Exam Arrangements for students with disabilities

Trinity College Dublin is committed to ensuring that its examination system (undergraduate and taught postgraduate programmes) as far as possible enables students with disabilities to compete equally with their non-disabled peers.

College will endeavour to ensure that its examination procedures are effective in assessing the knowledge and abilities of such students, whilst at the same time ensuring the maintenance of academic standards.

For further information :

Exam Arrangements explained

Reasonable Accommodations

Deadlines for Examination Accommodations

Departmental assessments accommodations

Tips for students

Identification of students in examinations

Exam Arrangements explained

Reasonable Accommodations

Examination accommodations are based on the impact of a disability on the student. Every student with a disability has different needs. To best tailor services to the needs of individual students the Disability Service carries out a Needs Assessment. The Disability Service (DS) advises Schools and Departments of the need for provision of reasonable accommodations for students registered with the DS at the beginning of each academic year.  This information is specified in the LENS (Learning Educational Needs Summary), which is forwarded to the Academic Liaison Officer on behalf of each student. 

General procedures/regulations relating to examinations can also be found on the Senior Lecturers’ Website.

Deadlines for Examination Accommodations

Students should make requests as early as possible in the academic year.

To ensure the Examinations Office can set up your accommodations for examination purposes the following deadlines are applied:

• Michaelmas examinations: End of week 5, Semester 1
• Hilary examinations: End of week 5, Semester 2
• Annual examinations: End of week 10, Semester 2
• Supplemental examinations: end of 1st Friday of August

Students registering with the Disability Service after these deadline dates will be accommodated in subsequent examinations.

Departmental assessments accommodations

The DS liaises with the Examinations Office in relation to reasonable accommodations in formal semester examinations. However, with respect to in-class assessments or examinations not organised via the Examinations Office, the DS specifically requests in the LENS that Schools and Departments should apply reasonable accommodations for such assessments.  Typical exam accommodations in departments are outlined in the following document: departmental assessments.

Therefore, prior to setting dates / venues for in-class assessment, the following steps should be taken by academic staff:

1. Identify students registered with the Disability Service
2. Identify the reasonable accommodations required which are specified in the LENS.
3. Where necessary, contact the Disability Service for advice on providing stated reasonable accommodations.

Student responsibilities for departmental assessments/course tests

• Students are required to initiate contact with the School/department and request reasonable accommodations as per your LENS report for particular assessments for school/ department administered assessment.  You are advised to make contact at least two weeks prior to the assessment date to enable adjustments to be implemented.

You should contact :

• The administrator/executive officer or Lecturer for separately administered assessment


• When making contact with the Administrator/Executive Officer or academic to discuss your needs, you should bring a copy of your LENS given to you by your Disability Officer.  This enables academics and Administrator/Executive Officer  to ensure that exam accommodations are current and that you have a validated basis for requesting in-house accommodations. 


• The Administrator/Executive Officer will arrange for the appropriate exam accommodations to be put in place including organising the venue as well as notifying you and the relevant academic staff of the arrangements.

Tips for students

• Do not leave exam accommodations arrangements until the last minute – you risk missing out on having these implemented in time for your examinations and/or assessment.


• Read your course/subject outline carefully, noting the assessment requirements and dates for in-house tests and assessments


• Consider your exam accommodations requirements in light of the assessment requirements – not all exam accommodations will be required for all assessments.


• Advise College of a change of contact details or course changes.


• Check the SIS timetable to confirm if your exam is centrally administered or department/ faculty administered and ensure you follow the correct process.


• If in doubt about the process contact the School administrator/Executive officer.

Identification of students in examinations

Even with the provision of additional supports in examinations, students who are Deaf or hard of hearing, or who present with a Specific Learning Difficulty, may not demonstrate their full potential in an examination. Specific marking guidelines provide examiners with a framework for marking the scripts of such candidates. They do not ask examiners to compensate these candidates by giving them additional marks because they have a disability.

Students with dyslexia and students who are deaf or have a hearing impairment may opt to disclose their disability on their examination scripts, using a sticker.

For information on examination arrangements for students who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a specific learning difficulty please click here.