Enter the classes you have attended and the classes held so far, and the page gives your attendance percentage. Add a target and it shows how many classes you must attend in a row to reach it, or how many you can miss and still meet it.
Pick a question and enter the numbers
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Your answer
Your answer shows up here once you fill in the numbers.
What to enter
- Classes you attended
- How many classes you were present for. Count only what your school counts, since some schools treat a late arrival or an approved absence differently.
- Classes held so far
- The total number of classes that have run, including the ones you missed.
- Attendance you need
- The minimum percent your school or course asks for. It comes from your own course rules, not from this page.
- Classes still to come
- Only in the second mode. How many classes are left before the period ends.
Worked examples
Where you stand, and how to catch up
You have attended 15 of 24 classes, and your course asks for 75%.
- Divide the classes attended by the classes held: 15 ÷ 24 = 0.625.
- Multiply by 100: 62.5%.
- To reach 75%, attend every class until (15 + n) ÷ (24 + n) reaches 0.75.
- Solve for n: (75 × 24 – 100 × 15) ÷ (100 – 75) = 12, rounded up to 12.
Your attendance is 62.5%. You are below the target, and attending the next 12 classes in a row gets you to 75%. Check: (15 + 12) ÷ (24 + 12) = 0.75.
How many can you miss?
You have attended all 20 classes so far, and the target is 80%.
- Divide the classes attended by the classes held: 20 ÷ 20 = 1.
- Multiply by 100: 100%.
- To find how many you can miss, find the most classes held that still keeps you at 80%: 20 × 100 ÷ 80 = 25. Take away the 20 already held: 5.
You can miss 5 more classes in a row and still stay at 80%. Check: 20 ÷ 25 = 0.8.
With the end of term in sight
You have attended 15 of 24 classes, 16 classes are left, and the target is 75%.
- Add the classes held and the classes to come: 24 + 16 = 40.
- Find how many you must attend in total: 75% of 40 = 30, rounded up to 30.
- Take away the 15 you have already attended: 15.
You need to attend at least 15 of the 16, and you can miss 1. That takes you to exactly 75% over the full 40 classes.
How many classes can you miss over a term?
This table is for a term of 40 classes where you start with a clean record. It shows how fast a higher target uses up your room to miss.
| Target | Classes to attend | Classes you can miss |
|---|---|---|
| 70% | 28 | 12 |
| 75% | 30 | 10 |
| 80% | 32 | 8 |
| 85% | 34 | 6 |
| 90% | 36 | 4 |
Each class you miss costs you more room in a short term than in a long one, because every class is a bigger share of the total.
Who sets the attendance rule?
Your school, college or course sets it, and the rule can differ between courses in the same school. Some visa conditions and some funding schemes also ask for a minimum. The page works with whatever number you give it, so check the exact rule, and what counts as attendance, with your course office or in your handbook.
How it is calculated
- Divide the classes you attended by the classes held so far.
- Multiply by 100 to get your attendance percent.
- If you are below the target, find how many classes you must attend in a row. Each class you attend adds 1 to both the top and the bottom, so the percent climbs slowly.
- If you are above the target, find how many classes you can miss before the percent falls to the target.
Attendance % = classes attended ÷ classes held × 100
Classes to attend in a row = (target × held – 100 × attended) ÷ (100 – target), rounded up
Assumptions to keep in mind
- The percent counts every class equally. Some schools weight classes or treat approved absences differently.
- The page assumes you miss or attend the classes in one run. Attending a mix gives the same total, so the number of classes you can miss is the same.
- A 100% target cannot be reached once you have missed a class, because the percent is a share of every class held.
- The page does the arithmetic only. It cannot tell you what your school will count.
Mistakes that give the wrong answer
Leaving out the classes you missed
Classes held means every class that ran, including the ones you were not at.
Using the number of classes in the whole term
Use classes held so far in the first mode. Use the second mode if you want to include the classes still to come.
Rounding up your own percent
If your school asks for 75% and you are on 74.6%, you are under, even if it rounds to 75%. Check how your school rounds.
Planning to miss every class you are allowed
Illness and emergencies do not come with a warning. Leave yourself some room.
Questions students ask
How do I calculate attendance percentage?
Divide the classes you attended by the classes held so far, then multiply by 100. If you attended 15 of 24, that is 15 ÷ 24 × 100 = 62.5%.
How many classes can I miss and still meet my attendance target?
It depends on your target and how many classes there are. For a term of 40 classes and a 75% target, you can miss 10. The second mode on this page works it out for your numbers.
How many classes do I need to attend to reach a target?
The first mode gives the number of classes you must attend in a row. For 15 of 24 and a 75% target, it is 12.
What attendance percentage do I need?
It depends on your school and course. Some courses set a minimum and some set none. Check your handbook, since this page cannot tell you.
Is attendance rounded?
It depends on your school. The page shows the exact figure to two or more decimals, so you can see how close you are. Ask your course office how they round.
