Last updated: September 22, 2025
Policy
Emerson College (“the College”) supports the sincerely held religious beliefs, practices, and observances of its students. In situations where a student is unable to attend class or participate in an examination or class/work requirement because of a religious belief or practice, an accommodation must be made to excuse the student and to provide them with an opportunity to make up any work. There can be no adverse or prejudicial effects for a student exercising their rights under this policy, and no additional fees of any kind shall be charged to the student. However, any religious accommodation cannot be an unreasonable burden upon the College.1
To help facilitate conversations regarding any needed religious accommodations, faculty are encouraged to provide a schedule of examinations and other course deadlines as soon as possible, being mindful of religious holidays and observance dates (particularly those that are considered work-restricted holidays). A list of religious holidays can be provided by the Center for Spiritual Life or on the Multifaith Observance Calendar in google.
Absences
Students who may not be able to attend class, take an examination, or engage in coursework, on a particular day due to a sincerely held religious belief, practice, or observance, need to discuss those conflicts with their instructors as soon as possible. The student will need to work with the instructor to identify an accommodation that satisfies the specific need of the student while maintaining the necessary academic requirements. If a student will need to be absent, and a professor permits excused absences in their syllabus, students will use those excused absences for the purposes of their religious observances. Students should understand that frequent or extended absences may impair a student’s progress in class and affect the student’s ability to obtain academic credit for the class. All religious accommodations will be reasonable in light of the class requirements, pedagogical goals, and the constraints of the credit hours per class.
Make-up Work
Students who have to miss a class, examination, or other coursework due to a religious accommodation will then work with their instructor to find a mutually acceptable way to make up any missed coursework and/or assignments. This makeup work can be the same coursework with a different due date, or a substantially similar exercise due at another time. It is inappropriate to assign students additional work for exercising their rights under this policy. Students should understand that under certain circumstances the faculty member may not be able to create a substantially similar activity or experience, but will do their best to develop an alternate assignment. Anyone with questions or concerns about implementing this policy or the application of this policy should contact the Office of Equal Opportunity (oeo [at] emerson.edu (oeo[at]emerson[dot]edu), 617-824-8999).
Notes
- Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 151C, Section 2B, states: Any student in an educational or vocational training institution, other than a religious or denominational educational or vocational training institution, who is unable, because of his religious beliefs, to attend classes or to participate in any examination, study, or work requirement on a particular day shall be excused from any such examination or study or work requirement, and shall be provided with an opportunity to make up such examination, study, or work requirement which he may have missed because of such absence on any particular day; provided, however, that such makeup examination or work shall not create an unreasonable burden upon such school. No fees of any kind shall be charged by the institution for making available to the said student such opportunity. No adverse or prejudicial effects shall result to any student because of his availing himself of the provisions of this section. [return to footnote]