Bereavement Leave for Students

Faculty member must realize that students are permitted to be gone due to personal bereavement under the following guidelines. Students should be considered excused from class.

In the unfortunate event of a death of a student’s immediate family member, a leave of absence up to three days will be granted. If the funeral is outside of the continental United States, five days may be taken. Bereavement leave days are to be taken consecutively within a reasonable time of the day of the death or day of the funeral, and may not be split or postponed. For the purpose of bereavement leave, immediate family is defined as:

  • Spouse
  • Children, step-children
  • Parents (including in-laws), step-parents
  • Siblings, step-siblings
  • Grandparents
  • Grandchildren
  • Son-in-law and daughter-in-law
  • Brother-in-law and sister-in-law
  • Any relative living in the student’s home

Students should notify the Oiler Success Center who in turn will notify the student’s instructors of a death of an immediate family member. In turn, the instructor should inform the student about the classroom activities that he or she will be responsible for completing. Upon returning to class, the student must turn in his or her missing assignments. The Office of the Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs will validate the bereavement request.