The University Approved Absence Office and Dean of Students office DO NOT issue University Approved Absences for final exams. DO NOT SUBMIT AN ONLINE REQUEST FOR UNIVERSITY APPROVED ABSENCES FOR FINAL EXAMS.   If you will miss a final exam due to a medical or mental health concern, family or personal emergency, religious observance, or exam schedule conflict, please follow the instructions on page linked below and communicate directly with your instructor to schedule a make-up.  https://dos.unc.edu/student-support/class-absences-final-exam-rescheduling/
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Submit a Request

Requesting a University Approved Absence

The University Approved Absence Office (UAAO) has the authority to issue University Approved Absences in limited circumstances.  Students must work directly with instructors to navigate the details of making up missed work, rescheduling mid-terms or other tests/exams, or requesting extensions to deadlines. The University Approved Absence Office DOES NOT issue University Approved Absences for final exams. 

Step 1: Communicate directly with faculty about your absences

Instructors often build policies about absences into their syllabi, allowing for flexibility with a certain number of absences to account for commonly occurring illnesses or other obligations that do not meet the criteria for a University Approved Absence. Connect with your instructor about your absences before determining if your absence warrants University approval and submitting a request.

Instructors may work with students to meet attendance needs that do not fall within University Approved Absences.  For situations when an absence is not University approved (commonly occurring illnesses/minor injuries, job interviews, planned travel, etc.), instructors determine their own approach to missed classes and make-up assessments and assignments.

Step 2: Determine if your absence meets the standard of a University Approved Absence

Under the Class Attendance Policy a student can request an absence be University approved only if it falls within the criteria outlined below:

  1. Authorized university activities
  2. Disability/religious observance/pregnancy, as required by law and approved by Accessibility Resources and Service (ARS) and/or the Equal Opportunity and Compliance Office (EOC)
  3. Significant health conditions and/or personal family emergencies as approved by the Dean of Students office, Gender Violence Service Coordinators, and/or the Equal Opportunity and Compliance Office

Examples of significant health conditions may include (but are not limited to):

  • Emergency surgery, hospitalization, severe communicable diseases that require isolation (i.e. measles, mumps, tuberculosis, varicella), a severe injury/condition that affects mobility and/or cognition, or acute exacerbation of a chronic mental health issue.

Examples of a personal emergency/family emergency may include (but are not limited to):

  • the death or acute onset of a life-threatening illness of an immediate family member, direct exposure to or involvement in a current or recently occurring personal traumatic event, or a dramatic and sudden change to life circumstances.

Step 3: Submit your request

The University Approved Absence Office DOES NOT issue University Approved Absences for final exams. DO NOT SUBMIT AN ONLINE REQUEST FOR UNIVERSITY APPROVED ABSENCES FOR FINAL EXAMS. Students are bound by the Honor Code when making a request for a University Approved Absence.

 

Submit a Request for a University Approved Absence

    • View a Tutorial on how to use the University Approved Absence Hub to submit an absence.

Please note:

  • All absence documentation must be attached directly to your request.
  • Requests should be submitted as early as possible to allow for appropriate review and processing time. Absence requests must be submitted to the UAAO within 5 business days following the last date of absence and all documentation within 10 days if not attached to the initial request. Please note that documentation from your provider must support the reason for the absence. Letters from providers that only list absence dates are not considered sufficient documentation. UAAs submitted after 5 days will be denied. UAAs are not issued retroactively.
  • If you are requesting an approved absence due to experiencing or reporting sexual assault, sexual violence, or interpersonal violence, please be aware that the information you submit on this form will be shared with the Equal Opportunity and Compliance Office and with the University’s Gender Violence Services Coordinator. You will receive an outreach from the EOC office. If you wish to speak with someone confidentially regarding your need for an absence, please contact the Gender Violence Services Coordinator, at gvsc@unc.edu.”

For more information about the University’s class attendance policy, please review the Undergraduate Bulletin.