Absenteeism & Expulsion
Liffey College is committed to supporting learners to maintain regular attendance throughout their programme.
A minimum attendance requirement of 85% applies to students. Attendance is monitored throughout the programme, with weekly monitoring used as an internal early-intervention measure.
Learners are responsible for monitoring their attendance and ensuring they meet the College’s attendance requirements and where applicable, relevant immigration requirements.
Learners who fail to achieve the minimum attendance requirement of 85% (eighty-five per cent) will not be permitted to sit their final examinations and will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including expulsion from Liffey College. The College is required to report any expulsion and, where applicable, regular or long-term absences to the relevant authorities in accordance with applicable Irish immigration requirements and regulations governing international students and eligible programmes. The College is also required to maintain attendance records and provide evidence of a learner’s attendance to the relevant authorities when requested. Such reporting may affect the learner’s immigration permission and their ability to continue their studies or remain in Ireland.
Attendance & Punctuality Policy: https://liffeycollege.ie/attendance-punctuality/
Justified Absences and Supporting Documentation
Learners are responsible for providing satisfactory evidence to support the reasons for their absence. The College must be notified promptly when a learner is unable to attend class.
Medical Absence
Medical absence is only considered justified with a valid medical certificate from a registered Irish GP or hospital. The certificate must be submitted promptly. False or fraudulent documentation will result in immediate expulsion.
See the Sick & Covid Leave Policy for further details: https://www.liffeycollege.ie/sick-leave/
Official Appointments
Absence due to an IRP, PPSN, Embassy appointment will be considered justified if valid official proof is submitted promptly. The College reserves the right to verify any documentation provided. Only the appointments listed above will be considered justified. Other appointments or personal matters will not normally qualify.
Other Justifiable Reasons
The College may consider the following as justified reasons for absence, subject to appropriate supporting evidence:
- Death or serious illness of an immediate family member.
- Serious illness of a dependent family member.
- Participation in legal proceedings procedures requiring the learner’s attendance.
A justified absence applies to the full day covered by the supporting documentation and cannot be claimed for only part of a class or session. A justified absence is still recorded as an absence, and the learner’s attendance percentage will decrease. However, it will not count towards attendance warnings or expulsion.
How to Submit Supporting Documentation
- Log in to your Student Portal.
- Select “Contact the College” from the left-hand menu.
- Submit a message explaining the absence and the reason for it.
- Attach all relevant supporting documentation.
Documentation should be submitted promptly. Uncertified or unverifiable documentation will be treated as an unauthorised absence.
The College may request additional information or original documents on request.
At the end of the programme, the College will be required to provide attendance records and relevant documentation to Immigration Service Delivery (ISD) or another appropriate authority in accordance with applicable requirements.
DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURE
Liffey College monitors learner attendance weekly. Where attendance falls below the required level, the College may contact the learner and begin the attendance warning procedure. Weekly monitoring helps identify concerns early and gives learners an opportunity to improve their attendance. Continued or repeated low attendance may result in further action under this policy. The Operations Department is responsible for issuing formal attendance warnings.
If a learner's attendance falls below the required 85% (eighty-five per cent) in a given week, a Formal Verbal Warning (Stage 1) will be issued. Where a face-to-face warning is not possible, the learner may be contacted by telephone or email.
The warning will explain the reason for the warning, the seriousness of the attendance issue and the possible consequences of continued poor attendance.
The learner is expected to take immediate action to improve and maintain their attendance.
If a learner's attendance falls below the required 85% (eighty-five per cent) in a given week, a First Written Warning (Stage 2) will be issued by email.
The warning will explain the reason for the warning, the seriousness of the attendance issue and the possible consequences of continued poor attendance.
The learner is expected to take immediate action to improve and maintain their attendance.
The First Written Warning follows the Formal Verbal Warning (Stage 1).
If a learner's attendance falls below the required 85% (eighty-five per cent) in a given week, a Final Written Warning (Stage 3) will be issued by email.
The warning will explain the reason for the warning, the seriousness of the attendance issue and the possible consequences of continued poor attendance.
The learner is expected to take immediate action to improve and maintain their attendance.
The Final Written Warning follows the First Written Warning (Stage 2).
Suspension
If a learner's attendance falls below the required 85% (eighty-five per cent) in a given week, a Suspension Notice (Stage 4) will be issued by email.
The Suspension Notice will explain the reason for the suspension, the seriousness of the attendance issue and the possible consequences of continued poor attendance.
The Suspension Notice follows the Final Written Warning (Stage 3) and represents the final formal stage before the College considers expulsion.
Important: Continuing to Attend Classes
Receipt of a Suspension Notice does not prevent the learner from attending classes. The learner must continue attending all scheduled classes unless the College expressly instructs otherwise in writing.
Appeal Against Suspension
Learners may submit a written appeal within one (1) week of receiving the Suspension Notice. The appeal should explain the reasons for the absences and include relevant supporting documentation, where applicable.
Submitting an Appeal
- Log in to the Student Portal.
- Select "Contact the College" from the left-hand menu.
- Submit a detailed message explaining the circumstances and reasons for the absences.
- Attach any relevant supporting documents, such as medical certificates or official documentation.
The College may request additional information or documentation where reasonably necessary to assess the appeal.
The College will review the appeal and supporting documentation. Where an absence is accepted as justified under the College's applicable policies, the attendance record may be amended accordingly.
If the appeal is not submitted within the required period, or if the learner's attendance remains unsatisfactory, the College may proceed to Stage 5 – Expulsion, in accordance with this policy.
Expulsion
Where a learner is expelled from the College, they will receive written notification of the decision by email.
Expulsion is the final stage of the College's attendance management procedure.
Where a learner has received the applicable attendance warnings and Suspension Notice, has been given the opportunity to submit an appeal, and the appeal does not provide sufficient grounds or supporting evidence to justify the absences, the College will terminate the learner's enrolment.
Where attendance remains below the required 85%, the College will assess whether the learner can achieve the required attendance level by the end of the programme. If the learner is unable to meet the required attendance level, the College will proceed with expulsion in accordance with this policy.
Appeal After Expulsion
The formal attendance appeal opportunity is provided at the Suspension stage. Once an expulsion decision is final, no further appeal will normally be available under this attendance procedure.
Notification Following Expulsion
The College will issue the learner with a Letter of Exit confirming their final attendance and termination of enrolment.
The College will notify Immigration Service Delivery (ISD) or provide relevant information to the appropriate authority. Expulsion may affect the learner's immigration permission.
Fees, Refunds and Certification
An expelled learner will not be entitled to a refund of course fees or other fees and will not be permitted to continue the programme, sit final examinations or receive completion documentation.
Serious Non-Attendance During the First Six Weeks
Where a learner has 25% or more uncertified absence during the first six weeks of their programme, the College will take the action required under applicable immigration requirements, which will include termination of the enrolment and reporting the matter to ISD.
Attendance After Study Week 21
Learners will not normally be expelled for attendance after Study Week 21. The College will allow the final four weeks of the programme for learners to complete their studies and meet the applicable attendance requirements, where possible. This does not prevent the College from taking any action required by applicable immigration or regulatory requirements.
Administration Department: Mr. Haseeb Ahmed - Centre Director
Telephone: +353 (0)1 444 4447 / Email: info@liffeycollege.ie
Review Date: 29 September 2026
Review Outcome: Policy reviewed; no changes were required.