Attendance policy
This policy is for undergraduate and postgraduate students.
We must monitor your attendance and report it where needed to the Home Office, the Local Education Authorities and the Student Loans Company.
As a student at University of the Arts London, you should attend all timetabled sessions, including:
- lectures
- seminars
- group and individual tutorials
- learning support sessions
- workshops
- inductions
- demonstrations.
Regular attendance means you get the most from your course.
Poor attendance affects you and others who rely on you in group projects and peer learning. When group work and peer learning is important, poor attendance can lead to failing assessments.
Missing sessions
If you regularly miss sessions, your course director or personal tutor will contact you and offer the opportunity to discuss any difficulties affecting your attendance and ways we could help you attend more regularly.
You can also get confidential advice on funding, immigration and visas, health and mental health advice, and disability and dyslexia support from the Student Services team.
If your attendance continues to be poor you'll get a warning letter, your visa or student loan could be revoked, and you'll eventually be withdrawn from the course.
We understand you may need a part-time job to support your studies and may have other commitments like childcare, or family or religious events. However, we expect you to fit these commitments around timetabled sessions so you can take part in the course fully.
Planned absence
If there's an event that's going to disrupt your attendance, like an appointment you cannot miss, personal circumstances, illness or a religious holiday, you must tell us. You can tell your personal tutor or course director, or your course administration team for some courses.
Authorised absence
In exceptional circumstances, you may need to be absent for a longer amount of time.
The authorised absence process is different to the extenuating circumstance process. If your absence will have an impact on your assessments, you must also submit a separate claim for extenuating circumstances.
Authorised absence can be applied for under 3 categories:
- Extended periods of illness – you must have evidence for this, for example, a medical certificate or doctors’ note.
- Attendance at appointments or commitments that you cannot move or miss. For example, hospital appointments, religious requirements, or court attendance.
- Mitigating circumstances – for example, bereavements, serious illness of a close family member, childcare, or technical issues related to online study.
All authorised absence requests will be considered on an individual basis. You must give evidence if your absence is more than 10 days. All evidence should be in English, signed, officially stamped and on headed paper. If the original documents are not in English, you must get an official translation.
Requests for authorised absence will be approved by the course leader.
We can only support absences for up to 4 weeks during term time. If you’re absent for longer than 4 weeks, you may need to consider taking Time Out.
Student visas
If you're studying with us on a student visa, we have a legal obligation to tell the Home Office if you:
- do not enrol for your course by the latest agreed start date
- withdraw, or are withdrawn, from your course, take time out from your course, or go over the number of allowed unauthorised absences
- change or transfer to a course of a shorter length
- break the conditions of your permission to stay in the UK.