Attendance & Commitment Policies

Tardiness and Absences

  • 1 absence per semester is permissible; 2 absences in a semester will result in a grade deduction for that semester; 3+ or more absences in a semester will result in automatic failure of the course.
  • Remote participation in an in-person class due to illness or travel is not permitted.
  • There is no make-up of exams, projects, presentations, etc. due to absence. Absences on days of exams, projects, and presentations will lead to failure of that assignment. 
  • Failure of the first, third, or fifth semester course prohibits students from moving to the next semester and results in dismissal from the program without a refund.
  • Contact hours for federal grants require that the SASLI program must end on the last day of class; requests to leave or take final exams early will not be granted. Pre-program requests for absences will not be granted.
  • Arriving to class on time is important for successful participation in the SASLI program. Tardiness is disruptive and disrespectful to one’s instructor(s) and classmates and could result in a marked absence or grade deduction.
  • Emergency circumstances for absences can be reviewed on an individual basis.
  • Your instructor’s tardiness and absence policy may be stricter than the policy listed here. Your instructor’s policy supersedes the SASLI policies. Please refer to the syllabus of your class-specific policies. 

External Commitments

SASLI is an intensive program, and we encourage students to budget approximately 8 hours per day for their language studies, including four hours per day of class time and about four hours per day of external review and work. As such, it can be challenging to maintain the same commitment to external obligations during the traditional academic year.

Such responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

  •  Doctoral research
  •   Part-time or full-time employment
  •   Part-time or full-time caregiving responsibilities
  •   Recurring appointments
  •  Any other activity which limits your ability to devote the adequate time necessary (approximately 8 hours per day) to succeed in this program

For other circumstances, such as unexpected events or illnesses, or anything else which will not overall impact or hinder your participation in the program, we are happy to work with you to establish reasonable accommodations. We encourage all applicants to familiarize themselves with UW-Madison’s policy on access and reasonable accommodations. Questions can be directed to sasli@lpo.wisc.edu.