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 2026
Judaism
- Purim (March 2-3)
- Passover (April 1-9)
- Shavuot (May 21-23)
- Tisha B’Av (July 22-23)
- Rosh Hashanah (September 11-13)
- Yom Kippur (September 20-21)
- Sukkot (September 25-27)
- Shemini Atzerat (October 2-4)
- Simchat Torah (October 3-4)
- Hanukkah (December 4-12)
Christianity
- Feast of Mary Mother of God (January 1)
- Epiphany (January 6)
- Christmas – Eastern Orthodox (January 7)
- Ash Wednesday (March 18)
- Feast of the Annunciation (March 25)
- Palm Sunday (March 29)
- Holy Thursday (April 2)
- Good Friday (April 3)
- Easter (April 5)
- Feast of the Ascension (May 14)
- Pentecost (May 24)
- Trinity Sunday (May 31)
- Corpus Christi Sunday (June 7)
- Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (June 12)
- 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 22)
- Advent Season (November 29)
- 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 19-March 19)
- Eid al-Fitr (March 19-20)
- Eid-ul Adha (May 26-27)
- Ashura (June 25-26)
- Mawlid-al-Nabi (August 25-26)
Hindu
- Maha Shivaratri (February 15-16)
- Shri Ramakrishna Jayanti (March 15)
- Rama Navami (March 27)
- Krishna Janmashtami (September 4-5)
- Diwali (November 8-9)
Buddhist
- Vesak (May 1)
- Bodhi Day (December 8)
Sikh
- Birthday of Guru Gobind Singh Sahib (January 5)
- Vaisakhi (April 14)
- Martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev Sahib (June 18)
- Birthday of Guru Nanak Dev Sahib (November 24)
- Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahib (November 24)
Baháʼí
- Naw-Rúz (March 21-22)
- Ridván (April 20-May 2)
- Declaration of the Bab (May 23-24)
- Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh (May 28-29)
- Martyrdom of the Bab (July 10)
- Birth of the Bab (November 10)
- Birth of Baháúllah (November 11)
- Ascension of ’Abdu’l-Bahá (November 28-29)