Absence for Religious Observance Policy

Effective April 2023. Note that the Absence for Religious Observance Policy published in the Cincinnati State Catalog does not include the link to the eForm for requesting an absence (see second paragraph below).

Absence for Religious Observance

Students are permitted to request up to three days each semester for an excused absence from class for observance of a religious holiday (or to take part in organized activities conducted under the auspices of a religious or spiritual belief system) that is part of the student’s sincerely held religious beliefs and practices.

It is the student’s responsibility to provide written notice to each faculty member of the specific dates requested for religious observance, using the Absence for Religious Observance Request eForm. (Only students can view this eform and the student must log in to MyCState to access the form.)

The written notice must be provided within fourteen (14) days of the first day of instruction for each course where accommodation is requested.

It is also the student’s responsibility to talk to their instructor about making up required work through a process and on a schedule to be determined by the course instructor.

Students with questions about this policy should contact the Provost’s Office by email at provostoffice@cincinnatistate.edu.

A student who believes they were unfairly denied permission for an excused absence for a religious holiday should use the Absence for Religious Observance Complaint Form at https://web3.cincinnatistate.edu/eforms/eform.aspx?form_id=2120.

Religious Holidays/Holy Days

The following list of religious holidays is non-exhaustive, and may not be used to deny accommodation to a student for a holiday or festival of the student’s faith or religious or spiritual belief system that does not appear on the list.

January-December 2025

Judaism

  • Purim (March 13-14)
  • Passover (April 12-20)
  • Shavuot (June 1-3)
  • Tisha B’Av (August 2-3)
  • Rosh Hashanah (September 22-24)
  • Yom Kippur (October 1-2)
  • Sukkot (October 6-13)
  • Shemini Atzerat (October 13-15)
  • Simchat Torah (October 14-15)
  • Hanukkah (December 14-22)

Christianity

  • Feast of Mary Mother of God (January 1)
  • Christmas – Eastern Orthodox (January 7)
  • Epiphany (January 6)
  • Ash Wednesday (March 5)
  • Feast of the Annunciation (March 25)
  • Palm Sunday (April 13)
  • Holy Thursday (April 17)
  • Good Friday (April 18)
  • Easter (April 20)
  • Feast of the Ascension (May 29)
  • Pentecost (June 8)
  • Trinity Sunday (June 15)
  • Corpus Christi Sunday (June 19)
  • Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (June 27)
  • Nativity of St. John the Baptist (June 24)
  • Feast of Saints Peter and Paul (June 29)
  • Feast of St. Ignatius Loyola (July 31)
  • Feast of the Assumption of Mary (August 15)
  • All Saints Day (November 1)
  • All Souls Day (November 2)
  • Feast of Christ the King (November 26)
  • Advent Season (November 30)
  • Feast of St. Francis Xavier (December 3)
  • Feast of the Immaculate Conception (December 8)
  • Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (December 12)
  • Christmas (December 25)

Islam

  • Ramadan (February 28-March 30)
  • Eid al-Fitr (March 30-31)
  • Eid-ul Adha (June 6-7)
  • Ashura (July 5-6)
  • Mawlid-al-Nabi (September 4-5)

Hindu

  • Maha Shivaratri (February 26)
  • Shri Ramakrishna Jayanti (March 15)
  • Rama Navami (April 6)
  • Krishna Janmashtami (August 16-17)
  • Diwali (October 20-21)

Buddhist

  • Vesak (May 12)
  • Bodhi Day (December 8)

Sikh

  • Birthday of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib (January 6)
  • Vaisakhi (April 14)
  • Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev Sahib (May 30)
  • Birthday of Guru Nanak Dev Sahib (November 5)
  • Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib (November 24)

Baháʼí

  • Naw-Rúz (March 19-20)
  • Ridván (April 20-May 2)
  • Declaration of the Bab (May 22-23)
  • Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh (May 27-28)
  • Martyrdom of the Bab (July 9)
  • Birth of the Bab (October 22)
  • Birth of Baháúllah (October 23)
  • Ascension of ’Abdu’l-Bahá (November 27-28)