Attendance Policy

Rochester University expects regular and punctual attendance, and requires instructors to record attendance weekly, according to their attendance policy. Academic departments may have program-specific attendance policies. Students are responsible for reading the attendance policy explained in each class syllabus. Absences allowed should not be viewed as permission to miss class. Any absences can have negative consequences.

An “excused absence” is defined as an institutionally-approved absence for athletics, performances, medical emergencies, or other activities with advanced notification and/or documentation. Students engaged in such activities are responsible to initiate communication with their instructor to arrange completion of work missed during an excused absence and to manage their attendance so that their academic performance is not compromised. 

Attendance in an online class is defined as logging into the LMS and actively participating in the course. Active online participation requires submitting an assignment, quiz, or survey; participating in an online discussion; or messaging the instructor within the LMS.

Note: Students who do not attend the first two weeks of a particular course will be administratively dropped from that course. Throughout the semester, students who do not attend all of their courses for 14 consecutive days will be administratively withdrawn from their courses.