Attendance Policy
for F1 Visa Students
Consistent class attendance is required to maintain your F1 Visa status.
The ACE curriculum is rigorous and fast-paced. Students are expected to be present, prepared and engaged in class on a daily basis. Teachers are expected to provide efficient, productive, relevant and meaningful instruction built on research-supported and student-responsive teaching strategies.
Classes begin promptly at the scheduled time. If you are late to class, the teacher is not required to allow you to enter. If the teacher allows you to enter, the time you missed will be added to your attendance record. If you leave early, the time missed will also be added to your attendance record.
ACE distinguishes between valid and invalid absences.
Students must communicate all absences to academics@instituteace.org. Valid and invalid absences are decided on a case by case basis.
F1 students who accrue more than 9 hours of invalid absences in a six-week term may be dismissed from the program and terminated in SEVIS for failure to maintain status.
F1 students who accrue a total of more than 22.5 hours of valid and/or invalid absences in a single term may be dismissed from the program and terminated in SEVIS for failure to maintain status.
Examples of invalid absences include having a headache/sunburn/hangover, sleeping late, getting stuck in traffic, and routine medical care, DMV appointments, and other tasks that can be scheduled out of school hours.
Examples of valid absences include contagious illness and emergency medical care.
Students with an ongoing medical condition that requires multiple absences should request Reduced Course Load authorization in SEVIS.
Students with attendance issues may be required to meet with administration and sign an attendance contract.
*Classes may be canceled or delayed due to weather-related, emergency, or other unforeseen events or conditions. Make-up contact hours and/or coursework may be scheduled at the Director’s discretion.