To be able to fully engage with your studies at Royal Holloway, it’s really important to attend as many of your classes as possible. Missing a couple of lectures because of unavoidable circumstances is understandable, but low attendance can become detrimental to your education.
To be able to fully engage with your studies at Royal Holloway, it’s really important to attend as many of your classes as possible. Missing a couple of lectures because of unavoidable circumstances is understandable, but low attendance can become detrimental to your education.
Engagement Reminders
We have recently seen an increase in students receiving engagement reminders as their attendance has dropped below the percentage that is expected by their school. This may be something that you have experienced and you may be really worried about it.
The University does take attendance seriously, however, an initial email letting you know that your attendance is slipping a little is meant to be informative. It does not mean that any action will be taken against you and it is not a formal warning so please try not to panic - just take it as an opportunity to try to rectify the situation.
Formal Warnings
If you have received a formal warning this may be of concern to you, but it is not something that is final and does not mean that it is the end of your time at university.
If you feel you have received a formal warning by mistake, you can reach out to your personal tutor to ask to get your formal warning revoked.
If you have received a formal warning and it is because you have been missing lessons, this is a chance for you to consider why. If you're struggling with your attendance due to external circumstances, please reach out to your personal tutor so that they can point you in the right direction for support. You can also reach out to the Wellbeing Services at the university who will be happy to help.
International students
Recording your attendance and engaging with your studies is especially important for international students with Student Route or Tier 4 visa conditions. If you do not attend your classes, you risk having your Royal Holloway sponsored visa cancelled. If you are struggling with your attendance, please do seek guidance from the International Support Office; you can contact them via email.
Getting back on track
If you have struggled with your attendance but would like to get back on track you can use SMART goals to help you.
S - Specific: be specific with your desired goal.
M - Measurable: try to set a measurable goal to be able to track your progress.
A - Achievable: set a goal that may be challenging, but is realistic to achieve.
R - Relevant: align your goals with your overarching final goal.
T - Time-bound: set a goal that has a target end date.
If you find goal-setting difficult, you can try the WOOP My Life tool.
Interrupting your studies
If you are really struggling with your attendance and don’t think there will be any quick solution to resolving this, you may consider taking a break from your studies. This may be a suitable option for you and is something that you may want to consider discussing with your personal tutor. You can find more information on interrupting your studies on our website.
If you feel you are not able to resolve any of your attendance problems with your personal tutor or you feel you need guidance and support before approaching your tutor, please contact the Advice Centre.
Further support
Our Advice Centre is a free, independent, and confidential service for all students here at Royal Holloway. Our friendly, experienced, and professional staff will provide a listening ear and offer general and specialist advice. We’re here to support you with a whole range of issues, big and small, and if we’re not the best people to help you with a particular issue, we’ll point you in the right direction.
Our advisors hold drop-ins on Zoom every Tuesday and Thursday during term time. You can find more information on our events calendar on how to join the drop-ins.
Email us at advice@su.rhul.ac.uk with any questions or to ask for a different meeting time.