Attendance Policy

Class Attendance

Regular and punctual attendance at all scheduled classes is expected of all students. University regulations authorize certain absences of students when representing the University (e.g. participation in Intercollegiate athletic competitions, student government, student development or fine arts events). Absences that may be necessary to fulfill course requirements and are approved by the Provost are also considered to be authorized. The maximum number of authorized absences during one semester is five for a Monday‑ Wednesday‑ Friday class, three for a Tuesday‑ Thursday class and two for a class or laboratory meeting once a week. Additional authorized absences may be granted on an individual basis when extreme circumstances warrant (e.g. advancement to and representation of the University at regional or national level intercollegiate athletic, academic, or fine arts competition). Individual faculty may not enforce a more restrictive policy than what is set by the University. Students are required to notify instructors prior to any missed class and will be held responsible for all class and laboratory assignments.

Unauthorized absences may be excused when caused by illness or other emergencies and should be reported promptly to the instructor. When a student has a number of unauthorized absences equal to the number of days the class meets per week, the student may be dropped from the class roll by the instructor of the class.

Evening and Weekend Classes (including Classes that Meet Once Per Week or Less)

Class attendance is vital for student success in the Evening and Weekend Classes, since many classes meet once each week or every other weekend. A student who is absent from class must contact the instructor before the absence, if possible. Class absences jeopardize a student's academic success and grade. Each instructor of Evening and Weekend Classes determines the specific attendance policies for the class. 

Online and Hybrid Class Attendance and/or Participation 

Attendance via participation is critical to a student’s success in Online and Hybrid Classes. When an online or hybrid class student does not participate in consecutive online activities or does not submit consecutive assignments AND has not communicated with the instructor about the student’s participation, the instructor must drop the student from the class using the Faculty Initiated Student Withdrawal process. Each instructor determines the specific number of consecutive activities or assignments that will initiate the withdrawal, according to the requirements of the particular online or hybrid class.

Faculty Initiated Student Withdrawal from a Course

When a student accumulates consecutive unauthorized absences equal to the number of days the class meets per week AND has not communicated with the instructor about the absences, the instructor must drop the student from the class using the Faculty Initiated Student Withdrawal process within 10 calendar days from the last date of attendance. The Registrar will record a grade of "DP" for the course on the student’s transcript. The Registrar will record a grade of "WF" (failure) on the student’s transcript if the instructor drops the student after the date for receiving a grade of "DP” as specified in the University catalog.