Class attendance is both mandatory and critical. Students are expected to be present in class and arrive on time.
- Only students enrolled in the course section may attend class unless prior approval has been given by the Dean or Dean’s designee.
- ABA Standards require law schools to adopt, publish, and adhere to a class attendance requirement. To meet this standard, the School of Law requires that students attend the majority of their regularly scheduled class sessions, or the student will be administratively withdrawn from the course, receiving a W/F on his/her/their transcript. This policy permits the following number of absences with no option to petition for any excused absences.
During the Fall and Spring semesters the rule allows:
- Two (2) absences in a class that meets once a week.
- Four (4) absences in a class that meets twice a week.
- Six (6) absences in a class that meets three times a week.
- Zero (0) absences are allowed for PRI’s.
- Zero (0) absences are allowed for the Barry School of Law Study Abroad Programs.
During the Summer semester the rule allows:
- One (1) absence in a class that meets once a week.
- Two (2) absences in a class that meets twice a week.
- Three (3) absences in a class that meets three times a week.
- Zero (0) absences are allowed for PRI’s.
- Zero (0) absences are allowed for the Barry School of Law Study Abroad Programs.
- Students whose total absences exceed “the maximum” will be automatically administratively withdrawn from the course by the Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs or his/her designee and will not be allowed to sit for the final exam. Notice will be forthwith provided to any such student(s). A grade of “WF” will be recorded on the student’s transcript. Students will still be responsible for all financial fees associated with the course. The sole relief available for a student is to take a leave of absence and petition the Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs or his/her designee to convert a “WF” to a “W.”
- A student who is unprepared, late for class, or leaves early may be counted absent and/or dismissed from class for that day.
- It is the sole responsibility of the student attending any class to make sure that he or she personally signs the attendance roster. A student who attends class but fails to sign the roster may request the professor to verify attendance.
To be considered, such a request shall:
- Only be a single email sent to the professor.
- Be within three hours from the end of the class in question.
- It is solely within the discretion of the professor to grant or refuse such a request.
- Students are solely responsible for tracking their own attendance. As a courtesy, students can view their attendance online in the Student Portal. The student portal is the “official program” used to track student attendance. Student attendance tracked elsewhere, including Canvas, is not official.