Each semester the Registrar’s Office deals with students who are unaware of the procedures to follow in the case of a justified absence. To assist you, the procedures are indicated below. While it is not possible to list all of the acceptable reasons here, when in doubt, the student should inquire with the Registrar’s Office by sending an E-mail to: authorized.absence@johnabbott.qc.ca or read Article 4 of the Institutional Policy on the Evaluation of Student Achievement.
Less than five days:
Absences fewer than five (5) consecutive school days are addressed by the teacher and the student on a case-by-case basis. Each course outline indicates the departmental absence policy.
Five days or more:
Students who will be absent for five (5) consecutive days or more for justified reasons must provide a note to the Registrar’s Office (authorized.absence@johnabbott.qc.ca). The Registrar’s Office will then advise the teachers of the student’s date of return, or if the absence is indeterminate. Arrangements for submission of missed assignments, evaluations, etc., are to be made between the student and teacher.
Extended Absences after the Course/College Withdrawal and the Course Drop Deadlines:
The first deadline for Course/College Withdrawal is Friday, September 18, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. Before this deadline, students can cancel their registration in one or more courses without penalty. Withdrawn courses will be removed from the student’s record and will not appear on their transcript. The second deadline for Course Drop is Friday, October 30, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. Between the first (withdrawal) and second (drop) deadlines, students can drop courses regardless if they are passing or failing. Dropped courses will continue to appear on the student’s transcript with an “AE” notation (abandon étude/étudiant.e) indicating that the course was dropped. The student does not receive a numerical grade.
If a student cannot drop courses by the second deadline above (i.e., Oct. 30), a student can submit a “Request for an Authorized Absence”. An authorized absence request is only possible for students who are absent for a period of three weeks or more for justified reasons beyond the student’s control, e.g. medical. The student must have been unable to complete the course for serious reasons independent of the student’s will and beyond their control. If the request is granted, the student is technically withdrawn from their class(es), and a permanent incomplete grade notation “IN” is indicated on the transcript instead of a grade. These requests are usually made for medical reasons or other extenuating circumstances and must be supported with appropriate documentation.
Before granting an authorized absence, the Registrar’s Office will validate the authenticity of the documentation and then inform the teacher(s) in writing, without disclosing any confidential information, to see if the teacher would like to provide any input. Please note that it is not compulsory for faculty to provide input.
If the request is approved, the “IN” grade notation is assigned to the appropriate course(s), and the student is notified accordingly. The student is also made aware that the granting of an authorized absence implies that the student is taking or has taken the necessary steps to be prepared to return to school in the subsequent semester. Students are not required to re-apply to the College as they are technically considered as registered students. If a student is not able to return to John Abbott in the subsequent semester, the student must speak with the Admissions Office. If the request for an authorized absence is refused, the student will be notified in writing and will receive the grade achieved for work submitted and graded.
The ‘Request for Authorized Absence’ form can be obtained from Registrar’s Office in H-128. The deadline for requesting an authorized absence is the last day of classes of the given semester. Please be reminded that the process indicated above is intended only for students with justified reasons for missing classes.
