The University's official attendance policy is that you, as a student, are responsible for attending all classes on time, beginning with the first day of the semester. Your instructors may have attendance guidelines in addition to the official attendance policy, and it is important that you ask your instructors about their attendance policies if they are not given to you at the beginning of the semester. On occasion, you may miss a class or classes in order to attend or participate in out-of-class organized university activities. In those instances, you are responsible for notifying your instructors in advance and making arrangements for completing all missed assignments.

The Student Health Center will send notes to instructors when students are ill at their parental home or hospitalized for several days. Student Health Center staff do not send notes when a student is ill in Hays or when only one or two days of classes are missed. Students are responsible to notify their instructors themselves in these instances. If the instructor has questions, Student Health Center staff can verify that the student was seen in the Center. Any other information is confidential and cannot be given to anyone without the student's permission. The only exception to this policy is when there are extenuating circumstances. Exceptions will be determined on a case by case basis. Students are encouraged to seek treatment early for illness, so time lost will be minimal. The Student Health Center will be glad to help the student with the health problem to facilitate returning to class as soon as possible. The Office of Student Affairs will notify instructors of a death in a student's immediate family (parent, grandparent, spouse or sibling).

When a student misses a class more than three times and the instructor does not know the cause for the absences, the student's name should be reported to the office of the Vice President for Student Affairs. The Vice President (or his or her designee) will attempt to learn the reasons for the absences. In addition, the instructor may inform the dean of the appropriate college. In such cases, students will be informed to either 1) initiate an official withdrawal on or before the official withdrawal date, or 2) make arrangements with the instructor to complete the requirements of the course. If the student fails to withdraw officially or complete the course, a grade of U will be assigned at the end of the semester.

If you are receiving financial aid, you should be aware that current federal regulations require that faculty notify the Office of Student Financial Assistance when students are not attending class. The instructor will send the office notification of the last date of attendance. When it receives notification, the Office of Student Financial Assistance will contact the student in attempt to verify his/her enrollment status. If appropriate, a refund/repayment process (required by these federal regulations) will be initiated. In other words, you may be required to repay financial aid you have received if you stop attending class.