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Academic Work Missed for Medical Reasons

The NM Student Health Services team can support academic flexibility if the student is seen on the day of illness. Students can schedule an appointment with NM Student Health Services on their NM MyChart app. Please discuss whether a medical illness/injury warrants a class excuse with your doctor.

  1. Students may miss class due to illness or injury. In the event that you miss a class, please make every effort to schedule an appointment with the NM SHS team at the time of illness/injury.
  2. Students should communicate with their professors that they will need academic flexibility due to an illness or injury.
  3. If an excuse note is warranted, it will be available to the student through their MyChart account. The student should then email their academic dean (see the list on this page) and provide them with the excuse note. 
  4. NM SHS will not write any retroactive class excuse notes.
  5. Students who miss more than 3 days of class, depending on the time period within the quarter, will need to work with their dean to consider academic options.
  6. Students who seek care at an external facility will need to request a medical note from their treating physician/clinician to send to their dean.
  7. If you need longer term academic accommodations, please reach out to an academic advisor or student support services (SASS) dean for options.

The Northwestern Medicine Student Health Service recognizes that there may instances in which the student may not know how to proceed. In those instances, please message your treating clinician.

Students in The Graduate School who need to be absent from their lab or other PhD/Master’s
degree-related endeavors should consult their program’s handbook and/or speak with their
Director of Graduate Studies.

Note: In determining if your medical illness/injury warrants a class excuse, there may be instances in which the clinician may not issue a letter of excuse.