IMPORTANT: Spring 2026 Final Grading Deadlines, Policies, and Canvas Outage Guidance

Posted in Faculty Communications

May 8, 2026

Dear Faculty,

As final exams week winds down, I want to acknowledge the significant stress and disruption caused by the global Canvas outage.

In light of these challenges, please find the updated information regarding Georgetown’s final grading deadlines, policies and contingency instructions for the Canvas outage below.

Canvas Outage & Access to Materials

• Direct Outreach: If you are missing final assignments due to the outage, please reach out to your students via email and ask them to resend their work as an email attachment. Faculty can find more information regarding ways to get in touch with students, outside of the Canvas system, on this site.
• Flexibility: We encourage faculty to remain as flexible as possible with deadlines for students who were unable to submit work before the system went offline.

To assist with any issues resulting from the recent 24-hour outage, CNDLS is providing open office hours from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. today, Friday, May 8. Faculty are invited to participate via this link.

Grading Deadlines
Final grade rosters remain available in GU Experience, which is unaffected by the Canvas outage. Please submit grades as follows:

• Graduating Students: 9 a.m.May 12
• Undergraduates: 5 p.m. May 14
• Graduate Students: 5 p.m. May 19

Please refer to our website for information regarding how to enter final grades in GU Experience. 

For non-standard calendars, grades should be submitted 72 hours after the final exam. 

Should the Canvas disruption hinder your ability to adhere to these timeframes, please get in touch with your Dean’s office or department chair. Additionally, we encourage faculty to provide deadline flexibility to any students impacted by the outage, as we recognize the unforeseen strain this system downtime has placed on their ability to submit work or retrieve course resources.

Grading Policies
Please review the relevant grading systems and grade change policies for your school:

• Undergraduate Bulletin | Graduate Bulletin | SCS Student Handbooks

Provisional Grades:

• Undergraduates: The only provisional grade is “N”, which must be approved by the Dean. Unauthorized “N” grades will be recorded as “F” (FA).
• Graduate Students: The provisional grade is “I” (note: “I” grades for MSFS students require Director approval).

Pass/Fail (S/U): The deadline for students to elect the S/U option for full-session classes was April 9, 2026.

Privacy in Posting Grades (FERPA)
Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), student grades and identifiable information may not be disclosed without written permission.

• Do not post grades using names, IDs, or any personally identifiable information.
• Do not store student data in unsecured locations or public web spaces outside of university-supported systems (GU Experience).

Thank you for your resilience and dedication to our students during this complicated finals period. If you have questions regarding grade entry, please email facultygrading@georgetown.edu.

Sincerely,

Annamarie Bianco
Associate Vice President and University Registrar