Religious Accommodation and Religious Observance

Religious Accommodation

In accordance with California State Education Code section 92640, it is the policy of the Irvine campus that an instructor will make a reasonable attempt to accommodate student needs in the case of serious incompatibility between a student's religious creed and a scheduled test or examination.

1. Accommodation for alternative examination dates will be worked out directly and on an individual basis between the student and the instructor involved.
   
   
2. Students should make such requests of the instructor during the first two weeks of an academic term, or as soon as possible after a particular examination date is announced by the instructor.
   
   
3. Students or faculty with questions may contact the associate dean of the appropriate school.

Religious Observance

Students may observe religious holidays that are not also official university holidays. Observance of these holidays may impact the student's schedule regarding scheduled tests or examinations.

It is also important to note that some religious holidays fall on different dates in the Gregorian calendar (the calendar the University uses) from year to year.

The Islamic calendar is lunar (regulated by the sighting of the moon) and thus differs from the Gregorian calendar that the University uses. Therefore, although the date(s) of Muslim holidays such as Eid al-Fitr, “Festival of the Breaking of the Fast,” celebrated at the end of Ramadan (the month of fasting), and Eid al-Adha, “Festival of the Sacrifice,” celebrated at the end of the Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca, always fall on the same date(s) of the Islamic calendar, their dates on the Gregorian calendar vary from year to year and move forward approximately eleven days each year on the Gregorian calendar. A date converter is available at https://www.islamicfinder.org/islamic-date-converter/.

The Judaic/Hebrew calendar is lunisolar (regulated by both the moon and the sun) and thus differs from the Gregorian calendar that the University uses. Therefore, although Jewish holidays such as Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Passover always fall on the same date(s) of the Judaic/Hebrew calendar, their dates on the Gregorian calendar vary from year to year. A date converter is available at https://www.hebcal.com/.

A calendar that shows holidays for most world religions in each year of the Gregorian calendar is available at https://www.interfaith-calendar.org/.

For questions or concerns about religious discrimination or non-accommodation, please contact OEOD.