Students are expected to attend all of their classes and scheduled course events in any semester or January Program and are responsible for any work missed. Failure to attend can lead to a warning, grading penalties, and/or dismissal from the course by the instructor with a failing grade.

Attendance and absence policies differ among departments and programs, and among specific courses and instructors. Each professor will explain her or his own rules at the beginning of a course, and will provide this information on a printed syllabus and/or a course Web site.

Individual instructors determine whether students can be excused from classes or scheduled course events, and whether exams can be postponed or deadlines extended. Instructors also determine whether options are available for completing work when College-sponsored activities or events (e.g., musical performances or athletic competitions) conflict with a class or lab. It is the responsibility of students to communicate promptly and directly with instructors concerning these matters.

Excuses may be granted at the instructor’s discretion for the following reasons: critical emergencies (normally verified by the Office of the Dean of Students), athletic or organizational trips, or illness (normally verified by Health Services or the Office of the Dean of Students). Students on academic probation should know that they cannot be excused from any class because of extracurricular or athletic activities.

Students who are dismissed from a course due to unsatisfactory attendance through the mid-semester deadline (with the exception of first-year students) will receive a grade of WF. Students dismissed after mid-semester day will receive a grade of F in the course, with the exception of first-year students who will be dismissed with a mark of WF.