Attendance Policies

Attendance is defined as being present for the regularly scheduled class during the regularly scheduled hours. Attendance is not a component of course grades. However, the school expects students to attend all scheduled classes. Students may not be able to maintain their visa status if they have poor attendance and repeated lateness.

Attendance is closely monitored and is recorded daily. PELI requires all F-1 students to maintain a minimum of 80% attendance throughout the semester. Failure to do so will result in termination of F-1 visa.

For 9-hour class days, attendance will be divided into 2 halves. If a student misses only half of the day, they will receive only 1 “Absent” mark. If a student is absent for the whole day, they will receive 2 “Absent” marks - one for each half. Halves are divided by the mid-day break.

Late arrival, late return from breaks, and/or early departure all impact daily attendance and contribute to the attendance rate recorded by the instructor. 

There is a grace period of 10 minutes for late arrivals. After 10 minutes, a student will be marked “Late”. After 30 minutes, a student will be marked “Absent”. If a student receives 4 “Late” marks, it is equivalent to an “Absent” mark and will contribute to the student’s overall attendance rate. This policy also applies for early departures. (A student leaving 30 minutes early from class will also be marked as “Absent”).

Because students have more than one class each school day, it is possible to receive more than one “Late” mark in one day. Students can only receive 2 “Absent” marks per day, one for each half. 

If students fall below 80% attendance rate, they will be terminated from the course and will no longer be in status. Students will be given several written warnings before reaching an attendance rate that would result in termination. Students should speak to their DSO with questions about their attendance rates.

**Numbers shown below indicate a student who enrolled at the start of the semester. Numbers of allowed absences may change if a student enrolled after the program start date. The determining factor of attendance rates is 80%, not the exact number of absences. 

4 absences → First Warning (email and letter)

• make-up opportunities made available (limited to recover 2 absences)

8 absences → Second Warning and Probation (email and letter)

• make-up opportunities made available (limited to recover 4 absences)
• meeting with advisor

12 absences → Final Warning (email and letter) 

• no further make-ups allowed
• meeting with advisor

More than 12 absences* → Termination from the program

Additionally, if a student misses 5 consecutive class days without any notice to their instructor or to PELI administration, they will automatically be terminated from the program.

In the event of an absence, students should see their instructors for missed assignments. It is a student’s responsibility to make up for all missed work. Students have up to a week from a missed test date to make up the grade or they will receive a 0. Students must meet with the teacher to schedule a time outside of class to make up the test. 

If a student wants to make up for the class time they missed during an absence (and thereby improve their attendance rate), students can request private tutoring. Tutoring rates for make-up classes follow the same rate as specified (see page 6) and are offered based on teacher availability.

To recover one 1 absence, students must complete 2 hours of tutoring. Students are limited as to how many absences they can recover:

• After the first attendance warning, students are limited to recover 2 absences 
• After the second attendance warning, students are limited to recover 4 absences 
• After the final attendance warning, students are not eligible to recover any absences

Make-up classes can include working on missed assignments, missed exams (if made up within a week of test date), or extra assignments assigned by the teacher.

Students have the right to appeal an attendance termination if they feel that their situations merit individual attention due to unusual circumstances and contributed to their attendance issues. 

appeals will be considered only for documented extenuating circumstances, such as medical emergencies (with a doctor’s note), family emergencies (e.g., death of an immediate family member), and legal obligations (e.g., court dates).

The students who wish to appeal must write to the Program Director stating the reason for the appeal. The written appeal must be received within 5 business days of the final warning. The letter must include:

• Reason for absences
• Supporting documents
• Plan to prevent future absences

The Program Director may request additional information or documentation in support of the student’s appeal of the termination. The appeal will be reviewed by the Program Director, an Academic Coordinator, and the student’s instructor. If the Violation Decision is upheld, an F-1 student will have fifteen (15) days from the date of notification to transfer to another institution or be terminated from PELI and in SEVIS.