Dec. 15, 2025
Dear URI Community,
We want to keep you informed about exams as we wrap up the Fall 2025 semester. Your safety and well-being are our top priorities. While there’s no active threat to any URI campuses, we understand that many of you may be feeling stressed and anxious.
With this in mind, we’ve made a thoughtful decision: all in-person exams for the Fall 2025 semester will be canceled. Instead, we’re offering some options for flexibility:
- You can choose to finish the course with a grade based on your work completed before today, Dec. 15.
- You may opt for an online exam or assessment—either live (synchronous) or recorded (asynchronous), as determined by your instructor.
If you have synchronous exams planned for Tuesday or Wednesday, they will still happen at the original times. For those scheduled for today, Dec. 15, they will now take place on Thursday, Dec. 18. Your instructors will provide more details directly.
Any work completed before Monday will still count toward your final grade. We deeply appreciate our faculty and staff for their hard work in making this transition as smooth as possible.
To faculty:
- Students must have the choice to either accept a final grade based on their completed work or take an alternate online assessment.
- You can choose to hold exams either live or recorded.
- If you’re holding live assessments for exams originally scheduled for Tuesday or Wednesday, they must happen at the same time as planned. For today’s exams, they will be on Thursday, Dec. 18, as noted.
- Please remember that final grades are due by noon on Dec. 29.
- Optional in-person study sessions can continue, but offering online access is encouraged for flexibility.
URI Police are working closely with Brown University and local law enforcement to ensure everyone’s safety. You might notice more patrols on campus. This is a precautionary measure to help keep you at ease.
The University remains open and dedicated to supporting our students. We will share more information about campus resources and staffing shortly. In the meantime, let’s keep our friends at Brown in our thoughts and prioritize our well-being. Together, we are a stronger community, and your kindness and resilience truly matter.
Sincerely,
Marc Parlange, President
Barbara Wolfe, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
According to recent surveys, about 70% of students reported feeling stressed about exams during this period—an increase from previous years. Experts suggest that allowing flexibility during such challenging times can lead to better mental health outcomes for students (American Psychological Association, 2023). These steps not only support your academic needs but also reflect a growing understanding of the pressures students face today.
