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Reporting absence

Absent during the academic year, during courses, seminars, practicals, exercises,…

You do not need to report a short period of illness or absence that only impacts theoretical lectures. You should inform the Faculty Student Administration (FSA) of the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture (contact details FSA) of any longer period of illness.

Absent during exams (end-of-term evaluation), during continuous assessments, practicals or exercises with compulsory attendance, or other forms of continuous assessment

Immediately notify the lecturer-in-charge and the Faculty Student Administration by email (afwezig.ea@ugent.be).

Must be included in the email:

  • your name and student number
  • your study programme
  • the exams or tests you couldn't participate (also the date on which they were planned)
  • the name of the lecturer(s)-in-charge

Please add in attachment a scan or a photo of the certificate or the supporting document to prove your absence for the relevant period/dates. You may keep the original certificate in case it is asked to send this by post to the administration.

If it concerns an absence with good cause, during an end-of-term evaluation, you immediately ask the examiner or the responsible lecturer if you can take a catch-up exam in the same examination period. In mutual consultation, and with notification to the examination secretariat, a different evaluation method may exceptionally be used.

If it concerns an absence with good cause, during any continuous assessments, the lecturer decides whether a catch-up activity is possible.

Legitimate reasons to be absent are the following:

  • illness or an accident that prevents a student from taking an exam;
  • the death, during the examination period, of a relative by blood or marriage in the first degree (i.e. parents or children) or in the second degree (i.e. grandparents, grandchildren, brother, sister) or of a person living with the student;
  • judicial reasons (e.g. summons before a court of law);
  • an overlap with other examinations, other than deferred examinations, within a personalised learning track or model track with elective course units (including major/minor course units). Overlap means that two or more examinations take place on the same day. The student must give priority to the preceding course unit in order of the model learning track years or the compulsory course unit (in case of a model learning track). I.e. the student must give priority to the course unit from the lowest standard learning track year and compulsory courses are prioritised before electives;
  • the student has a written examination, other than a deferred examination, in the evening examination slot of a day and a written exam, other than a deferred examination, in the morning examination slot of the following calendar day. Where appropriate, the student gives priority to the course unit from the lowest model learning track year or the compulsory course unit (in the case of a model learning track);
  • other forms of force majeure (i.e. an event which has nothing to do with the student and which could not have been reasonably foreseen, prevented or overcome);
  • mandatory quarantine or isolation.

You must submit the original supporting document as proof of your absence with good cause to the FSA (by post or personal delivery), no later than 3 working days.  A valid medical certificate is required in case of illness (including positive corona testing) or an accident. This certificate should be issued by a doctor (dated at the latest on the day of the missed exam or evaluation) who determined the illness or the consequences of the accident himself/herself. A certificate in which only the statement of the student is reported ("dixit certificate") or a certificate that was written after the illness or after the accident ("post factum certificate") will not be accepted.

See also Article 75 of the Education and Examination Regulations (OER).