BFA Attendance Policy
Regular attendance is crucial for the learning, growth, and academic success of everyone in the classroom community. Missing class and/or showing up late not only affects the academic experience of the student who is absent or late, it also affects the experience of the entire class. Students are expected to attend all class sessions.
Absent students are responsible for communicating with faculty, obtaining materials presented, and completing all course assignments. An absence does not relieve the student from the obligation of coursework. Not all missed coursework may be replicated. Students who register after classes begin are responsible for any missed coursework.
Courses are designed to allow for a reasonable number of absences. Excessive absences, as defined below, will impact a student's final grade. Missing more than 10% of a class is considered an absence. Three late arrivals or early departures count as one absence. Ultimately it is up to faculty to determine the impact of attendance on grading based on the following guidelines:
Missing more than 10% of classes reduces the final grade by one-third (A becomes A-, B becomes C+, etc.), with a continued one-third grade deduction for each subsequent absence. This translates to:
- Absence from more than 2 classes for courses that meet once per week for the entire semester.
- Absence from more than 3 classes for courses that meet twice per week for the entire semester.
- Absence from more than 2 classes for courses that meet twice per week for half of the semester.
Missing more than 20% of classes may result in an “F” for the course. This translates to:
- Absence from more than 3 classes for courses that meet once per week for the entire semester.
- Absence from more than 6 classes for courses that meet twice per week for the entire semester.
- Absence from more than 3 classes for courses that meet twice per week for half of the semester.
Within the first eight weeks of the semester students can submit a withdrawal form to the Registrar’s Office without permission of the instructor and without explanation. Following the eighth week of the semester, withdrawals are only granted for extenuating reasons, such as serious, documented health issues. In any such case, a student must submit a written request to the Registrar’s Office, which will then be reviewed by the Dean’s Office.
Graduate Program Attendance
Attendance policies for the MFA, MAT, Salt, and Online Graduate programs can be found on the respective program policy pages linked in the menu.