There is no doubt that attendance is important. While we as students try to trust the professor’s policies to encourage accountability and transparency, they often leave little room for the professor to trust us when we are dealing with situations that are out of our control, such as sickness, mental health, family obligations, or transportation issues. 

Strict policies can make us feel assessed for only meeting attendance requirements rather than real comprehension of the material, which strips our autonomy and morale while adding unnecessary stress that discourages us and directly contributes to worse performance. Framing attendance as encouragement that allows flexibility rather than punishment can create engaging classes and increase student respect, while fostering accountability and responsibility. Above all, it increases our motivation to attend on our own terms and therefore succeed. 

Attendance vs. Autonomy

We students are expected to take responsibility for our learning, but attendance policies don’t always reflect that. Strict policies reduce our autonomy with little room for us to take accountability for our own attendance. Some studies have found that optional attendance policies resulted in greater attendance than classes that had a mandatory policy (Kish 2024), in one case finding students would attend more than 80% of their classes without an attendance policy (NLM, 2025). Going further, top-performing students with harder classes needed more autonomy to thrive, and therefore will be harmed by stricter attendance policies (Goulas et al., 2023). Compounding this, taking points away from students’ grades based on their attendance demotivates the student, negatively affecting their engagement and making it harder for them to succeed in the course (Bergin et. al. 2019). Forcing a rigid attendance policy in a class like this becomes a “showing up to not get penalized” situation, versus students attending a class because they want to learn. To put it simply: students need a reason to come to class that isn’t a threat to their grade if they skip.

There’s no doubt that there is evidence that attendance is directly linked to higher grades. We know that our professors want us to attend class because it is harder to facilitate discussions when there are fewer people. We also know that it is more work for professors to catch up students who have missed, and attending is the best way to gain that deeper understanding of the material. But it goes both ways: we need to be proven that we can get the most out of the class as possible, and static classes with unwavering professors can make it feel like the opposite. 

Start with Engagement

Engaging with the class can make all the difference when it comes to the reasons why students show up or skip. Simple things like encouraging open communication, establishing trust, and building teacher-student relationships can be very beneficial to both students and the professor. 

Build teacher-student relationships

Building relationships with your students can help. Engage with them as someone who wants to help them learn, rather than punishing them if something is holding them back from learning effectively. Here's how:

• Put aside a small amount of time to talk about non-class topics with students and get to know them as people, not just objects you must teach. 
• Communicate the values about why attendance in your class, specifically, is important. This might encourage students to attend more if they understand why it’s so vital. 
• Be a source of support for your students when they struggle to make class, not fear: Communicate support for mental health, recognize signs of mental health concerns, and acknowledge their emotions. Especially in today’s world, it’s important for us students that we feel seen and understood. 
• Encourage group activities. Students are more likely to show up for their peers in class. You can do this by incorporating games, utilizing peer-paired activities and creativity, collaborating directly with your students, and promoting belonging in your classroom.

Alternative Attendance Policies

There are other ways to enforce attendance than threatening students with their grades. Try these out:

• Self-managed attendance record: Have students record their own attendance. At the middle and end of the semester, have them do a write-up on how their attendance/absences affected their learning. 
• For each absence, students must complete an “absent assignment,” which is a small assignment that they must do outside of class to prove that they are still on track with what the class is learning. 
• These can be predetermined in the syllabus. They can be overarching mini-essay questions that apply to any point in the semester or formulated according to the class layout. 
• Offer students bonus points or extra credit for attendance. 
• Use a token or a ticket system that can be used for absences, a late assignment, or to drop a quiz grade. 
• Universal Design for Learning proactively designs policies for diverse learners, including multiple ways to engage in and demonstrate learning.
• Build class engagement into attendance-taking activities, such as Daily In-class Sheets.

Reflection

These are questions you can consider when formulating the attendance policy for your class.

• Does my policy measure learning or compliance?
• Do my policies support students while still allowing independence?
• Am I limiting student potential by enforcing rigid policies?
• Am I preparing students to manage responsibilities and make decisions, or simply to follow rigid rules? How so?
• Does my policy allow room for potential attendance barriers?
• When a student is frequently missing and is academically struggling, do I assume a lack of effort or underlying causes?
• Does my classroom offer a welcoming environment in which students feel validated, seen, and heard?
• How easy is it for a student to communicate their struggles with me?
• Does my class create opportunities for all students to engage in different ways?
• Do I assume students will skip my class without strict rules, and is that assumption supported by evidence?
• Do I uphold myself to the same standards I expect my students to follow? 
• Am I open to the possibility that some of my practices may need to change?

Concluding thoughts

There are so many factors that play into our attendance, and professors should be a support system for us, not something that we feel threatened by. The policies put in place do not have to be strict and inflexible, as utilizing more creative and meaningful ways of enforcing attendance can positively impact our learning experience. Forcing us to attend class does not guarantee we will learn more effectively, as many policies only measure compliance over engagement with the material. Without the motivation, support, and consideration of personal situations we cannot control (sickness, family responsibilities, transportation, etc.), meaningful learning will not take place. 

References and Resources

• Policy and preference: the intersection of attendance hurdles and student perceptions of practical classes
• Autonomy Boosts College Student Attendance and Performance
• Compulsory class attendance versus autonomy
• The effects of class attendance on academic performance: Evidence from synchronous courses during Covid-19 at a Chinese research university
• How Student Attendance Can Improve Institutional Outcomes
• Embracing Inclusive Approaches to Attendance Policies
• How Do I Provide Flexibility and Ensure Attendance?
• Universal Design for Learning

About the Author

Reilly Bisoski is a Writing Intern at the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. She is a senior with a major in creative writing and a minor in English. When she’s not writing, she can be found at a local rock show or reading a good book.

Others may share and adapt under Creative Commons License CC BY-NC.

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