The University of Prince Edward Island received complaints from students Monday who said the university waited too long to shut down the campus following the storm.

Dianne Rogers was one of the students who complained. She said she arranged for a sitter for her child and made her way to school Monday morning in what she describes as dangerous road conditions.

UPEI student Dianne Rogers said she was halfway through writing her midterm when the university was shut down. (CBC)

"I know a number of people made quite an effort to get there this morning through the bad weather because of the midterm exam, only to have the exam cancelled in the middle of it, and to have to turn around and go back home. Very frustrating," Rogers said.

Rogers said after she got to the school, neither the sidewalks nor the parking lot was plowed. She said she was halfway through writing her midterm when the school was shut down.

"One and a half pages into the exam, someone arrives at the door to say, 'School's closed, go home.' I was thoroughly frustrated because the conditions weren't safe for me to be out there in the first place," said Rogers.

Kate Van Gerven, president of the UPEI student union, said that frustration was echoed by others. Dozens of students took to Facebook, angry at the university for waiting until about 8:20 a.m. to shut down the campus due to weather.

"The news came really late to a lot of students — students who were already here for class, who had been dropped off by their parents and are now stuck here for the day. Just a lot of frustration over how it was handled," she said.

The snow forced the shut down of many schools and businesses across PEI on Monday. (Kevin Yarr/CBC)

Both the French and the English language school boards cancelled classes just after 6 a.m.

Many workplaces as well as Holland College's campuses followed suit around 7 a.m.

Jackie Podger, UPEI's vice-president of administration and finance, said she and other staff were monitoring the weather.

She said up until 8 a.m., they didn't feel the conditions or the forecast were bad enough to warrant shutting down.

"Conditions started to change and get worse around quarter to eight or so. And at that point, you'll notice on the Environment Canada website, the snowfall warning had not appeared. It was a wind warning only," she said.

The university's website says campus closure decisions will be made — if possible — by 7 a.m. But Podger said the decision is not always an easy one.

"We do look at what other folks are doing, but we also are cognizant there are exams going on, there are classes taking place and if it's possible — although taking into account all safety measures — to keep the university open," said Podger.

Van Gerven said she thinks the university's storm cancellation policy needs to be more clear.

"I think having a specific time for students to know — either they're going to stay home and stay off the roads or they're going to have to brave it and come in — I think that's something that needs to be clearly outlined," she said.

That, Rogers said, would have saved both her and her professor from some added stress.

Rogers said since students saw but weren't able to finish their midterm exam this morning, her professor now has to create a completely different exam for the class to write on Wednesday.