on significant religious observance dates when conflicts can reasonably be anticipated in advance.
• Respond to accommodation requests in a timely, respectful, and individualized manner. Different levels of observance exist within religious traditions, which may mean that students of the same or similar religious traditions may have distinct requests. 
• Engage in an interactive process to determine whether a request is reasonable. When determining whether a request is reasonable, instructors should focus on the academic implications of a request (and whether the request fundamentally alters the academic requirements or rigor of the course) rather than evaluating the religious nature of the request.
• Seek guidance or consultation when questions arise regarding reasonable accommodation options.

Guidelines for Staff

• Staff who support students directly should apprise themselves of the Religious Accommodations in the Classroom Policy and related resources.
• Staff may want to be aware of when religious holidays occur to aid in scheduling events, especially those involving students.

Please refer to this internal resource for additional guidance supporting faculty/instructors and staff planning (U-M faculty/instructor/staff login required for access).

Any questions or concerns should be directed to your department chair, the dean’s office, or the Registrar’s Office. You may also write to [email protected].