
Student Absence Information
Suggested Recommendations
If You Need to Miss Classes for Personal, Medical or Emergency Reasons
Recommended First Steps
- Always review the course syllabus and contact your instructor
- Carefully review the course syllabus for each course in which you are enrolled for instructor policies and expectations regarding attendance and absences.
- Contact your instructor(s) as soon as possible for any upcoming or past absences.
- It is important to understand how absences and late work may affect your class standing. Accommodation for absences is not guaranteed. While some faculty allow exceptions, others may not.
- Please keep in mind the following:
- Some faculty include attendance and class participation in their grading while others may not. Check the syllabus carefully and review grading percentages to determine how lack of attendance/participation could affect your grade.
- Be sure you understand the expectations and that you meet any deadlines provided by professors, especially when an accommodation is provided.
- Some professors may not allow a make-up exam because they already drop the lowest test grade as part of their grading policy. Professors are not required to accommodate make-up exams. To be certain of any make-up policy,. please review the syllabus.
- The longer you wait to contact your professor, the more difficult it may become to accommodate absences and make-up requests.
- Follow up with instructor(s) after your return to classes.
- Contact the Cougar Care Network if you need more assistance and support. You can call us at (760)750-7627, walk-in to ADM 1200 between 9 am - 5 pm M-F, email ccn@csusm.edu or self-refer here.
- If your situation requires you to stop attending some/all courses through the rest
of the semester, consult with Financial Aid if you are receiving grants, loans, or scholarships.
Be AwareIf you stop attending too early in the semester, your financial aid could get recalculated (since it is based on you attending throughout the semester) and you could owe a balance. - If you LIVE IN ON-CAMPUS HOUSING and/or have a MEAL PLAN, and/or you have purchased a Monthly Parking Pass, and you will be away for an unforeseen emergency for MORE THAN A WEEK:
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- Please inform your roommate(s) and/or the Resident Advisor.
- Please contact the Cougar Care Network using the Self-Referral Form.
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- We may be able to help with a grace request to faculty to extend deadlines, depending on the situation. If so, you will be copied in the email to faculty. We do NOT disclose particulars of your situation.
- We will do our best to provide you with resources for your situation.
- We may contact Dining Services and/or Housing staff on your behalf. In some cases, we may recommend pausing the meal plan, for example, if possible.
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- You can manage your parking through the CSUSM Parking app. You may be able to pause your permit so you are not charged while you are away. Contact Parking to pause your permit.
- You may want to request an appeal for Housing Charges if you suddenly stop living on campus due to an emergency or medical reasons.
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Specific Suggesitons, Depending on Reasons for Absence
Refer to our Step-by-Step guide below, choosing the reason below that matches your needs:
- Missing Class for Personal Reasons Known Ahead of Time
- Missing Class due to Medical Reasons
- Short-Term Medical (missing 1 week or less of class)
- Longer-Term Medical (missing 1-2 weeks of class)
- Extended Medical (missing more than 2 weeks of class)
- Missing Class due to Grief/Loss of Loved One
- Missing Class for Any Other Reason not covered above (e.g. Loss of Housing)
A. Suggestions for Missing Class for Personal Reasons Known Ahead of Time
- Please review Recommended First Steps at top of page.
- If you know you will be absent ahead of time, talk to your instructor before/after class or during office hours, when possible, and follow up with an email reminder including your name, student ID, course name, course section, and days/time of course.
- Be sure to check your email for faculty response. If faculty do not respond after a week, try a second email and speak with them when you return to classes.
- It is your responsibility to adhere to course deadlines, even with a planned absence. For example, if you need to miss class tomorrow and an assignment given two weeks ago is also due tomorrow, faculty may still expect the assignment on that due date.
- Missing class does not mean that an extension on any work due that day is automatically allowed. It will be up to the individual faculty member. Consequences are typically outlined in the class syllabus. If work is due when you are absent, you should still submit the work that day or ahead of time. If it is an emergency and cannot be avoided, provide an explanation of the situation to your instructor(s) and request an extension. (It may be helpful to share a reasonable date that they may expect the work to be submitted, but this is not guaranteed.)
B. Suggestions for Missing Class due to Medical Reasons
For assistance or questions regarding PREGNANCY or PARENTING RIGHTS and Options contact the Title IX Office to make an appointment at (760)750-6020.
If you are a SURVIVOR of SEXUAL ASSAULT or HARASSMENT that is affecting your class attendance, please contact the Title IX Office at (760)750-6020 and/or our confidential Sexual Violence Advocates at (760)750-4915.
- For SHORT-TERM Medical (missing 1 week or less of class):
- Please review Recommended Firstteps at top of page.
- Notify your faculty via email. Include your name, student ID, course name, course section and days/time of course.
- Some faculty may ask for proof of illness or hospitalization. Be prepared to provide such documentation by asking your medical provider when being treated. You do not need to disclose the specific diagnosis or treatment plan, but you should be able to provide a letter from a medical professional confirming the dates you are/were ill and when you expected to return to class.
- Be sure to check your email for faculty response. If faculty do not respond after a week, try a second email and speak with them when you return to class.
- Missing class for medical reasons does not mean that an extension on any work is automatically granted. It will be up to the individual faculty member. Consequences are typically outlined in the class syllabus.
- If work is due when you are absent, you need to still submit the work that day or ahead of time. If it is an emergency and cannot be avoided, provide an explanation of the situation to your instructor(s) and request an extension. It may be helpful to share a reasonable date that they may expect the work to be submitted, but this is not guaranteed.
- For LONGER-TERM Medical (missing 1 to 2 weeks of class):
- Please review Recommended First Steps at top of page.
- Notify your faculty via email. Include your name, student ID, course name, course section and days/time of course.
- Please contact the Cougar Care Network using the Self-Referral Form.
- We may be able to help with a request to faculty for grace consideration depending on the situation. If so, you will be copied on the email to faculty. We do NOT disclose particulars of your situation.
- We may recommend that you also connect with Disability Support Services (DSS) for possible accommodations, depending on the medical needs. If suggested, two DSS forms (Application for Support Services and Verification of Disability Form) are required for completion including specific medical details and recommendations from your medical provider.
- We understand in certain medical circumstances it will be difficult for you to complete these steps. You can contact us first in these cases, and we will provide assistance.
- Some faculty and/or the Cougar Care Network may ask for proof of illness or hospitalization. Be prepared to provide such documentation by asking your medical provider when being treated. You do not need to disclose the specific diagnosis or treatment plan regarding an illness, but you should be able to provide a letter from a medical professional explaining dates you are/were ill and when you are expected to return to class.
- Be sure to check your email for faculty responses. If faculty do not respond after a week, try a second email and speak with them when you return to class.
- If it is close to the end of the semester and you have been in good academic standing
in the class (completing 75% or more of the work), an incomplete grade may be a possible option, if faculty agree. Some course formats can support this, while others cannot. This gives you additional
time (set by the instructor, but no more than one year) beyond the end of the semester
to complete the course.
- We always recommend completing the course as soon as you are able within the timeframe given by the instructor.
- Keep in mind if you have 2 incomplete grades from the Spring semester then register for 5 courses for the Fall, you would be focusing on work for 7 classes in total. If you can finish the incompletes in the summer prior to the fall, that is typically best so you are not overwhelmed.
- FOR EXTENDED Medical (missing more than 2 weeks of class):
- Please review Recommended First Steps at top of page.
- Notify your faculty via email. Include your name, student ID, course name, course section and days/time of course.
- Please contact the Cougar Care Network using the Self-Referral Form.
- We may recommend that you also connect with Disability Support Services (DSS) for possible accommodations, depending on the medical needs. If suggested, two DSS forms (Application for Support Services and Verification of Disability Form) are required for completion including specific medical details and recommendations from your medical provider.
- Information/Directions on Course Withdrawals
- Missing several weeks of class makes it difficult to stay on track in terms of the material covered in each class and assignments due during that time. You would have to catch up on all the work missed as well as the lecture content, while also staying on track with new material. If you are not feeling well, this can be overwhelming. A medical withdrawal from a course or multiple courses may make better sense.
- Supporting documentation from your medical provider is required.
- Before withdrawing, be sure to consult with Financial Aid if you receive any grants, scholarships or loans.
C. Missing Class due to Grief/Loss of Loved One
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- Please review Recommended First Steps at top of page.
- Notify your faculty via email. Include your name, student ID, course name, course section, and days/time of course.
- You may be asked for supporting documentation such as a death certificate or obituary notice.
- Be sure to check your email for faculty response. If faculty do not respond after a week, try a second email and speak with them when you return to class.
- Consider contacting the Cougar Care Network for grief support and other resources, especially if the loss is extensive such as
for an immediate family member or partner.
- We also can help you contact faculty if you are unable to do so.
- If you need help navigating moving back home to grieve your loss, we can help you with this too. (Closing out your meal plan, parking pass, dorm lease, etc.)
- You are not alone. We are here to support you.
- You may want to consider a Grief/Loss Support Group or individual counseling support through the CSUSM Student Health & Counseling Center on campus.
- The loss of a parent or guardian may cause your financial aid situation to change. Consider contacting Financial Aid to determine if your aid should be recalculated.
D. Missing class for Any Other Reason not covered previously (e.g. Loss of Housing)
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- Please review Recommended First Steps at top of page.
- Notify your faculty via email. Include your name, student ID, course name, course section, and days/time of course.
- Please contact the Cougar Care Network using the Self-Referral Form.
- We may be able to help with a grace request to faculty for consideration depending on the situation. If so, you will be copied on the email to faculty. We do NOT disclose particulars of your situation.
- We will do our best to provide you with resources, including potential emergency funds (if unforeseen) or housing options through our Basic Needs Program.