Attendance and Absence

The College does not set a maximum number of absences permissible in any course. Individual faculty members have the prerogative to establish a maximum number of absences at the beginning of the semester and are encouraged to include a written statement of their attendance policy on the course syllabus. Students accept full responsibility for missed content and/or timely submission of assessments due to their absence. This policy equates "absence" with lack of participation, especially for coursework that is held online asynchronously.

The College recognizes that there are other justifiable reasons for class absence, like the observance of religious holidays or illness.  Such absences are acceptable only if previous absences are not excessive and if the student has made arrangements with the instructor, prior to the day of the absence, for the work missed. Failure to attend class or properly withdraw will result in a grade of  "WX" (administrative withdrawal) or "F".

Due to Homeland Security requirements for full-time enrollment, students on F-1 visas may not withdraw from any coursework in the Fall and Spring semesters, which would lower their course load below full-time status (9 credits). A student with an F-1 visa who chooses to withdraw from coursework that would put them into part-time status, will be in violation of Homeland Security regulations and will have their visas terminated.

Graduate students should notify the Dean of the Graduate School if they are unable to attend class due to serious illness or an emergency situation. With permission from the student who is admitted to the hospital or at home for medical reasons, Hood College Health and Counseling Services can notify the Dean on the student's behalf, who will notify the student's professors and program director that the student is absent with the estimated date of return to classes. No other information about diagnosis or treatment will be shared. The student will be responsible for contacting professors, determining class status, and making arrangements for completing coursework upon their return. For situations requiring an extended absence, students should refer to the Leave of Absence section for graduate students in the College Catalog. The Dean of the Graduate School can be reached by calling 301-696-3600 or email GradDean@hood.edu.

Limits/Restrictions:

• For face-to-face courses, students must attend the first class meeting of each of their courses.  For online courses, students must participate in the online class as outlined in the syllabus during Week 1 of the semester. Failure to do so or failure to notify the instructor or the Registrar's office of their absence, risk being withdrawn from the class with a grade of WX. 

• Enrollment in a course constitutes an informal contract with the instructor, and a student who violates an instructor’s attendance or participation policy risks dismissal from the course. Instructors may have a student withdrawn from a class and a grade of WX recorded up until the deadline for course withdrawal. After the course withdrawal deadline has passed, the student receives a grade of F in such cases.

• A student who is dismissed from a course for excessive absences or who is withdrawn from the class for failing to appear at the first class meeting may be reinstated only by the joint consent of the course instructor and the registrar.

• Classes are held up to the date and hour preceding vacations and they resume promptly after the recess in accordance with the academic calendar. Students are expected to attend classes meeting just prior to and immediately following holiday periods.

• Students are fully responsible for making up work missed due to class absence. When students are absent, they are responsible for obtaining lecture notes from reliable sources. Assignments and projects are to be delivered to the instructor on the assigned date, even when the student does not attend class. All exams are to be taken at the scheduled time. Having another exam scheduled on the same day is not considered sufficient justification for rescheduling the exam.

• Students who withdraw or are withdrawn from coursework after the designated drop/add period, are responsible for all tuition and fees associated with that coursework.