What to do when you are sick (students)

First and most important, take care of yourself. Get medical assistance if you need it. Unless you need to visit your doctor, you should stay home until you are well enough to resume normal activities.

If you have missed term work or a midterm exam

• Contact your instructor by phone or email as soon as you are able to in order to advise them of your absence. You do not need to do this in person. Keep your instructor advised of when you will be well enough to return to class.

• Request an Excused Absence from the term work or midterm exam as soon as you are well enough. Delay in doing this may harm your chances of getting the excused absence approved.

• Your instructor may ask you for some documentation of your illness. A medical note cannot be required, so you cannot be required to go to the doctor if you choose not to.

• If you have no medical documentation, you can provide alternative documentation to your instructor if he or she requests it in the way of a faculty-approved form, available from your faculty office.

• Your instructor may, at his or her discretion, provide an alternative method for you to complete the missing term work or exam, or may shift the weight of the missing term work or exam on to the final exam or other term work or exams.

• Excused absences are not automatically granted, even where you provide documentation.

• For more information, contact your faculty, or see University Regulations and Information for Students in the University Calendar.

If you have missed a final exam

• Contact your faculty by phone or email as soon as you are able to, in order to advise them of your absence. You do not need to do this in person.

• Visit your faculty office to request a deferred examination as soon as you are well enough. Delay in doing this may harm your chances of getting the deferral approved.

• Your faculty may ask you for some documentation of your illness. A medical note cannot be required, so you cannot be required to go to the doctor if you choose not to.

• If you have no medical documentation, you can provide alternative documentation to your faculty, if they request it, in the way of a faculty-approved form.

• Deferred exams are not automatically granted even where you provide documentation. Speak to your faculty office about detailed requirements.

• For more information, contact your faculty, or see University Regulations and Information for Students in the University Calendar.

If you get sick while writing an exam

• Speak immediately to an exam supervisor, hand in your exam, and request that it be cancelled.

• Follow the process above that applies, depending on whether the exam was a midterm or final.

Note: Individual instructors will have attendance policies related to their courses. Always check your course outlines carefully to make sure you understand the policies for any given course.

IMPORTANT LINKS

•   UAlberta Academic Calendar - Attendance Policies

•   UAlberta Office of the Registrar - What to So if You're Sick