Go To Class
University must abide by federal guidelines to verify the attendance (or participation for online courses) of students in each class for which they are enrolled.
Frequently Asked Questions about Attendance
Below are answers to anticipated questions about this process. Note in particular the last paragraph about administrative drops for non-verified students.
FAQs
Your presence in a class will be verified by the instructor or an assistant by taking roll in a class. This will be done at one of the class meetings within the first two weeks of class for a regular Fall/Spring semester. An instructor may or may not give prior announcement of the day on which this attendance roll is taken. So be sure to go to class to avoid any problems!
If you happen to miss class on the day that the attendance roll was verified, it is your responsibility to attend class on subsequent days, present yourself to the instructor, and ask that he/she update your attendance verification status. Note that attending class on days prior to the attendance verification day for a class may or may not ensure that the instructor will count you as being present.
No. Beginning with the Fall 2026 term, attendance scanners will no longer be used. Instructors may take attendance using the method that works best for their course, including Poll Everywhere, a new optional attendance and classroom engagement tool.
If you know ahead of time that you will be absent during the first two weeks of class, contact your instructor to explain. Once your attendance has been verified at least one time (even if before an illness or planned travel), you are 'good to go' with regard to this verification.
For all course types, including thesis, internships, labs, online courses, etc., the instructor must verify your participation based on some type of participation. This may include submission of an online assignment or other course related contact with the instructor. (However, simply logging into Blackboard will not count as an academically related activity.)
No. Each instructor may have his/her own attendance policy.
Attendance must be verified for shorter terms as well. For each type of shorter term (e.g., intersessions, Full Summer, First Fall, First Spring, First Summer, Second Fall, etc.) the period for instructors to verify attendance will be up to the last day to add a course for that term. The date for the administrative dropping of non-verified students (see below) will be a few days thereafter, as given in the Academic Calendar.
Yes. Students whose attendance is not verified during the first two weeks of a regular semester (see above for shorter terms) will be sent an email warning that they will be dropped from the class. During the third week of class, academic administrators will work with the faculty to resolve any questions over attendance verification. If your attendance has not been verified in a class at the end of the third week, then you will be administratively dropped from the class. Note that this action may have an impact on your financial aid eligibility. If there must be an adjustment, the Office of Financial Aid will contact you. For more information, see Financial Aid's policy on class attendance.