IBE Blog IBE Program Calendar Student Info Placement & Schedule Attendance Certificate IBE Project TOEIC Info TOEFL & IELTS Info Computer Labs Help & Advising
<IBE Attendance Policy
Students studying in the United States on an F-1 visa must have good attendance in order to remain in status and continue their studies at the ALI or any other school. Students who go below 80% attendance in their ALI classes may become out-of-status. Students who are out-of-status may not be allowed to continue studying at the ALI, may not be able to transfer to another school, and may have to return home. We do not want any of these problems to happen to our students, so please be very careful about your attendance.
As a student on an F-1 visa, attending class needs to be your first priority. That means you should expect to be in class from 20 to 23 hours a week. Please plan trips, TOEFL tests, driving tests, parties, naps, etc. for times when you do not have class.
You should save the hours of absence that are allowed for sickness or emergencies. You never know in advance if you are going to be sick or have an emergency, so be careful about your attendance when you are healthy and have no problems!
If you are sick for more than one day or have an emergency, when you return to school, please come to the ALI office and tell the IBE Program Director why you were absent. An absence report will be filled out and put in your student file. These absences are not excused, but if there is a note in your file it can help your situation if you risk being out-of-status.
Your teachers will take attendance every day in the following classes: General Level classes, Oral Communications classes, and Elective classes. If you have a special schedule and take EAP classes or observe an SDSU class, you also need to have good attendance in those classes.
If you have been absent from class for 10% of classes for one session, a first warning email will be sent to you. This letter will tell you to be careful. You will also be sent an email, requesting you meet with the Program Director, to discuss your attendance and to sign an attendance contract.
If you have been absent from class for 20% of classes for one session, you will receive your second warning email, telling you to meet with the Program Director to discuss possible dismissal from the program.
If you are an IBE Full Term student (both Sessions A and B), your attendance will be calculated for the full term; your attendance score will not start over at 100% when Session B begins.
Please do not wait for a warning email to be careful about your attendance. The attendance chart is updated every week on Tuesday. You can check your attendance each week. If there is a mistake on the chart, please come in and speak with the director.