Undergraduate Catalog

Excused Absence

Official approval from Student Success is the only means of excusing a student’s absence. The following provisions apply:

  • It is the student’s responsibility to apply for an absence to be excused. Once the application is approved, Student Success shall inform the instructor.
  • Medical certificates, personal correspondence and other documentation may not be accepted by instructors as excusing a student’s absence. Instead, these should be provided by the student to Student Success who are the final arbiter in matters regarding the collection, dissemination and review of all required documentation subject to the provisions of ACA 3850 Confidentiality and Privacy of Student Records shall apply.
  • The decision by Student Success to grant or decline a student’s application to excuse his/her absence is final subject to the provisions regarding appeals in 5.2.2.3 above.
  • When possible, students should seek prior approval for an excused absence.
  • In the case of students representing KU on official business (KU-related travel, conferences, school recruiting, presentations, fieldtrips, etc.) the following provisions shall apply:

    Approval must be obtained prior to the absence from student’s department chair who shall then inform Student Success and the instructor(s) of the course(s) from which the student will be absent.

    All other provisions shall apply.

    • Application to excuse an absence post facto must be made to Student Success within five (5) working days of the last day of the period of absence for which application to excuse is made.
    • Where an excused absence causes a student to miss an assessment then the student’s grade for the assessment shall be calculated in accordance with the course syllabus. Unexcused absences that cause a student to miss an assessment will result in that student receiving a grade of zero (0) for the missed assessment with a concomitant effect upon the student’s final grade. Refer to ACA 3370 Examinations, ACA 3350 Grading Systems, GPA and Course Repetition, ACA 3200 Graduation Requirements and Academic Progress (Undergraduate).