AA100-H Attendance Policy – Academic Affairs
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No./Title: AA100 – ATTENDANCE POLICY |
Resp. Office: ACADEMIC AFFAIRS Approval Body: CASA |
Effective Date: 05/01/2012 |
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Category: Academic |
Last Review: 04/05/2022 |
Next Review: 04/05/2025 |
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Contact: MaryAnn Clark, Associate Vice Chancellor Academic Affairs Office |
901.448.4930 | |
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Related Policies: |
Leave of Absence and Withdrawal Policy |
In accordance with federal regulation 34 CFR 690.80(b)(2)(ii) relating to the need for institutions to verify the attendance of all students receiving federal financial aid, the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) requires that each of its colleges has a formal process for verifying class attendance by all students registered in each of their courses.
POLICY RATIONALE AND PROCEDURE
While each college develops its own methods for tracking class attendance and for defining conditions for excused absences, UTHSC adheres to federal regulations that require verification of class attendance for all students receiving federal financial aid. These regulations dictate that a student MUST attend the classes for which he/she is awarded financial aid. In circumstances in which aid is disbursed after the start of classes, students will be asked to verify attendance during the first week of the term using a process that is identified by their college. In such circumstances, disbursement of financial aid may be withheld, reduced or cancelled until and unless attendance is verified for all courses for which a student is registered. Attendance may also be verified after the midpoint of the term. The method of verification varies by college but may include evidence that the student has completed assignments or exams, participated in online class discussions, etc. If attendance is not verified, financial aid may be reduced or cancelled and returned to the lender. The return of financial aid may affect a student’s account balance and require students to provide payment to the institution.
For those courses such as clerkships that begin and end at times other than the official start of a given term, attendance must also be verified, but financial aid checks will not be delayed until after these sessions start, as long as the student is enrolled as a full time student and attendance is verified for other courses in which the student is enrolled at the beginning of the term.
RELATED POLICIES AND INTERPRETATION
The Federal Student Handbook (Volume 4, Ch-1, 4-29) and The Blue Book (Part Two, Ch-14, 2- 94) interpret regulation 34 CFR 690.80(b)(2)(ii) by the following: “Before disbursing FSA funds, you must determine and document that a student remains eligible to receive them. That is, you must confirm that if the disbursement occurs on or after the first day of classes, that the student has begun attendance.”
Attendance must be “academic attendance” or “attendance at an academically-related activity”
including:
- Physically attending class
- Submitting academic assignment
- Taking exam, interactive tutorial or computer-based instruction
- Attending school assigned study group, or
- Participating in online discussions about academic matters and/or initiating contact with faculty to ask questions about subject matter
Attendance does NOT include:
- Logging into an online course without active participation
- Academic Counseling
Effective: May 1, 2012
Revised: April 2, 2013, Committee on Academic and Student Affairs (CASA) Approved: June 21, 2016, Committee on Academic and Student Affairs (CASA) Approved: June 30, 2016, Chancellor
Reviewed: April 16, 2019, CASA
Approved: April 30, 2019, Chancellor
Reviewed: April 5, 2022, CASA
Approved: April 5, 2022, CASA
Approved: June 16, 2022, Chief Academic Officer
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