Policy Rationale
Vermont State University (VTSU) believes class attendance and participation are vital to student success, and therefore students are encouraged to attend all scheduled courses, log on to the Learning Management System course sites regularly, and participate in all class activities regardless of the course modality.
In addition, federal financial aid regulations require that students regularly attend classes and participate in academically-related activities.
Finally, transparency about attendance, participation, and administrative drops ensures consistency in student experiences of their academic and extracurricular activities.
Policy
Attendance
Faculty members may develop attendance expectations for each course which should be explained in their syllabi. Unless otherwise noted, missing more than 20% of a course due to absences, lateness, or early departures might be considered problematic or excessive, and missing course content due to absences, lateness, early departures, or lack of participation may jeopardize a student’s ability to earn a satisfactory final grade. For example, in a 3-credit, 15-week course that meets once a week, 20% of the course would equal 3 class meetings. In a 3-credit, 7-week online course, 20% of the course would equal 1.5 online academic weeks .
Participation in university-sanctioned trips or events (such as varsity athletic contests, fine arts events, conferences, etc.) may be considered excused absences. Athletes are reminded that practices are not excused absences. Students missing class as a result of university-sanctioned trips or events are responsible for all work missed; the instructor and student will make every reasonable effort to establish an acceptable make-up procedure. If no reasonable make-up alternative is possible, the student is not excused from the class and is responsible for implications of missing attendance, participation, and assignments.
Participation
Meeting the minimum attendance requirement for a course does not mean a student has satisfied the academic requirements for participation, which require students to go above and beyond simply attending a portion of or logging on to the class. Faculty members should communicate in their syllabus what constitutes participation in each course they teach and explain how/if participation factors into a student’s final grade.
Administrative Drop
Students may be dropped for non-attendance in any course modality after the initial university census roster and/or at the end of the add/drop period associated with the course as part of the University’s Census process. Attendance is required in the first week of every asynchronous online course in which a student is registered.
Federal Financial Aid
If a student withdraws due to excessive absences on or before the 60% point of the semester a portion of the Federal Title IV funds awarded to a student (Federal Pell Grant, Federal SEOG, Federal Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized Loans or Federal Direct PLUS Loans) will be returned. The return of these funds may result in the student owing a balance to the University and/or the federal government.
Procedure
University Census Roster Process
- The Registrar’s Office notifies faculty, based on the duration of the course, when it is time to complete the Census Roster Process along with a completion due date.
- Faculty log in to the university’s online record system and cross-reference their rosters with students who have never attended.
- The Registrar’s Office verifies the non-attendance for the student and once verified the student is administratively dropped from the course and notified through an electronic message.
Responsibilities
Faculty:
At the beginning of each semester, faculty members will describe their expectations for attendance and participation in the published course syllabus.
Regardless of the cause of absences or missed work, it is the faculty member’s prerogative to determine if they will accept late work and if student has met the outcome requirements of the course.
To ensure accurate attendance data for federal reporting purposes and student retention efforts, faculty members are essential partners in this compliance process by recording attendance within 24 hours of a given class meeting or, for online classes, within a given class week.
Students:
It is the responsibility of all students to make arrangements with faculty members as far in advance as possible when unavoidable situations prevent them from meeting the course requirements or attending class regularly. In the case of unexpected absences, students are expected to communicate as soon as possible with their instructor(s) including the expected date of return to class. These notifications are not to be construed as an excused absence. Students are still responsible for completing any missed work. Regardless of the cause of absences or missed work, it is the faculty member’s prerogative to determine if they will accept late work, and if a student has met the outcome requirements of the course. Excessive absences or incomplete work for any reason may result in a student not completing or passing a course.
Related Policies
Exit or Leave of Absence from the University
Satisfactory Academic Progress
Eligibility Factors That Can Affect Your Financial Aid
Course Grades
Date of Last Approved Revision: March 2025
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