When will professors take late work? (How to ask)
About the author
Hi there. I am the prolific professor with 15 years of experience teaching online and in-person. I have a graduate degree. I have a passion for education. But I’ve also worked in the professional world (outside of education) too. Thanks for visiting.
Do colleges take late work?
You found yourself here because you forgot about an assignment and are wondering if your professor is going to accept your late work.
Or you’re wondering if you should ask for an extension because you don’t think you will have time to complete the assignment.
Either way, you just don’t know if your professor is going to even care about your circumstances, and allow you to turn in your assignment in late any way.
As a former professor, I am going to give you all the details you need to answer your questions and more! I will tell you if professors allow late work and how to talk to your professor about submitting an assignment late.
Should professors allow late work?
This is a complicated answer, but I will answer it from a professor’s perspective. Some classes are entirely different and it might make more sense to allow late work from students, but other classes have a strict schedule and allowing late work interferes with the course schedule.
I will further explain. If you have a class that builds upon previous information, and students don’t complete their work on time, it is VERY likely that students will get behind. It’s just impossible in some classes to keep up with the material if you aren’t submitting assignments on time.
Other times, submitting late work interrupts your professor’s grading schedule too. I know it seems trivial but you are asking your professor to make an exception for you and this takes time out of their schedule to accommodate you and your needs.
Finally, if you submit late work and other students already got their graded work back, how does your professor know that you didn’t talk to your classmates and get the right answers? This is also problematic and a reason why professors may not take late work.
So, professors should take late work if it doesn’t hinder a student’s ability to learn the course materials and impact the professor’s work load. And the integrity of the coursework is not infringed upon.
Why professors should allow late work?
Professors should allow late work if students have a student related activity or something serious, like a hospitalization.
If you are injured and in the hospital, it wouldn’t seem fair to make you turn in an assignment on time. But remember, if you are going to get too far behind, you might want to drop or withdraw from the course because you still need to learn the course objectives.
Another reason professors should allow late work is if students are going to be absent for things like a college sport or academic competition. Otherwise, everything should be submitted on time.
I will say that there are a few instances of natural disasters where assignments can be submitted late. Once there was a natural disaster that effected a lot of my students. They did not have internet for days, and I allowed late work.
These types of situations don’t happen often though but when they do, I bet your professor will make an exception.
The key is to talk with your professor as early as possible.
Why late work should NOT be accepted
When students enroll in college, they should expect to learn responsibility and time management skills. College is about learning lots of skills, not just ones related to your field.
There are lots of marketable skills that students should be learning while in college. These are skills like oral communication, writing, analytical and critical thinking skills, among others. Most employers are looking for these skills when hiring employees.
When you turn in assignments on time, and follow a strict schedule, you are learning job skills for your future career. So, while it may seem silly that your professor won’t accept late work, it’s a hard lesson to learn for your future.
What if you turned in a critical report to your boss LATE? Would you be in trouble? Probably. So missing deadlines as a college student is not really that different. They are preparing you for a career in the real world and by providing these deadlines, it helps you be more employable.
Here are a few reasons why late work should not be accepted
I forget to complete it
I have a lot of other important assignments due
I have a vacation planned
I have work and have been busy
I have a doctor’s appointment
The list could go on but you get the point. You should always plan on completing assignments early if something is planned the day or week of your assignment deadline.
How do I get my professor to accept late work
I would avoid turning in late work and working towards becoming more efficient and completing work on time. But if you found yourself in this circumstance, you can read more about your professor’s policies in their syllabus.
I would always recommend that first as a former professor. A lot of their policies are found in their syllabus and if they’ve outlined how the handle late work, you have your answer.
But if you are desperate, I have an entire article dedicated to helping you get the extension that you need for a late assignment. Check it out here and learn some tips and tricks to getting an extension.
It is not guaranteed that your professor is ever going to accept your late work because it might not be JUST about getting the assignment done because sometimes it’s about making sure students are mastering the material and that’s really hard to do when students get too far behind.
Email template asking professor to submit late work
You are in a situation where you did not submit an assignment and want to get an exception for late work. That’s completely understandable. If you think that you have a strong case, I recommend that you reach out to your professor. If you go in person, you might get a better outcome. You can still use my email template to discuss this in person with your professor.
Dear Professor Smith, I wanted to tell you how much I enjoy your class. I have loved learning about the anatomy of the human body. I plan on majoring in this field and know that I will use this information in my future career. Recently we had an assignment due and I failed to submit it. I apologize, and I understand how getting behind in the course can impact my overall performance in the class. I understand that your time is impacted by grading late assignments too. I read your late policy and I understand that you do not accept late work. For this assignment, I was unable to submit it because I had a family emergency. I have the documentation attached to this email and it helps explain my situation more. I understand that you don’t have to accept the late work, but I would love the opportunity to complete it late so that I can learn the material and get your feedback on my progress in the course. Thank you. Your student.
Let’s look at this email. You started off with a positive compliment. Then you followed it up with an explanation of your career goals to let them know how this class will impact your future career. You provided documentation. If you don’t have documentation, provide them with details that explain why your excuse is valid. Then you discussed why you want to submit it late (feedback and progress).
This is the ideal email to a professor asking for them to accept your late work.
If you want more information on late assignments and asking to makeup exams and assignments, I have an entire guide here.
Turning in assignments late as a college student
When you turn in assignments late as a college student, you run the risk of getting points deducted. When I was a professor, I allowed late work for a few days past the deadline. But I always deducted points for late work.
So, if you are going to turn in late work, it better be your BEST work so the points deducted don’t effect you too much.
If you are turning in late work, you need to make sure your professor accepts late work first. Start by visiting their syllabus and seeing what their late policy is. Do they accept late work? How long after the deadline do they accept late work?
Check there first to find out more about your professor’s policies to make sure you follow them all.
Just know that it is not common to turn in late work as a college student. Maybe high school students turn in late work more frequently, but college has much more strict rules.
Another thing to remember is that your professor will likely remember that you did not submit work on time and if you want to ask for a letter of recommendation or want to ask your professor for a favor later, they will likely take this into consideration.
It is not CUSTOMARY to allow for late work as a college student so do not expect it.
My professor won’t accept late work
If your professor won’t accept late work, you should understand that this is a reasonable policy. You will have to accept the consequences of missing deadlines. However, I can understand your frustration because you wish you had the opportunity to makeup the assignment. If you had a serious emergency, you should still ask your professor to turn in the assignment late.
But the professor may not have to accept the late work regardless of your excuse. When I was a professor, I had strict deadlines and did not accept late work. Sometimes students would have a very significant life event so I would make an exception. Let’s say that you are pregnant and gave birth, no professor would expect you to turn in class assignments during that time. Or you had an unexpected hospitalization, a professor may allow late work.
Before you assume your professor won’t allow late work for your excuse, you need to ask. Make sure you let them know that you understand their policies but you have an uncommon situation and wanted to ask if you could still turn in the assignment late. Be respectful in your communication and explain your situation.
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