Excused Absences, Exam Schedules and Conflicts

Absence Verification for Classes or Exams 

All students, including student athletes, are responsible for notifying their instructors regarding expected absences and for making up missed work and/or exams. Work with your instructors to agree upon an appropriate schedule. Submit the Self-Reporting Absence Application if you know you will have an unavoidable absence.

If you are unable to attend exams, classes or complete assignments due to an emergency or unavoidable conflict (illness, personal or family emergency, court order, or participation in recognized curricular or extracurricular activities, etc.), reach out to the instructor directly.  If the instructor desires a verification of the absence, you can obtain an Absence Verification Letter from the Dean of Students Office. The Dean of Students Office will not provide a verification letter for absences due to personal obligations such as weddings, birthday celebrations, or other planned personal or family commitments. For these absences, students  need to  explain the situation to the instructor, who makes the final decision on whether or not to verify the absence(s). 

It is University policy (#10.2.7) to excuse, without penalty, students who are absent from class or exams because of religious observance and to allow the makeup of work missed because of such absence. Examinations and special required out-of-class activities shall ordinarily not be scheduled on those days when religiously observant students refrain from participating in secular activities. Absences for reasons of religious obligation shall not be counted for purposes of reporting and do not require a verification letter from the Dean of Students Office. Students are advised to provide timely notification to instructors about necessary absences for religious observances and are responsible for making up the work or exams according to an agreed-upon schedule. Please refer to the Dean of Students website for a comprehensive list of religious observations.  

If the absence is repeated, chronic, lengthy or makes it impossible to make up the missed work in a timely manner, students should meet with their advising dean to discuss the options for withdrawing from one or more classes or the whole semester.

Consider the following for absences longer than two weeks or for chronic health issues: 

• Put your health first. Take a leave of absence from school to attend to physical or mental health issues. 
• Register chronic issues with the Office of Disability Services to receive the proper accommodations, which may include longer test times and alternate testing locations. 

Common Hour Exam Policies

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Final Exam and Conflict Handling Policies

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