Attendance Policy
Policy
Adopted Spring 2017; revised May 2025
Pratt Institute recognizes that students’ attendance in classes is central to their success. Learning at Pratt relies on students interacting with the course content, other students, and their instructor, and in some cases, interacting with third parties through internship sites, field trips, studio visits, or in-class guests. At the same time, some absences may be unavoidable, especially those due to personal emergencies or illness. While some course content can be made up, many interactions during class, including discussion, group activities, and studio critique, are not replicable, and repeated absences may directly impact a student’s ability to achieve the course learning outcomes and adversely affect other students’ learning.
Consistent attendance is essential for the completion of any course or program and is a precondition for passing a course. Attendance alone cannot count as a specific portion of a student’s grade, though class participation may be counted as part of a student’s grade. A student’s final grade may be lowered as a result of absences, at the discretion of the instructor and as specified on their syllabus. Repeated absences may result in a failing grade. While students will not be penalized for absences prior to their official enrollment in a course, students are responsible for making up any missed assignments during the add/drop period, at the instructor’s discretion.
Student Responsibilities
- Attend class consistently.
- Know the attendance policy for each class and whether each instructor wants to be notified if you will be absent.
- If you miss a class, obtain the material that was covered.
- Make up any work that you missed (at the discretion of the instructor).
- If the class is offered in partnership with third parties, such as internship sites or research labs, understand that attendance carries special obligations and that advance notice of absence or make-up time may be required.
- Know the withdrawal deadline for each semester. If you have missed so many classes that your instructor feels you cannot achieve the learning outcomes of the course, you may consider withdrawing by the deadline, in conversation with your academic advisor.
- Inform your faculty if your absence is related to an accommodation documented by the L/AC (and inform the L/AC advisor).
Faculty Responsibilities
- Communicate course expectations and values clearly to students.
- Include language from the Institute syllabus template regarding attendance and a link to this policy.
- Include your attendance expectations on the syllabus for each of your courses, consistent with department-specific guidelines, if applicable, and with Institute policy regarding reasonable accommodation of students described below. The following template language is provided as an example:
- Template language for course syllabi
Regular attendance is expected for this course. Students are allowed ___ absences [for any reason / for specific reasons: ___]. [If you miss ___ classes in total, you will generally fail the course; instead, you may wish to withdraw from the course by the withdrawal deadline of ____.] If you will be absent, you [do/do not] need to notify me. If you miss a class, please contact ____ to obtain material that was covered, and contact me about possible make-up work. If you will be absent for an extended period of time, please contact your professors and your department and/or academic advisor as soon as possible to formulate a plan for the semester.
- Template language for course syllabi
- Notify students and support offices of critical attendance concerns using Starfish.
- Know the withdrawal deadline for each semester and recommend that students consider withdrawing by the deadline if they have missed so many classes that they cannot achieve the learning outcomes for your course.
Accommodations and Additional Considerations
Students with Disabilities
The Learning/Access Center facilitates full access for Pratt students with disabilities so they can freely and actively participate in all facets of Pratt life. The L/AC office has documentation on file verifying when a student’s disability may result in absences and these would be considered “disability-related absences.” This accommodation is listed specifically on faculty notification letters only for students who have this accommodation. Additional documentation, such as a doctor’s note, is not required from these students when they have a disability-related absence. L/AC students are encouraged to communicate clearly with their professors if they experience a disability-related absence by emailing the professor (and copying the L/AC advisor) as soon as they realize they will be absent. A student should not receive an automatic grade penalty for a disability-related absence, though students may miss enough instruction and classroom activities that it becomes difficult for them to achieve the fundamental requirements of the course, in which case they may be advised to withdraw. A professor should alert the L/AC of this situation via a Starfish flag or other communication.
Wellness
Health Services and the Counseling Center encourage responsible class attendance and honest dialogue between students and instructors, consistent with Pratt’s student conduct policy. Students who are not feeling well, physically and/or mentally, are encouraged to contact their professors regarding class absence, missed work, and possible makeup work. The student may, but is under no obligation to, share detailed reasons for their absence. Students should work directly with their instructors to develop a plan to receive instruction and complete course-related work.
Health Services clinicians will not routinely issue a note for classes missed due to short-term illnesses/injury. If, however, a Health Services clinician determines the student should curtail activities in the coming days or weeks, the provider will give the student written instructions with specific recommendations. These notes are written at the discretion of the clinician based on their medical assessment and are reserved for more serious illnesses potentially impeding their academic progress. As such, the L/AC or the Student Support & Advocacy may be involved. Health Services can provide a verification of visit letter, if requested by the student, that only documents time and date of the visit. Be advised, the vast majority of medical conditions (such as colds, menstrual issues, nausea, headache, etc.) cannot be objectively and/or retroactively verified.
The Counseling Center will not issue a note for classes missed due to mental health conditions. If, however, a Counseling Center clinician assesses that a student has a mental health diagnosis that impacts functioning, a referral can be made to the L/AC to review the student’s eligibility for accommodations. For example, if a student meets criteria for panic disorder with agoraphobia that may interrupt their ability to attend classes regularly, a referral could be made to the L/AC to recommend accommodations so the student can meet their academic requirements.
If a student is under the care of an off-campus clinical provider, referrals for an accommodation are made by the provider to the L/AC.
If a student is assessed to have a medical or mental health emergency that requires hospitalization, Health Services or the Counseling Center will notify the Student Advocacy and Care Coordinator, who in turn will inform professors and departments and/or academic advising that a student will be absent due to a medical emergency.
Athletics
As a NCAA Division III institution, Pratt places “appropriate primary emphasis on the student-athlete’s academic experience.” For the occasions where competition conflicts with class time, student-athletes are strongly advised to work with their undergraduate advisor or graduate department to plan their schedules to minimize conflicts with their game schedule. For the occasions where competition conflicts with class time, student-athletes are responsible for consulting with faculty in advance to devise a plan to make up any work they miss. While game schedules are typically set prior to the start of the semester, contests may be (re)scheduled with limited advance notice due to circumstances beyond the control of the Department of Athletics, such as weather or playoffs. The Department of Athletics will provide letters to student-athletes to confirm changes to the original schedule. Per NCAA Division III Bylaws, student-athletes may not miss class for practices.
Cultural and Religious Holidays
Pratt Institute respects students’ requirements to observe days of cultural significance, including religious holidays, and recognizes that some students might need to miss class to do so. In this, or other similar circumstances, students are responsible for notifying their faculty ahead of time and consulting with them about whether and how they can make up work they will miss.
Religious Observance Calendar 2024–2025 Academic Year
| Eid al-Ghadeer ** | Islam | July 6, 2024 |
| 1st of Muharram (Islamic New Year) ** | Islam | July 7, 2024 |
| 10th of Muharram (Ashura) ** | Islam | July 16-17, 2024 |
| Tisha B’Av** | Jewish | August 12-13, 2024 |
| Janmashtami | Hindu | August 24, 2024 |
| Arbaʽeen** | Islam | August 26, 2024 |
| Paryushan ** | Jain | August 31 -September 7, 2024 |
| Rosh Hashanah ** | Jewish | October 2-4, 2024 |
| Yom Kippur ** | Jewish | October 11-12, 2024 |
| # Navrati/Dussehra** | Hindu | October 12, 2024 |
| Sukkot | Jewish | October 16-23, 2024 |
| Shemini Atzeret** | Jewish | October 23-25, 2024 |
| Simchat Torah ** | Jewish | October 24-25, 2024 |
| Holy Day of Obligation/All Saints Day | Catholic | November 1, 2024 |
| Diwali ** | Hindu, Jain, Sikh | October 29- November 3, 2024 |
| Christmas | Christian | December 25, 2024 |
| Hanukkah | Jewish | December 25, 2024- January 2, 2025 |
| Eastern Orthodox Christmas | Christian | January 7, 2025 |
| Sankranti | Hindu | January 14, 2025 |
| # Ramadan ** | Islam | February 28- March 30, 2025 |
| Ash Wednesday | Christian | March 5, 2025 |
| Lent (begins) | Christian | March 5, 2025 |
| Purim ** | Jewish | March 14, 2025 |
| Holi | Hindu | March 14, 2025 |
| # Eid al-Fitr ** | Islam | March 30-31, 2025 |
| Good Friday | Christian | April 18, 2025 |
| Easter | Christian | April 20, 2025 |
| Passover (Pesach) ** | Jewish | April 12-20, 2025 |
| Palm Sunday | Christian | April 13, 2025 |
| Vaisakhi | Sikh | April 14, 2025 |
| Eastern Orthodox Good Friday | Christian | April 18, 2025 |
| Eastern Orthodox Easter Orthodox | Christian | April 20, 2025 |
| Vesak | Buddhism | May 12, 2025 |
| Shavuot ** | Jewish | June 1-3, 2025 |
| # Eid-al-Adha** | Islam | June 7, 2025 |
| Juneteenth | Interfaith/African American | June 19, 2025 |
| # Eid al-Ghadeer ** | Islam | June 14, 2025 |
| 1st of Muharram (Islamic New Year) ** | Islam | June 26, 2025 |
| 10th of Muharram (Ashura) ** | Islam | July 5, 2025 |
# Some of these dates are not fixed to a calendar but based on the actual sighting of the moon, and therefore, there may be some variance by day.
**All Jewish, Islamic, and Bahá’í holidays begin at sundown on the evening before the first date shown.