Attendance Policy for Students

Faculty Senate (April 8, 2026)

Education at the university level requires active involvement in the learning process. Therefore, students have the responsibility to attend classes and to actively engage in all learning assignments or opportunities provided in their classes. Instructors have the responsibility to provide a written policy on student attendance that is tied to course objectives and included in a course syllabus. There may be times, however, when illness, family crisis, or university- sponsored activities make full attendance or participation impossible. In these situations, students are responsible for making timely arrangements with the instructor to make up work missed. Such arrangements should be made in writing and prior to the absence when possible.

Examples of absences that should be considered excusable include those resulting from the following: 1) illness of the student, 2) serious illness or death of a member of the student’s immediate family or other family crisis, 3)

University-sponsored activities for which the student’s attendance is required by virtue of scholarship or leadership/ participation responsibilities, 4) religious observances (see Students’ Religious Observances policy in section 2.8 below), 5) jury duty or subpoena for court appearance, and 6) military duty. The instructor has the right to require that the student provide appropriate documentation for any absence for which the student wishes to be excused.

However, it is recommended that instructors exercise flexibility when requesting documentation unless the student is experiencing significant absences that are detrimental to the student’s progress in the course.  Instructors and students are strongly encouraged to engage with UACares at report.uark.edu for assistance in supporting students experiencing significant absences in a course.

Please be aware that the University Health Center does not provide students with documentation to excuse absences due to HIPPA concerns and has seen an increased number of students requesting a doctor’s appointment to receive an excuse, but where the underlying illness did not require a visit with a doctor. This unnecessarily impedes students whose medical condition requires a doctor’s appointment from getting one and is inefficient use of limited medical resources. Additionally, obtaining medical documentation from a medical provider can be costly, time-consuming, and logistically challenging for students, especially those without easy access to healthcare, those uninsured, or those managing financial constraints.

Students have the responsibility under the University’s academic integrity policy to uphold the highest standards of conduct regarding their academic responsibilities.  Instructors may report suspected violations of academic integrity policy regarding attendance to the Office of Academic Initiatives and Integrity.

A similar policy for graduate students was adopted by the Graduate Council (December 2022):  https://catalog.uark.edu/graduatecatalog/objectivesandregulations/#graduatestudentpoliciestext.

A policy for law students can be found here: https://catalog.uark.edu/lawcatalog/academicpolicies/.