Mar 19, 2024  
2021-2022 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2021-2022 Undergraduate Catalog [Not Current Academic Year. Consult with Your Academic Advisor for Your Catalog Year]

Excused Absence for Military Service


Policies  > Academic Regulations > Excused Absence for Military Service

In accordance with section 51.9111 of the Texas Education Code and the General Provisions under Chapter 4 of the Texas Administrative Code, a student is excused from attending classes or engaging in other required activities, including exams, if he or she is called to active military service of a reasonably brief duration.

A student who has been called to active military service after a term begins should immediately initiate the request for excused absence by providing the course faculty a copy of the military orders.

The student shall be excused from attending class and be allowed to complete an assignment or take an examination from which the student is excused within a reasonable time after the absence, as determined by the faculty member, with consideration of the date of the student’s return from active duty and within one academic term from the date of the student’s return from active duty.

An excused absence granted under this policy is designed to cover a period of time no longer than the equivalent of 25% of the overall class content (i.e., in-class hours, assignments), excluding the final exam period. Students with an absence longer than the equivalent of 25% of the overall class content may request military withdrawal under a separate policy.  

Further guidelines include:

  1. Students enrolled in distance learning, hybrid, and other asynchronous courses are to receive equivalent consideration for granting of an absence under this policy.
  2. Faculty must retain a student’s completed course work and the course syllabus or other instructional plan, to ensure that the student is able to complete the course under the same course requirements as when they initially registered for the class.
  3. If an excused absence is granted under this policy, faculty are encouraged to outline and document the parameters and deadlines for completing make-up requirements and the consequences of a student’s failure to meet these requirements by the agreed upon deadlines.
  4. Disputes arising as a consequence of a student failing to meet such parameters and deadlines for make-up requirements should be resolved according to the Undergraduate Academic Grievances  policy.

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