2020-2021 Graduate Bulletin > Policies and General Information > Academic Policies and Information > Class Attendance

Class Attendance

Upon the assumption that class attendance is a responsibility shared by adults, as teachers and class members, there is no university-wide regulation requiring attendance by students, or requiring the instructor to excuse absences from classes or examination. Individual instructors may establish their own class attendance regulations, but those that they do establish need to be reasonably and fairly applied.

Faculty have the right to consider a student’s attendance in class in assigning grades and may lower grades if the student’s absence warrants this action. Faculty also may require students to notify them of the cause of an absence, in advance of the absence, if possible. The instructor may choose to guide the student in making up work losses due to absences, if the student requests such assistance. However, this does not obligate faculty to provide such assistance. If a faculty member is unsure about how to provide guidance to a student, he or she may seek assistance through the College or Graduate Dean’s office or may refer the student to the Office of Student Affairs. The Office of Student Affairs will assist students in notifying instructors for extended absences. This notification is only a courtesy as there is not a campus-wide attendance policy at CMU. See the Student Bereavement Policy, Accommodation of Religious Obligations, or the Student Short-Term Military Service Policy for specific information on absences in these situations.