Attendance Regulations

Students are expected to attend every scheduled meeting of all courses in which they are enrolled and to be present for the full class period. Students are responsible for checking their registration at the beginning of the semester to ensure that their registration information is accurate. After add/drop week, students are not permitted to attend any courses for which they are not registered. Registration, not attendance, is the basis for assessing tuition and fee charges.

For online courses or the online elements of hybrid courses, satisfactory attendance is defined as presence and participation in synchronous class meetings and completion of asynchronous online activities. Specific guidelines for online course attendance (ex: whether video must be turned on during synchronous sessions, what constitutes satisfactory participation in asynchronous activities, etc.) is at the discretion of the instructor and will be communicated to students in the course syllabus.

Absenteeism and tardiness, regardless of cause, are a threat to academic achievement.  Recognizing that perfect attendance is not always possible, the University addresses the issue of absences as follows:  During the first week of a semester, the instructor will provide, as part of the class syllabus, a written statement of the attendance policy for that class.  The statement will explain the consequences for absences as well as a policy on excused absences (including impact on due dates), and the statement will be made available to each student properly enrolled in the class. Different sections of the same course offered in the same semester typically have consistent attendance policies.

A student who is absent from a class is responsible, nevertheless, for all material covered during the class period.  The student is also subject to consequences as described by the instructor in the syllabus, if a test, quiz, recitation, homework assignment, or any other activity falls on the day of absence.

A student who must miss a scheduled class meeting, including an exam or in-class graded assignment, may be granted an excused absence at the discretion of the instructor.  An excused absence usually entitles the student to make up any required activity that took place in-class or online on the day of the absence.  The student is still responsible, however, for any material covered during the class period that was missed. 

Excused Absences

Grounds for excused absences could include health emergencies (both physical and mental health emergencies), illness, accident, serious emergency, or other officially mandated short-term absences, including court appearances or military training. Whenever possible, requests for excused absences should be made by the student at least 24 hours in advance; moreover, they should be infrequent as well as reasonable in terms of the grounds, necessity, and duration.

Further, international students missing class or traveling out of town for an emergency or any other reason should consult the Director of Global Education to ensure they meet their visa requirements.

Medical-Related Absences

Requests for excused absences for medical reasons (but unrelated to an SAS accommodation for a documented disability) will be reviewed by the Student Health Center. Medical documentation relating to an excused absence that is not related to a disability accommodation should be sent by the student to the Health Center directly.

Non-Medical-Related Absences

Non-medical requests for excused absences, including those related to family emergencies, accidents, court appearances, military training, or other serious emergencies should be sent to the faculty member directly. If documentation is requested by the faculty member, documentation supporting a student request for an excused absence should be submitted directly to the Academic Success Center. After verifying the student's documentation, the Academic Success Center will communicate the request to the faculty member(s). It is the responsibility of the faculty member(s) to determine whether the request for an excused absences is granted for their course.

Disability-Related Absences (including Temporary Disabilities)

For students who have a documented disability, including temporary disabilities resulting from factors such as surgeries or injuries, Student Accessibility Services (SAS) oversees attendance accommodation policies. Notification to the faculty member of a student’s eligibility for reasonable accommodations, including attendance accommodations, will be coordinated by SAS. Documentation related to disability-related absences should be sent by the student directly to SAS.

Absences for Religious Observances

The University’s mission welcomes people of all faiths and worldviews, so it is important for instructors to understand that some religious observances may require absences from class or from participation in a class activity. The University will inform instructors prior to each semester of upcoming religious holidays to aid in planning course syllabi.

Students who will be prevented from attending class or fully participating in class due to observance of a religious holiday or event should discuss their needs with their instructors as early in the semester as is possible. If the request does not cause undue hardship, faculty members are to grant excused absences for these students. However, students should be aware that last-minute requests are usually inappropriate.  At least one week prior to each event (unless the event occurs within the first week of the semester) the student will present to the faculty member a written request for an excused absence and, if the absence is allowed, make arrangements for any work that will be missed. 

If a faculty member finds that granting a religious accommodation would cause undue hardship, the student will be bound by the statements on attendance as found in the syllabus for the class. An undue hardship may include, but is not limited to, if the request would pose a fundamental alteration to the class or program, would be unreasonable in light of the extent and duration of the request and/or the nature and format of the course (i.e. lab courses, clinical placements, classes requiring significant group project work, etc.), or would pose a substantial disruption or burden to academic operations.

If the student wishes to appeal the decision of the faculty member, they must submit a Religious Accommodation Appeal Request, which is reviewed by a cross-functional team. If the team determines the request to be reasonable, they will collaborate with the student and faculty member to work toward a mutually agreeable solution. The determination of the cross-functional team is final, and subsequent appeals are not permitted.

Absences for Extracurricular Activities

Students who anticipate missing a class because of extracurricular events officially sponsored by the University have the responsibility to consult the syllabus for the class and identify any possible conflicts between required course activities and their extracurricular events.  The student should obtain, from the coordinator of the activity, an official letter of participation and present it, along with a schedule of events for the semester, to the faculty instructor, identifying the dates of conflict, if possible, and requesting excused absences.  If possible, faculty members are to grant excused absences for these students.  However, students should be aware that last-minute requests are usually inappropriate.  At least one week prior to each event the student will present to the faculty member a written request for an excused absence and, if the absence is allowed, make final arrangements for making up any work that will be missed.  If a faculty member finds it impossible to grant an excused absence, the student will be bound by the statements on attendance as found in the syllabus for the class.

Appeal Process

Except for Disability-Related Absences or Absences for Religious Observances, which have separate and distinct appeal processes, if an excused absence is not granted by the course instructor, the student may make an appeal to the chair or program director of the course, who will then attempt to resolve the request with the student. If this does not lead to resolution, the Associate Dean of the appropriate college will make a final determination as to the appeal of the request for an excused absence. The Policy on Disability-Related Grievances should be used for appeals of a request for a disability-related absence, and the appeals process set out above for appeals of requests for Absences for Religious Observances should be used for appeals of requests of absences for religious observances.