Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University
Academic Information
  1. Chapter 2: Classes & Syllabus

5. Class Absences (Illness or Bereavement)

Share on:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LINE
お気に入り
PRINT

APU does not have a system for officially recognized class absences. Students are expected to attend all scheduled classes.
If you must be absent due to unavoidable circumstances such as illness or bereavement, please explain your situation directly to your instructors. Decisions regarding how absences are handled or accommodated are made by each course instructor.

Application Eligibility for Illness/Hospitalization or Bereavement

If you must be absent from class due to unavoidable circumstances, please first explain your situation directly to your course instructor before submitting an application. If an application for class absence is required in order to explain your absence to your instructor, you may complete the necessary procedures.
Please note that the Student Office’s response differs depending on the reason for and length of your absence. Before submitting an application, be sure to review the information below.

Bereavement

  • Bereavement leave may be taken for first-degree relatives (parents and children) and second-degree relatives (grandparents and siblings). Other cases are not eligible for the procedure.
  • The applicable period is within 7 days for first-degree relatives and within 5 days for second-degree relatives, calculated from the date of passing or the date of the funeral (Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays are included).
  • Please refer to “Bereavement and Short-term Absences” for details of the procedure.

Absence due to Illness or Hospitalization

【Absence due to a legally-recognized infectious disease】
【1~4 day absences due to illness, injury, hospitalization, etc.】
  • These absences are not subject to Office procedures. Please explain the situation to your professors on your own.
  • The following example shows a case that is not subject to Office procedures (4 class absences):
  Mon. Tue. Wed. Thu. Fri. Sat. Sun.
Week 1 Attendance Attendance Attendance Attendance Absence① － －
Week 2 Absence② Absence③ Absence④ Attendance Attendance － －
【Absences of more than 5 consecutive class days, up to 3 weeks, due to illness, injury, or hospitalization of the student】
  • The absence may correspond to "Short-term Absences".
  • For details of the procedure, please refer to “Bereavement and Short-term Absences”.
  • Please refer to the following table for how “more than 5 consecutive class days” is determined. The absence of more than 5 days excludes Saturdays and Sundays.
  • If you meet the application requirements for long-term absence from class, you fall under the category of "Long-term Absences".
  • Please refer to “Long-term Absences” for details of the procedure.
  Mon. Tue. Wed. Thu. Fri. Sat. Sun.
Week 1 Attendance Attendance Attendance Absence① Absence② － －
Week 2 Absence③ Absence④ Absence⑤ Absence⑥ Attendance － －

Bereavement and Short-term Absences

Students may submit applications for class absences due to illness, hospitalization, or bereavement.
If you need to submit an application for class absence to explain your absence to your instructor, you may complete the required procedures.
Please note that submitting this application does not mean your absence will be treated as “attended.” Even if your application is approved, decisions regarding how your absence is handled or accommodated are made at the discretion of the individual instructor.

Eligible reasons for absences, application criteria, official certificates required

【Illness or Hospitalization (Short-term Absences)】
Application Criteria Absent for 1 ~ 3 weeks (at least 5 consecutive class days) due to personal illness or hospitalization.
*The application does not apply to illnesses or injuries of family members or friends.
Applicable Period Within the period written on the medical certificate from the doctor.
*Applications cannot be made for periods outside the period stated on the medical certificate.
Official Certificates Required
  • 1A copy of a medical certificate from the doctor that specifies the diagnosis and either the period the patient must refrain from going out in public or the period of hospitalization (start date and end date).
    *Outpatient treatment and outpatient periods are not eligible.
  • 2A copy of the receipt for medical services
【Bereavement】
Application Criteria Bereavement for first-degree relatives (parents and children) and second-degree relatives (grandparents and siblings)
*Third-degree relatives (such as uncles, aunts, and great-grandparents) are not covered by this leave.
Applicable Period The applicable period will be calculated from the date of passing or the date of the funeral as follows:
First-degree relatives: Within 7 days including Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays
Second-degree relatives: Within 5 days including Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays
*The days calculated will be the days written on the official document submitted.
Official Certificates Required
  • 1A copy of a condolence notice indicating the date of death or the date of the funeral, or a copy of an official death certificate.

Application Method

1. Please prepare the required official documentation before submitting your application through the Student Portal.

Access the Student Portal here.

The application manual.

2. After submitting your application, wait for notification from the Student Office regarding approval or non-approval.

At this stage, your application has not yet been approved. Notification of approval or non-approval will be sent to your Student Portal and APU email account, so please be sure to check both regularly.

3. Receive the approval notification from the Student Office.

Once you receive an email from the Student Office titled "【Application for Class Absence/授業欠席申請】 Application Approved/申請承認のお知らせ”, please understand that your instructor has been notified.
Additionally, please confirm in the Student Portal that the relevant application under Application Status is marked as “Completed.”

Application Deadline

Applications must be submitted by 16:30 on the last class day (excluding final examination periods, Back-up class days and make-up class days) of the relevant subject.

  • *Late applications will not be accepted.

【AY 2026 Spring Semester Courses】

  • 1st Quarter Subjects: Friday, May 22, 2026, 16:30
  • 2nd Quarter and Semester Subjects: Tuesday, July 21, 2026, 16:30
  • Session Subjects: Monday, August 3, 2026, 16:30

【AY 2026 Fall Semester Courses】

  • 1st Quarter Subjects: Friday, November 20, 2026, 16:30
  • 2nd Quarter and Semester Subjects: Friday, January 29, 2027, 16:30
  • Session Subjects: Friday, February 12, 2027, 16:30

If you have any questions about Class Absences, please contact the Student Office (acsubmit@apu.ac.jp).

Class Absences due to Infectious Disease

Students who contract an infectious disease recognized by Japan’s School Health and Safety Act will have their attendance “suspended” for the period indicated by their doctor to prevent the spread of disease on campus. If your attendance is “suspended”, you are not permitted to come to campus until the period of suspended attendance ends. If you contract a legally-recognized infectious disease, the Student Office will only notify your professors that your attendance has been suspended if you complete the necessary procedures. If you are unable to attend classes due to your attendance being “suspended”, completing all the necessary procedures with the office does not mean that your absence will automatically be “treated as attendance” instead. Your professors will decide how to treat any class absences during your period of suspended attendance. Please make sure you contact your professors about catching up on any class content and assignments you missed during your period of suspended attendance.

Infectious diseases treated as suspended attendance at APU:
Class Name of Disease
Class1 エボラ出血熱、クリミア・コンゴ出血熱、痘そう、南米出血熱、ペスト、マールブルグ病、
ラッサ熱、急性灰白髄炎（ポリオ）、ジフテリア、重症急性呼吸器症候群、中東呼吸器症候群、
特定鳥インフルエンザ、新型インフルエンザ等感染症
Ebola virus disease, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, Smallpox,
South American Hemorrhagic Fevers, Plague, Marburg Disease,
Lassa fever, Poliomyelitis, Diphtheria, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome,
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, Specified Avian Influenza, Novel Influenza
Class2 インフルエンザ（特定鳥インフルエンザ及び新型インフルエンザ等感染症を除く）
/Influenza (excluding specific avian influenza and novel influenza)
百日咳 / Pertussis (whooping cough)
麻しん（はしか） / Measles
流行性耳下腺炎（おたふくかぜ） / Mumps
風しん（三日はしか） / Rubella (three-day measles)
水痘（みずぼうそう） / Varicella (Chicken pox)
咽頭結膜熱（プール熱） / Pharyngoconjunctival fever (PCF)
新型コロナウイルス感染症 / COVID-19
結核 / Tuberculosis (TB)
髄膜炎菌性髄膜炎 / Meningococcal meningitis
Class3 コレラ / Cholera
細菌性赤痢 / Shigellosis
腸管出血性大腸菌感染症 / Enterohemorrhagic E.coli
腸チフス / Typhoid
パラチフス / Paratyphoid
流行性角結膜炎 / Epidemic keratoconjunctivitis
急性出血性結膜炎 / Acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis
ノロウイルス感染症 / Norovirus infection
ロタウイルス感染症 / Rotavirus infection

Application Method

*You cannot apply using the results of a self-test kit. Please make sure to visit a medical institution.

1. Visit a medical institution.

Visit a medical institution to get a diagnosis, then ask the doctor to fill in the “Certificate of Recovery from Infectious Disease”. (Please save your receipts.) You need to submit this certificate in Step 3. Print the “Certificate of Recovery from Infectious Disease” and take it to the medical institution. If you forget to take the “Certificate of Recovery from Infectious Disease” when you go to the doctor, ask your doctor to fill in the “Certificate of Recovery from Infectious Disease” at a later date.

  • *If you did not bring the designated "Certificate of Recovery from Infectious Disease" at the time of your visit, or if the hospital informed you that issuing the certificate would take time, a standard medical certificate issued by the hospital is acceptable.
  • *If the end date of the period of medical leave is not specified, a standard five-day suspension from attendance will be applied, beginning on the first day of the period of medical leave.
2. Take medical leave for the period indicated by your doctor.

Please focus on recovering from your illness at home for the period indicated by your doctor. If you catch a legally-recognized infectious disease, your absence from class will be excused and treated as a suspension of attendance. The office will notify your professors about your illness after you submit your application through the Student Portal. If you need to notify your professors of your absence before then, please contact them yourself.

3. Prepare the required documents and submit your application through the Student Portal.

Access the Student Portal here.
Click here for the application manual.

［Required Documents］

4. After submitting your application, wait for notification of approval or non-approval from the Student Office.

At this stage, your application has not yet been approved. Notification of approval or non-approval will be sent to your Student Portal and APU email account, so please be sure to check both.

5. Receive the approval notification from the Student Office.

Once you receive an email from the Student Office titled "【Application for Class Absence/授業欠席申請】 Application Approved/申請承認のお知らせ”, please understand that your instructor has been notified.
Additionally, please confirm in the Student Portal that the relevant application under Application Status is marked as “Completed.”

Application Deadline

Applications must be submitted by 16:30 on the last class day (excluding final examination periods, Back-up class days and make-up class days) of the relevant subject.

  • *Late applications will not be accepted.

【AY 2026 Spring Semester Courses】

  • 1st Quarter Subjects: Friday, May 22, 2026, 16:30
  • 2nd Quarter and Semester Subjects: Tuesday, July 21, 2026, 16:30
  • Session Subjects: Monday, August 3, 2026, 16:30

【AY 2026 Fall Semester Courses】

  • 1st Quarter Subjects: Friday, November 20, 2026, 16:30
  • 2nd Quarter and Semester Subjects: Friday, January 29, 2027, 16:30
  • Session Subjects: Friday, February 12, 2027, 16:30

If you have any questions about Class Absences, please contact the Student Office (acsubmit@apu.ac.jp).

Long-term Absences

If a student is absent for more than half the lessons of a course (or more than a quarter of Language Education Subjects, Student Success Workshop, or Multicultural Cooperative Workshop) due to illness or Hospitalization, removal of registration in that course may be approved upon application.

Eligible reasons for absence, application criteria, official certificates required

Application
Criteria		 Eligible reasons for absence・Eligible period of absence Applicable Courses
  • ①Absent for more than a quarter of the lessons of due to illness or hospitalization
    • ※ Please note that if this deletion is approved, all Language Education Subjects, Student Success Workshop, or Multicultural Cooperative Workshop courses in the affected semester will be deleted.
      You may not delete only specific subjects.
Language Education Subjects, Student Success Workshop, or Multicultural Cooperative Workshop
  • ②Absent for more than half the lessons of a course due to illness or Hospitalization
    • ※ Please note that if this deletion is approved, all courses in the affected semester, quarter or session will be deleted.
      You may not delete only specific subjects.
Courses other than those listed above
  • The absence must have been unforeseeable during the course drop periods.
  • The reason for the absence cannot be the result of actions willfully taken by the student.
Official
Certificates
Required
  • 1A copy of the medical certificate from the doctor that specifies the name of the illness and the period the patient must refrain from going out in public or the period of hospitalization (start date and end date)
  • 2A copy of the receipt for medical services
  • 3A copy of a valid student ID or other valid photo ID
Application
Criteria		 Eligible reasons for absence Applicable Courses
  • Absent for more than half the lessons of a course due to bereavement for first-degree relatives (parents and children) and second-degree relatives (grandparents and siblings)
  • *Third-degree relatives (such as uncles, aunts, and great-grandparents) are not covered by this leave.
Session Courses
Applicable
Period
  • The applicable period will be calculated from the date of passing or the date of the funeral as follows:
    First-degree relatives: Within 7 days including Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays
    Second-degree relatives: Within 5 days including Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays
    *The days calculated will be the days written on the official document submitted.
Official
Certificates
Required
  • 1 A copy of a condolence notice indicating the date of death or the date of the funeral, or a copy of an official death certificate.
  • 2 A copy of a valid student ID or other valid photo ID

Notes

  • The illness or hospitalization must be the student’s own. Absences due to a family member’s illness are not eligible for approval.
  • For session courses, if you are unable to attend more than half of the classes due to reasons other than those listed above (such as extracurricular activities or job hunting) and wish to delete your registered course, you must consult the Student Office no later than the day before classes begin.
  • In the case that Student Success Workshop (below, SSW) is approved for deletion in your first semester due to a long-term absence, SSW will be automatically registered again in your second semester.
  • For students who enroll in the Fall Semester, if SSW and Multicultural Cooperative Workshop (below, MCW) is approved for deletion in your first semester due to a long-term absence, only SSW will be automatically registered again in the Spring Semester.
  • Furthermore, SSW and MCW are subjects that are automatically registered by the university for first-year students, and students in their second-year and above will not be registered for these subjects even in cases where their course registration was approved for cancellation due to a long-term absence.

Application Method

1. Please consult the Student Office as soon as a situation occurs that prevents you from attending class.

As soon as a situation occurs that requires a Long-term Absence, a student should apply to acsubmit@apu.ac.jp as soon as possible.

2. Following the instructions of the Office, please proceed with the application.

Please prepare the necessary documents and apply to the Student Office by the application deadline.

3. The Office will carry out the procedure for deleting relevant courses.

If nothing is missing from the documentation, the Academic Office will delete the relevant courses.

4. Please confirm that the course has been removed on CAMPUS WEB.

When you have received a notice from the Academic Office that your courses have been removed, the process is complete. Please also confirm whether the courses have been removed on CAMPUS WEB.

Application Deadline

Applications must be submitted by 16:30 on the last class day (excluding final examination periods, Back-up class days and make-up class days) of the relevant subject.

*Late applications will not be accepted.

【AY 2026 Spring Semester Courses】

  • 1st Quarter Subjects: Friday, May 22, 2026, 16:30
  • 2nd Quarter and Semester Subjects: Tuesday, July 21, 2026, 16:30
  • Session Subjects: Monday, August 3, 2026, 16:30

【AY 2026 Fall Semester Courses】

  • 1st Quarter Subjects: Friday, November 20, 2026, 16:30
  • 2nd Quarter and Semester Subjects: Friday, January 29, 2027, 16:30
  • Session Subjects: Friday, February 12, 2027, 16:30

If you have any questions about Class Absences, please contact the Student Office (acsubmit@apu.ac.jp).

Important points for absence procedures

  • Please note that forging documents is a serious offense and may result in disciplinary measures under Article 5 of the Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University Regulations on Punitive Measures for Students.
  • Applications will not be accepted after the deadline.
  • Class absences only apply to reasons related to the student. Family illnesses and caregiving will not be approved.
  • Please confirm absences are handled for "Off-campus Programs" in the respective application guidelines.

Other Reasons for Absences

  • Absence due to job-hunting activities: Please consult with the Student Office.
  • Absence due to extracurricular activities: Please consult with the Outreach and Research Office.
  • Absence due to Japan's lay judge system or other trial-related reasons: Please consult with the Student Office (acsubmit@apu.ac.jp) beforehand.

Tardiness

There are no Office procedures.
In you are late due to a public transportation scheduling delay or disruption, the transportation company will issue official delay certificates if requested. Show this certificate to your instructor and they will determine how your tardiness will be handled.

PAGE TOP

Please enter search keywords