Frequently Asked Questions

Excused Absences

Some types of excused absences can be verified through Student Support & Accountability. These absences include military service, court appearances, pregnancy, childbirth, or adoption, religious observances, specialist appointments, and severe health concerns, including hospitalization.

Excused absences related to disability reasonable accommodations are verified through the Student Access Center.

Excused absences related to extra-curricular activities as a representative of the university are verified through the sponsoring department or organization.

Excused absences related to weather and special programming and events are handled through university wide announcements.

All absences mentioned above, when verified through the designated office or entity, require instructors to adhere to attendance accommodations.

Verified Absences

Per the policy, K-State recognizes students may miss class for other reasons and other absences may be in the best interest of students' academic and professional development. On a case-by-case basis, instructors are encouraged to allow students to make up graded work from an absence.

Students are not required to verify short-term absences through Student Support & Accountability.

Typically absences related to short-term illnesses, funerals, minor accidents, emergency situations, etc. fall under this category. Student Support & Accountability encourages students to work directly with faculty on these absences. In the event a student's circumstances or absences become more complex or extended, students are encouraged to work directly with Student Support & Accountability to verify the circumstances and get support in communicating with faculty about the situation. Upon receipt of a verified absence notice, instructors are encouraged to consider allowing students to make up graded work from these absences.

Other Absences

Any other absences which do not fall under the above listed categories are entirely at the instructors discretion to accommodate. These absences may include family vacations, job interviews, weddings, or other non-academic travel. Students are encouraged to work directly with faculty on these types of absences but faculty are not required to provide any adjustments.

We encourage all students to follow up with faculty directly to discuss next steps regarding their absence. When approached by the student, faculty should be willing to respond in a timely manner with clear instructions on how the absence will be handled, including any relevant information about new deadlines for missed work, if appropriate.

We discuss expectations with students, too, to check their syllabus for course policies. Connection, bridging a conversation, etc.

We recommend instructors try to initiate a conversation with a student about the reality of their situation in the course and how the absences will impact their ability to be successful int he course. If it is prior to the point of submitting progress reports via Navigate, consider reporting this with other progress updates through that process. If we are past the time to report via Navigate, and the student has been unresponsive to attempts to reach out, consider filling out a student of concern referral on our website.

Not all students who contact SSA end up having their faculty contacted on their behalf. Absence verifications have been approved and sent only when proper and legitimate documentation is on file with SSA. If you have questions or concerns about a letter you received from SSA, please call to consult.

Students are encouraged to contact faculty about any anticipated or unexpected absences from classes. Instructors set and enforce their own attendance policies, which may differ in each course. Check your class syllabus for more information about attendance requirements and policies.

Excused absences at K-State are limited to Extra-Curricular Activities as a Representative of the University, military service, court appearances, Disability Reasonable Accommodations, pregnancy, childbirth or adoption, religious observances, specialist appointments, severe health concerns, including hospitalization, weather, and special programming and events.

If students have an absence in one of the above listed categories, and it has been verified through the proper source, instructors shall provide the opportunity to either make up or excuse, at the instructor’s discretion, any missed assignments, activities, and/or attendance-specific points that contribute to the course grade. Students can read more about the policy in section F62 of the University Handbook.

Although absences related to short-term illness, emergency situations and funerals are not under the excused category, they usually fall under a type of absence which can be excused at the instructors discretion. We recommend students communicate directly with their instructors about these absences, and when appropriate, provide documentation of the circumstances. Please ensure the email to professors is professional and timely. The Academic Achievement Center has a great Email Etiquette documentation students can use on their website.

Instructors are not required to make any adjustments to accommodate pre-planned absences which are not excused or verified. Pre-planned events, like weddings or vacations, job interviews, or outside education opportunities should be addressed with faculty at the beginning of the semester or as soon as possible so appropriate planning can occur and students can make scheduling adjustments if necessary.

We recommend stopping by your instructors office during the established office hours, or catching them before or after class to arrange another time to talk about the concern or absence. You can also check the course syllabus to see the preferred communication methods and default to the indicated method (email, Canvas, phone, office hours, etc.).

Absences related to university sponsored events are verified through the sponsoring organization. The organization faculty advisor should be able to provide a verification directly to faculty, or provide a support letter for students to distribute to faculty individually. You can contact Student Programs and Involvement or OrgCentral to find your organizations advisor.

Please consider meeting with staff in Student Support & Accountability to discuss your concerns. They can help you problem solve, connect you with resources, and verify circumstances with faculty, when appropriate.

COVID-19 absences are no longer university excused absences due to the shortened duration of isolation and quarantine protocols adopted by the CDC. Student Support & Accountability will not verify each instance or occurrence. As with other illnesses, students will contact instructors directly for modification of assignments, exams or other forms of classwork due to COVID-19-related illness, isolation or quarantine throughout the semester.