Attendance is crucial to academic success. and you should report any absence to the correct University department. For international students, failure to attend can result in loss of their visa.

Absences

Attendance is very important, however if you absolutely have to miss some of your timetabled activities, here’s what you need to do:

• For absences of fewer than 10 working days email your course leader and/or your module leaders. 
• For absences of 10 days or more request a leave of absence.
• If your absence might affect your academic performance, you should read up about Extenuating Circumstances in case you need to make a claim. You should also inform your Advice Zone.
• In some cases, students can request an interruption of studies for a year.

Attendance

What’s in it for me?
Research comparing performance among students of different levels of attendance has shown the following benefits:

• Higher grades
• Greater chance of passing assessments
• Opportunities to improve personal skills and soft skills
• Familiarisation with the views of others, which helps shape your arguments/knowledge
• The whole summer to relax: no resits!

What you lose by not being in class
Conversely, poor attendance has been shown to pose serious risks to students’ performance:

• Poorer grades
• Higher risks of failure
• Limited knowledge of course materials: Blackboard cannot fully replicate the vital input from tutors in class
• Higher likelihood of having to resit coursework and/or exams in the summer
• Lower chances of completion within three years and consequently more debt and financial repercussions
• The University can withdraw students for lack of engagement on their course, including non-attendance.
• If your engagement with the University is considered to be unsatisfactory, you will be contacted by the University, as part of the Lack of Engagement Process.
  

Attendance monitoring for international students

If you are an international, non-EU student, studying on a Tier 4/Student Route visa, you will be required to report regularly to the University in order that the University can confirm to the Home Office that you are actively engaged in your studies.

See Tier 4/Student Route attendance and engagement monitoring for information.