Unexpected Absence? Strategies for Handling a Missed Online Class Effectively

No matter how dedicated you are to your education, we all know there comes a time when we must miss one or two classes. In such cases, giving your instructor a reason for missing an online class is good. If possible, send the reason to your instructor in advance. If you can’t send it beforehand, send it as soon as you miss the online class.

You’ll need to be creative when writing excuses for missing an online class. Do you have the creative juices to craft an excellent excuse, or do you need a hand? Below, you will find the 50 best excuses for missing online classes. The excuses are divided into seven broad sections; in the first section, you will find examples. Go through them and use the one that works best in your case.

If you don’t have enough time to work on your assignments, just place an order with us, and we’ll do the work for you. We have experts in each field who offer the best solutions and answers.

Technical Excuses for Missing Online Classes

Here, we’ll look at the technical excuses you can tell your instructor when you miss an online class.

1. Internet Connectivity and Power Supply Issues

Internet connectivity issue is a common excuse you can use and one of the most legitimate. Like everyone else, your instructor knows that the internet goes down at times.

“Hello, Ms. Gladys. My internet connectivity is down. Please excuse me from class while I try to fix the issue.”

2. Switch Off the Camera

Do you want to know how to skip a class without being noticed? Just turn off your webcam. In most cases, your instructor will not notice, mainly if the class is big. So, you will attend the class. Then, after a few minutes, you switch off the camera.

“Dear Sir/Madam, my computer/application malfunctioned during the class. I have fixed the issue. Hope it will not happen again.”

3. PC Malfunction

Another excuse is to notify your instructor that your computer crashed. You don’t need to attend class and turn off the camera.

"Sir/madam. I was not able to attend the class. My pc broke down.”

4. Application Glitch

The online application may not work well in other instances. Just say something like….

“Hello. My Zoom application crushed while logging in for the online class.”

5. False Alarm

You can say there was a false alarm in your house. This is widespread in smart homes.

“…. I missed the class because a squirrel triggered a security alert in my house.”

6. An Issue with Getting Inside Your House

Tell your instructor you could not get in your house because of issues such as the keys being misplaced.

“My house keys were locked in my car. This made me miss the class.”

Medical Excuses for Missing Class

Below are some medically acceptable reasons for missing an online exam or class.

7. You Are Ill

One of the good excuses for skipping class that you can even tell your parents is sickness. It is one of the traditional prevalent excuses that works like a charm.

“… I am feeling unwell. I wish to take a day off to recuperate.”

8. Medical Appointment

Everyone visits a doctor or dentist. Thus, using a medical appointment excuse will work with practically all instructors. The good thing with this excuse is that the chances of your instructor asking many questions are rare. Also, you can use it several times a year as many people have numerous appointments in a year. Tell your lecturer in advance about this type of excuse.

“Mr. Ed, I would like to be excused from the online class next week to attend a doctor’s appointment.”

9. Food Poisoning

You can also say you are suffering from food poisoning to escape an online class. Though effective, you cannot use it as much as the medical appointment. Have a good story of what you ate and where you got the food before using this excuse.

“Please excuse me from today’s class. I have a severe upset in my stomach.”

10. Allergy

Many people are allergic to certain substances, such as fish, milk, soy, peanuts, etc. This excuse would convince anyone.

“May I be excused from class? I had an allergic reaction and am at the hospital.”

Speaking of medical excuses, check out our guide on how to write a medical college research paper to become an expert at authoring this kind of academic paper. 

Family-Related Best Excuses for Missing Class

Below are excuses for missing online classes that entail family issues.

11. Helping Your Sibling

Saying you must help your sibling is a good enough excuse for missing class. You can tell your lecturer:

“I am sorry for missing the class. I was out helping my sibling with an urgent matter.”

12. Family Illness

Another illness card you can use is saying one of your family members is sick.

“Excuse me from the class, as my mother is feeling unwell.”

Enhance your

academic performance and reach your goals

See how quick and easy it is to get an exceptional essay with minimal effort on our platform.

Get homework help

13. Family Emergency

You can say many things concerning family emergencies, such as your grandpa falling down the stairs or your uncle being in an accident. Be creative.

“Hello. My sister was hit by a bat and fainted at school while playing. I am looking after her.”

14. Funeral

Saying you are attending or at a funeral is a good excuse to miss an online class. You can say it in advance or after missing the class.

“… I could not make it for the online class as I had traveled for the funeral.”

15. Visited by Family

You can also excuse yourself by telling the instructor your family/parents were in town and they needed you to sign some forms. This excuse is best said in advance.

“I will miss Friday’s class as my parents will be in town, and they need me to assist them with some errands.”

16. Carer Duties

Another acceptable reason for missing online classes is when you are caring for someone. Your teacher will easily understand this one because of the sympathy that comes with it.

“I take care of my disabled aunt on Fridays. May I be excused on this day?”

17. Family Vacation

You can also state that you plan a family vacation annually. Some lecturers will have no issue with this excuse, but many of them and schools are against it.

“We usually have a family vacation in the end week of April because this is when my father comes back from Europe after working a whole year.”

18. Looking After the Children

Another excuse is declaring that you are watching over your kids. You may indicate that:

“My partner has gone for a business meeting, and there is no one else than me to look after the children…”

Just know that we can assist you with your homework if family and professional errands are weighing you down—no need to let your grades deep when we are around. Simply place an order with us, and we’ll offer you any needed help in the academic domain.

Transport and Mobility Excuses for Being Absent in Online Classes

This section will look at excuses that pertain to transport and movement.

19. Small Accident

This works well if you have a real accident. It’s good to mention no one was injured if there was no injury.

20. Traffic Jam

Notify your lecturer early if you see you won’t get home on time to attend the online class. State that there are no other routes.

21. Bus and Train Cancellation

Don’t use this excuse if it’s a lie. Your teacher can easily check on the internet if there are any cancellations.

22. Flight Delay

Flights get delayed. You can use this excuse if it really happens.

23. Car Misfortune

Your instructor knows that cars malfunction once in a while. This is an excellent excuse to use any time for missing online classes.

24. Arrested for Over-Speeding

Tell your instructor you were caught over-speeding. You can even send a speeding ticket. Do not overuse this excuse.

Profession/Career Excuses for Missing Online Class

You may use the following excuses if you are a working student:

25. Urgent Work Errand

You can state that you have been assigned an urgent work errand or that an important event has arisen that requires your immediate attention.

26. Must-Attend Meeting

 Tell the instructor when you have a super important meeting at work.

27. Unplanned Additional Shift

Communicate the following with your instructor. Make sure to mention how an unplanned shift won’t occur in the future.

28. Demanding Day

You can mention that your day’s work was heftier than usual; thus, you arrived home late.

29. Clients Emergency

You can make an excuse when a client wants an urgent service or last-minute request.

30. Employment Interview

Say that you have an interview.

If your profession makes you submit your assignments late, our guide on convincing excuses for late homework may help you.

School-Related Best Excuses for Missing Online Classes

The reasons you can use to defend yourself that touch on school aspects include:

31. Studying for Another Course

If you take two online courses, you can excuse yourself by saying you were studying the other course.

32. Cancelation of Other Classes

There are days or weeks when almost all classes are canceled for various reasons. If this mass cancellation of classes made you miss one of the few happening classes, you could use this excuse.

33. Timetable Error

You will often find modifications in the timetable, either cancellation or change of a class. This excuse is the best fit for these occasions.

34. Missing Class Link

Inform your teacher that you haven’t received the class link when it happens.

35. Incorrect Password

If your password is not working and you haven’t received help from the relevant authority, then this excuse is what you need to share with your instructor.

36. Held Back by Another Course

Sometimes, you’ll find a lecturer extending past their allocated time. Explain this reason when you miss a class due to an extension of another.

Forgot or Confusion Excuses for Missing Online Class

Some of the excuses you can use that revolve around confusion and forgetting are:

37. Confusion with The Class Time

We sometimes confuse the class timing. You may misread the timetable. Your teacher will easily pardon you for this if it’s a one-off event.

38. Forgot About the Class

If you forget about an online class, simply tell your lecturer you forgot. Show them how something important was happening at that time that made you forget.

39. Date Mix-Up

On other occasions, you may mix up your dates with other errands, hobbies, or courses. It’s acceptable if it happens once.

40. Don’t Know Your Classes

You may not know all your classes in the first days or weeks of your semester. So, send this excuse if you miss an online class this way.

41. Pretend You Did Not Know About the Class

Sometimes, you can pretend you didn’t know there was a class, even if you knew.

42. Time Zone Confusion

If you travel overseas, time zone differences may bring confusion and make you miss a class. Just explain this to your instructor.

43. Special Holidays

Some holidays are important to some of us but not all, mostly the religious ones. So, excuse yourself in advance if you need to do a certain ritual on these holidays.

Check out the "What Happens on the First Day of College" article to reduce confusion when you first report for an online or traditional in-class college.

 Other Excuses for Being Absent in an Online Class

44. You didn’t hear your alarm.

45. The weather was harsh. You were not able to make it on time to your home.

46. You didn’t realize you could start a class with pending fees.

47. You had jury duty.

48. You can state you have female issues.

49. You were distracted by too much noise from ongoing construction in your neighborhood.

50. You were a victim of theft.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What Happens If You Skip Online School?

Skipping class may result in negative impacts such as low grades or being punished. Check with your school to know the consequences better,

2. How Can I Skip a Class Without the Teacher Knowing?

You can use many tricks to skip a class without being noticed. The most common is to attend the class and switch off your camera.

3. What to Do After Missing an Online Class?

Contact your instructor as soon as possible and explain your absence. Read this guide to learn how to make excellent excuses.

In Brief

Making good excuses when you miss an online class will go a long way. For instance, your grades will not suffer, and you will avoid punishment. This article lists 50 excuses you can use if you miss a class. Go through it and become a master at excuse-making.

Note that we are here for you if you don’t want your grades to dip. Just place an order with us, and we’ll assist you with any coursework.