Attendance & Absences

Students are expected to attend all classes as attendance is an integral aspect of enhancing academic success. Requirements for attendance and class participation are established by the instructor in each course. Students are responsible for all material and information covered in classes missed. Students are expected to carefully consult individual course syllabi for course-specific attendance policies, as they may vary by class.

Students should contact the Student Affairs Office or a member of the Suffolk CARES team if they expect to miss a week or more of classes. Students may also request the Student Affairs Office to validate a legitimate absence by filling out the Absence Verification Request Form. Completing this form does not excuse your absences, but verifies that your absence has been discussed with Student Affairs. Students may only attend courses for which they are officially registered. Should you have further questions, please call 617-573-8239.

Jury Duty

According to the Office of the Jury Commissioner of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, “every US citizen 17 years of age or older who is a Massachusetts resident or an inhabitant for more than 50 percent of the time is eligible to serve as a juror. If you are a resident of another state but a student at a Massachusetts college or university, you are an inhabitant for more than 50 percent of the year and, therefore, eligible to serve as a juror in Massachusetts.

It is not unusual for students residing in Suffolk County or in other Massachusetts counties to be summoned to serve as trial jurors. Jury service, on a short-term basis, can provide students with a good opportunity to fulfill one of their important responsibilities as members of the community. Suffolk University supports students in their fulfillment of this civic duty.

Students should carefully read all materials they receive with their summons to service. They contain helpful information on confirming, postponing, rescheduling, or relocating service and address many of the most frequently asked questions. Jury duty is an important legal obligation, and those who fail to respond are subject to criminal prosecution.

Students who must miss class in order to fulfill jury service should notify each of their instructors at least two weeks in advance prior to jury duty to make arrangements to complete missed work. Students who do not inform their instructors in a timely fashion may not receive accommodations to make up missed work. Students should provide a copy of the summons notice to the Student Affairs Office, located at 73 Tremont Street, 12th floor. If you have questions about jury duty—including confirming, postponing, rescheduling, or limiting your service— consult the Student’s Guide to Jury Duty brochure, available from the Office of the Jury Commissioner by calling 800-843-5879. Additional information may be viewed online.

Student-Athlete Attendance Policy

Academic responsibility is considered the highest priority for student-athletes attending Suffolk University. Student-athletes are expected to attend punctually all scheduled classes and laboratory sections and are responsible for handing in all required work on time. It is the responsibility of the student-athlete to be aware of and adhere to the requirements outlined for each class. Classes may not be missed for practice. However, conflict between athletic events and classes do occasionally occur.

Student-athletes are responsible for communicating with the department Chair in such cases of scheduling conflict. Whenever possible, this should occur at the beginning of the semester. The department Chair will work with the instructor of the course and the student-athlete in developing a plan to meet the course requirements while participating in athletics. Student-athletes will not be penalized for missing class due to a scheduled game/match if the department Chair has been informed of the games/matches schedule and a plan has been articulated with the instructor. In those rare circumstances where no acceptable scheduling plan can be developed, student-athletes will be responsible for attending class. Student-athletes must be proactive when scheduling classes each semester to eliminate as many possible missed classes due to games/matches. Particular attention should be paid to once a week classes or classes that require high levels of required student group work. When conflicts between classes and athletic events arise during the season due to rescheduling of contests (e.g., alterations due to weather) or to post-season play, the student-athlete is responsible for informing the faculty member immediately and PRIOR to the class to be missed. It is the responsibility of the student-athlete to make up the work and get all necessary information from any classes missed. Faculty members should make reasonable accommodations to allow student-athletes to complete any missed in-class work. The department Chair can facilitate these discussions when appropriate.

An Act Excusing the Absence of Students for Their Religious Beliefs

In keeping with the amendment of Chapter 151C of the Massachusetts General Laws, Section 2B, any student in an educational or vocational training institution, other than a religious or denominational educational or vocational training institution, who is unable, because of their religious beliefs, to attend classes or to participate in any examination, study, or work requirement on a particular day shall be excused from any such examination or study or work requirement, and shall be provided with an opportunity to make up such examination, study, or work requirement that may have been missed because of such absence on any particular day, provided, however, that such makeup examination or work shall not create an unreasonable burden upon the school. No fees of any kind shall be charged by the institution for making available to the said student such opportunity. No adverse or prejudicial effects shall result to any students availing themselves of the provisions of this section.