Slippery Rock University expects students to attend face-to-face class and consistently engage in online classes. Individual instructors have sole responsibility to establish and communicate requirements for class attendance in each course syllabus, including for online classes.

Students who must miss class should communicate directly with their instructors regarding the class attendance policy. Misrepresenting an absence constitutes dishonest behavior under the Code of Student Conduct.

Students are responsible for all materials covered in a course, even if they are absent. Instructors should provide, within reason, an opportunity to make up work for students who miss class due to curricular and extracurricular activities. University activities to be recognized as an excused absence include, but are not limited to: scheduled NCAA athletic events and academic events/performances in which the student is a mandatory participant. Other examples of appropriate situations to be recognized as excused include: military duties, auto accidents, death of a loved one, or medical emergencies.

Students who miss class due to short-term illness, injury, or hospitalization may request written verification from Student Health Services. Prolonged illness or extraordinary circumstances such as the death of a loved one, military deployment, or other major life event must be reported to the Dean of Students, which notifies the student's instructor(s) of the absence.  These notifications do not constitute an "excuse" for an absence but rather are designed to make instructors aware of conflicts impacting a student's attendance. A student absent for a significant time should consult with their adviser before deciding whether to continue in a class or classes.