Academic Policies

Attendance Policies

 

Open Page as PDF

Please note: The attendance and withdrawal policies listed in this section do not apply to Emeritus and not-for-credit classes at Santa Monica College.

Regular attendance and participation are obligations assumed by every student at the time of enrollment.

Extenuating circumstances are verified cases of accidents, illnesses, other circumstances beyond the student’s control, and other conditions defined by the Governing Board and in published regulations.

Students who withdraw from classes are responsible for initiating the drop process by the appropriate deadlines. Students who do not withdraw by the specific deadlines may earn a substandard or failing grade for a credit course or an NP (No Pass) grade notation for a noncredit class. Students will not be eligible for a refund if the withdrawal takes place after the refund deadline.

The instructor issuing an F (0.0) to a student may be asked by the Financial Aid Office to verify if the F was the result of ‘nonattendance.’ Nonattendance means the student’s last attendance date — or, if enrolled in an online or hybrid class, the last date of substantive participation — was prior to the 60% point of completion of the course. Poor performance means the student participated after the 60% point in the course and earned an F. Nonattendance may be grounds for return of financial aid funds.