§ 1-107 Policy for the Provision of Religious Accommodations for Students

1. It is the policy of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to reasonably accommodate its students’ religious beliefs, observances, and practices that conflict with a student’s class attendance or participation in a scheduled examination or work requirement, consistent with state and federal law.
2. Students must request a reasonable accommodation for their religious belief, observance, and practice in advance of the conflict to allow time for both consideration of the request and alternate procedures to be prepared. Not requesting an accommodation reasonably in advance of the conflict may result in a delay or denial of the accommodation.
3. A reasonable accommodation for a religious belief, observance, and practice is defined as a change that allows the student to participate in their religious belief, observance, and practice and which does not fundamentally alter the educational requirement or place an undue hardship on an instructor, department, or office.
4. Students must direct a request for a reasonable accommodation for a religious belief, observance, and practice to the instructor(s) of the affected course(s), who shall review the request and determine whether a reasonable accommodation can be made. The Office of the Dean of Students provides an optional resource on its website to assist students as they are making such requests to their instructors.
5. If an instructor denies a student’s request for a reasonable accommodation for a religious belief, observance, and practice, the student may appeal the decision in writing to the dean or dean’s designee of the academic unit offering the course. Before taking action, the dean or dean’s designee will ask the instructor to explain their decision in writing.