Missing Class

There is no university attendance policy. Each professor will indicate their attendance expectations, usually on the course syllabus. If you are ill, the most effective way to inform your instructor and Advising Dean that you are not attending class due to illness, is to select the Absence Reporting option in Tufts' Student Information System (SIS) under Student Living (WebCenter). This alerts your instructors and your advising dean about your illness, but it does not excuse you from the work. It is very important to communicate directly with your instructors about missed work.

Health Service will not see students on a walk-in basis and will not provide exam excuse notes. If you are ill on the day of an exam, you should stay home if the class is in-person. If you are on-campus and need medical attention, please call Health Service to schedule an appointment. Review your course syllabus for policies surrounding missed exams and their impact on overall grading. Contact your instructor prior to the exam to let them know you are sick and not able to participate in the exam when scheduled. Work with them to explore alternative options. If you have medical documentation from an off-campus healthcare provider, please give it to your Advising Dean instead of your instructor.

If you have other circumstances that may impact your academic studies, such as long-term illness (physical or emotional), bereavement days, or other personal matters, we encourage you to contact your Advising Dean.

If you must miss class for a religious observance or holy day, please inform your professor well in advance and negotiate a plan to make up any missed work or assignments for that day.

Religious Observance

If you must miss class for a religious observance or holy day, please inform your instructor well in advance and negotiate a plan to make up any missed work or assignments for that day. As the academic calendar is constructed, religious holy days are not the sole factor in determining days on which classes are held or suspended. It is the policy of the faculty, however, that students be encouraged to observe their appropriate religious holy days; that instructors strive to facilitate this by allowing absence from classes for such purposes and by trying to ensure that no examinations, written reports, oral reports, or other mandatory class assignments are scheduled for or due on holy days; and that instructors provide ample opportunities for such students to make up work missed on such occasions without penalty.