If any student wishes to ask their professor for an absence through an email, one needs to focus on a few things to get the professor’s approval. Absence email is usually a shorter email as compared to other emails to the professor. There are certain rules and a proper format to write a such email which will be discussed below. Let us know about ‘Absence Email to Professor’.
Absence Email to Professor:
Whenever one has to email a professor to request for absence, some specific guidelines and formats can make one stand out. The guidelines include keeping up with the rules and regulations of the institute, stating the purpose of the email, and the format of the email. The email should have a proper salutation, subject, body paragraphs, and closing remarks. There are a few additional sets of tips that can prove to be helpful. For better understanding, examples in the formatted form will be discussed in the latter part of the article.
Rules and guidelines:
If one wishes to get approval from their professors on an absence approval without offending the professor, they should follow these guidelines.
Institution Rules:
Make sure to know what are the rules and regulations of your school regarding seeking absence. These rules refer to what are valid reasons to get an off from school and how much absence is allowed per semester or term. If one requests an absence for any invalid reason, that will develop quite a poor impression. Also, professors have to abide by the rules set up by the institution, hence they would decide according to that so it is suggested for the student act accordingly.
Purpose of Email:
The email should display the message and request. For this initially mention in the subject the context of your email. Then in the latter part of the email clearly state the reason for your absence. If there are any proofs to support your situation attach those as it can make your case strong. In case of illness, attach any medical record, in case of traveling, attach your travel receipts. This will correspond to the fact that you are not lying or making up any story.
Polite and Professional:
If your email is properly formatted, it will display professionalism. Professors also look up to these academic writing figures in any email. Whatever your level is, school, high school, or university it should reflect it through your words and format. Don’t use any emoji or pictures. Also, the tone of the email should be very polite and soft so that the professor doesn’t feel that it is written in rush. It is important to mention the full name followed by the designation of Professor.
Timing:
If you are requesting an absence before taking off then it is a great move. You’ll be able to explain more clearly. But if due to any circumstances you were not able to inform before and write an email later make sure to do it as soon as possible because as late you’ll do there would be fewer chances of getting any compensation. Timing is an important factor in determining whether or not your email will be approved.
Concise and brief:
The emails for absence notes are generally short because there is not much to talk about. So make your email brief and to the point. Don’t add unnecessary stuff and also avoid greeting in the beginning. It’s not needed in such formal emails.
Assignments and work:
This is an optional practice. You can mention the assignment status that you’ve completed previously assigned work and then you can request to get the learning material for the class that you have missed. Although this will genuinely be the teacher’s call you can request it.
Concerned professor:
Also take care of the fact that if your professor is calm enough that he’ll be okay to handle the matter of absence with an email because many professors don’t appreciate this practice. They rather want the students to talk about this issue directly face-to-face. Hence keep in mind your professors’ rules.
Email writing tips and guidelines:
- Email Address: Use the official email address that is issued by the institution. This implies the professor’s address as well as the sender’s address.
- Subject: The subject is the first thing that professor will see, so make it concise and to the point.
- Grammatical Errors: Do proofread the context of the email before sending it. There should not be any such grammatical errors.
- Date: This is an important thing for an absence email. Make sure to mention the correct date, and day and if possible also mention the time of the class which you’ve missed or are about to be missed. If these details are incorrect the email becomes void.
- Paragraphing: Divide your email into two-three paragraphs so that it becomes easy to read. It is also a part of academic writing structure.
- Informing: Lastly, it is quite a polite and favorable gesture that go and see the professor personally and let him know more details of your absence.
Important parts of email:
- Subject: The subject of email plays an important role in whether your email will be viewed or not. In this case, a possible subject line can be:
Application for absence on [Day & Date] due to [mention reason]
- Salutation: This is the opening of any email and is written to show respect to the person. Examples are:
Dear Sir
Respected Sir
Good day Sir
Greetings
- Introductory paragraph: Start your email’s first paragraph by introducing yourself. Here you should mention your full name, class, department, roll number, and course of attending professor.
- Main body: In this paragraph, you can state your purpose of email i.e. absence in this case, and also mention the reason for it. Make sure to mention the date and day for which you are requesting this absence. Furthermore, also attach the possible proofs to support your statement. This can be done in two paragraphs.
- Ending: For the ending paragraph, thank your professor no matter what decision he’ll be making for you.
- Closing remarks: Just like salutations, closing remarks are a very important part of such emails. You can end your email with these phrases:
Yours sincerely
Yours faithfully
Regards
Best regards
Examples:
Below are two examples of absence emails to the professor in a properly formatted version.
Example 1:
Subject: Application for absence due to illness on 31/10/21
Greetings Sir,
I am [name] from the Telecommunications department, bearing roll number 40. I’m a regular student in your course Probability and Statistics.
Sir, I’m writing this to you because I would like to request an absence in the next two days i.e. [mention dates] because I’ve been suffering from a severe fever and cold since last night. I’ve been to the hospital this morning, and the doctor has advised for some rest. I’ve also attached the doctor’s prescription below.
Sir, I have completed all the previous assignments of the course and I would like to request you kindly provide me with the lecture materials for this class.
Thank you, Sir. I will be looking forward to your response.
Regards,
[name and signature]
Example 2:
Subject: Absence request due to death in the family.
Sir,
This is [name] from [class] bearing roll number 40, from the department of architecture. I’ve been attending your lectures for the course Probability and Statistics.
Sir, I’m writing this to you to inform you about my absence on [date and day] because in my family recently, my maternal grandfather has passed away. So due to this tragic incident in my family, I won’t be able to attend your upcoming class.
Sir, I request you to kindly grant me this leave. Looking forward towards your cooperation.
Thank You.
Yours sincerely,
[name]
Conclusion:
Email professors regarding college issues are one major follow-up routine for students. There are different topics one has to write an email for. Absence is one most common causes of these emails. There are various reasons for the absence but the format provided can be used for most of the causes. The article highlights the guidelines to keep in mind while emailing a professor and some tips to be followed while compiling the email. The samples have been attached for a better understanding of the format.
Frequently Asked Questions:
- Can we omit the introduction part from the email?
The introduction is to remind the professor who you are. If you think your professor knows you well, you can leave it and just mention your class and name by the end of the email.
- Is it fine to send an email for absence after missing the class?
This depends on your condition. If the issue is relevant and can be negotiated, then you may send it afterward. But good practice is to send it beforehand.
- Do I need to attach any documents with the email to the professor for absence?
Well, that’s not required. If you are ill or you are traveling or bearing some similar problem, then you can attach some transcripts as proof. Other than these no such things are needed.
