If you were or will be absent from academic participation at the University and require consideration for missed academic work, you can formally declare an absence for one or multiple consecutive days using the Absence Declaration tool in ACORN. This tool is used to record any absences for courses you’re taking during the current academic session.

1. From the ACORN dashboard, click Profile & Settings near the top of the left-hand navigation menu.
   

   Screenshot highlighting “Profile & Settings” in the left-hand navigation in ACORN.

2. On the Profile & Settings page, click Absence Declaration near the top of the page or in the card.
   
   

   Screenshot highlighting where to go to declare an absence from the “Profile & Settings” page.

3. On the Absence Declaration screen, click the Add New Declaration button. 
   
   

   Screenshot of the “Absence Declaration” page along with an introduction to declaring an absence.

4. After you have read the instructions, select the Start Date and End Date of your absence. If your absence is for a single day, select the same Start date and End date. Keep in mind, you can only declare absences 2 days in the past and up to 7 days in the future. If you need to declare an absence more than 2 days in the past, please contact your Registrar’s Office.
   
   

   Screenshot of how to select the absence start and end dates when declaring a new absence.

5. Select the course(s) that you were or will be absent from, or that you will be missing course work for during the time period. This includes missing lectures, tutorials, practicals, or evaluations (e.g., tests, exams, etc.). You can also declare absences if you have an arrangement with your instructors regarding missing course-related work or assignments.
   
   

   Screenshot of how to select courses when declaring a new absence.

6. You may add any additional notes regarding your absence. Please do not include any personal or medical information in this field. This step is optional.
   
   

   Screenshot of how to add additional notes when declaring a new absence.

7. Read the Declarations and check the checkbox to confirm that you have read and agree with the statements.
   
   

   Screenshot of Declarations step for declaring a new absence.

8. After submitting your absence, please contact your instructors to request any accommodations that you may need to due to this absence. Click the link in the Next Steps section to familiarize yourself with your faculty or campus’ procedures.
   
   

   Screenshot of the Next Steps for declaring a new absence.

9. Click the Submit Declaration button to finish declaring your absence.
   
   

   Screenshot highlighting the “Submit Absence” button.

10. If your absence declaration was created successfully, you will receive a success notice at the top-right corner of your screen. You can now view your absence declaration in either the Current Declarations or Past Declarations table.
    
    

    Screenshot of the newly declared absence in the “Current Declaration” table.

11. If your absence declaration was not created successfully, you will receive an error message instead. Please follow the instructions in the error message.
    
    

    Screenshot of an error message that appears if the absence was not submitted successfully.