Excused Absences and Makeup Work

Effective: January 3, 2011

Version History: Approved by EPC April 28, 2010; amended and approved by Campus Assembly on November 9, 2010, amended and approved by TLC 11-15-17; approved by EVCAA 1-24-18, amended and approved by TLC 3-20-19; approved by EVCAA 4-30-19; revised and approved by EVCAA 8-12-20 (refinements to clarify existing policy approved 8-22-22); policy review confirmed by UCC April 23, 2024, approved by EVCAA June 26, 2024

Policy Owner: Academic Affairs

Policy Contacts: Jennifer Mencl (undergraduate), Erik Brown (graduate)

I. Policy Statement

The University's mission centers on learning, and a critical component of learning is class attendance. Students are responsible for planning their schedules to avoid conflicts with course requirements and for attending all scheduled class meetings. However, the University recognizes extenuating circumstances impact students’ abilities to attend specific class sessions. Effective and timely communication between students and instructors is essential regarding excused absences and related makeup work because of the impact on students, their classmates, and instructors. If notified about an excused circumstance within a reasonable timeframe, instructors must provide opportunities for makeup work that do not penalize students and that maintain the academic goals and standards of the course. This policy applies to graded course requirements, including final examinations.

II. Guiding Principles

(a) Students are expected to attend all meetings of their courses. Class attendance, including participation in class activities and assessments, is a critical component of learning. Students recognize that their absence may have an impact on other students in the class and instructors.

(b) Instructors provide students with opportunities to demonstrate their learning and assume that students have purposefully enrolled in their course with the intent to engage in all class activities and assessments.

(c) The University recognizes students may have to miss a class due to extenuating circumstances, and students have a responsibility to initiate the request for makeup work.

(d) The instructor has the discretion to consider additional circumstances beyond what the University provides in this policy.

(e) The University encourages timely communication between an instructor and a student regarding substance of and due dates for makeup work.

(f) At the discretion of the instructor, and based on essential components of the academic content of the course, there may be a limit to the amount of work that is reasonable to make up.

(g) Makeup work needs to be equitable compared to the work completed by other students in the course.

III. Makeup Work

Makeup work is a reasonable accommodation an instructor provides to a student when the student notifies their instructor in a timely manner of an excused circumstance (see list in #6) that causes the student to miss a scheduled class meeting in which a graded course component, including an exam, takes place.
1. Instructors will consider all available factors when determining arrangements and timing for makeup work that has an impact on the course grade.
2. If a student has missed required or graded components of the course that cannot be made up in exactly the same manner, the instructor may substitute an equitable type of activity or assignment in order to assess the missed component.
3. If no substitution for a course requirement that impacts a student’s grade can be devised, the missing component will not be factored into determining that student's final grade for the course.
Instructors are not obligated to continue providing makeup work options to a student who has missed so many of the essential components of a course, even for legitimate reasons, that arrangements for makeup work would not be reasonable.
1. This does not apply to absences governed by Title IX regulations and due to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions. For additional information, please see Reasonable Accommodations for Pregnancy, Childbirth, Lactation, and Related Medical Conditions.
2. For concerns regarding absences for student athletes, please refer to the travel letter provided by the Athletics department.

IV. Notification and Verification

Students must notify their instructors of circumstances causing them to miss a scheduled class meeting and must provide information to explain the absence. Students must provide required notification prior to the missed class meeting when the circumstance allows for advanced notice. When circumstances are sufficiently urgent that advanced notification of a class absence is not possible, students must notify the instructor as soon as reasonably possible.
Instructors may request verification.
1. Requested verification documentation must be appropriate for the circumstances.
  1. For short-term physical or mental health illnesses/occurrences, it is sufficient for students to communicate with the instructor via email, phone, or in-person as notification and verification. Instructors may not request students provide a note from a medical provider verifying these absences.
  2. Instructors may not request verification for absences due to medical conditions related to pregnancy, childbirth, or lactation, or a related medical condition.
2. For students working with the Disability Resources (DR/C) office, instructors should refer to the student’s accommodation letter. Verification or questions regarding disability-related absences or accommodations for students with DR/C letters should be directed to the Disability Resource professional who signed the accommodation letter.
Colleges and academic units may establish and publicize to students more specific criteria for notifying instructors and completing makeup work when class is missed due to an excused circumstance, especially when the absence involves course activities and assessments that may not be possible to make up, such as laboratory or clinical sessions and performances.

V. Excused Circumstances

Students will not be penalized and instructors will arrange makeup work when sufficient notification is provided in a timely manner for missing required or graded course components taking place in scheduled class meetings due to the following circumstances:
1. Illness (physical or mental) or acute injury of the student, a student’s dependent, a student’s immediate family member, or someone for whom the student is a primary caregiver;
2. The need for reasonable accommodation due to disability;
3. Pregnancy, childbirth, lactation, and/or related medical conditions of the student or student’s birthing partner;
4. Participation in NCAA intercollegiate athletic events;
5. Subpoenas, jury duty, arrest, and/or mandatory court appearances;
6. Serving as an election judge on official election days;
7. Required appointments related to visa or immigration-related matters;
8. Participation in a formal University hearing;
9. Military service and ROTC Field Training Requirements;
10. Bereavement, including travel related to/from bereavement;
11. Religious observances or participation in cultural ceremonies;
12. Disruptions to public transportation (e.g. transportation strike);
13. Participation in formal University system governance, including the University Senate, Student Senate, and Board of Regents meetings, for students selected as representatives to those bodies;
14. Taking college entrance exams (PSAT, ACT, SAT) at high schools for students participating in the Post-Secondary Enrollment Option (PSEO) program;
15. Activities sponsored by the University if identified by the senior academic officer for the campus or the officer’s designee(s) as the basis for excused absences.

Instructors are expected to accommodate students who wish to participate in party caucuses, pursuant to Board of Regents resolution (see December 2005 Board of Regents Minutes, p. 147).
Students may notify their instructors of class meeting absences not specified as excused circumstances by this policy, and instructors will determine whether to provide reasonable provisions for those absences.

VI. Appeals

If a student believes they have been wrongly denied the opportunity to make up work due to disagreement with the instructor about the legitimacy of an absence or the timeliness of the student’s notification to the instructor, the student may pursue resolution to their concern using the campus’s process for informal conflict resolution or formal student grievance appeals. In the case of a disability-related absence, students should follow the DRC grievance process. Additional information can be found in the FAQ.

Students should consult the Addressing Student Academic Complaints Policy for more information.

Reason for Policy

The University aims to foster an atmosphere of honesty and trust between instructors and their students. It is in both the University's and the student's interest to outline academic protections for students when they miss class for excused reasons. This policy places parameters around what is an excused absence, and reinforces the responsibilities of the instructor and the student.

Definitions

Excused Absence

Excused absences are absences that are excused based on the requirements set forth in the policy. Absences not listed in this policy may also be excused at the instructor’s discretion.

Title IX Regulations

The Title IX educational statute protects people from discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance. Please see the University of Minnesota's Title IX Statement (eoaa.umn.edu/resources) for more information.

Responsibilities

Instructor

Provide timely and clear responses to requests for makeup work for absences.
Provide reasonable and timely accommodation for makeup work for excused absences.
Maintain consistency in how this policy is applied to all students enrolled in the course.
Consult with the University’s calendar for Holidays and Religious Observances before scheduling exam dates and deadlines.

Student

Plan schedules to avoid excessive conflict with course requirements.
Notify instructors of circumstances related to absences as soon as possible.
Provide verification of absence, if allowed by policy and requested by the instructor.

College, Department, or Unit

Encourage dialogue and consistency across the department in determining the timing and method for makeup work.
Departments may consult with University resources such as the Center for Educational Innovation when appropriate.

Related Policies

Other Related Information

Board of Regents resolution, December 9, 2005, "Approval of a resolution related to Events and Classes on Precinct Caucus Night," [see pp.147-8].

Excused Absences and Makeup Work