Overview – Wellness Days

Will taking a Wellness Day help?

Student mental health, as well as general wellbeing, is a priority for Northeastern. Wellness Days can and should be used when a student wishes to be absent from a day of classes, whether it’s due to mental health, emotional wellbeing, physical illness, or personal circumstances. Taking a day to perform some self-care or seek assistance from available resources will allow students to return to class with renewed purpose.

This program seeks to provide relief in 3 ways:

Allow students an opportunity to be absent from a day of classes for any reason.
Offer a method for indirectly notifying multiple course instructors of an excused absence while maintaining privacy and reducing the stress of direct notifications.
Provide an in-the-moment reminder of available resources and how to contact them.

Who is eligible for taking Wellness Days?

Undergraduate, Boston-based, non-CPS students registered for classes in the Summer term.

Are there any restrictions on taking Wellness Days?

Students registered in just Summer 1 or Summer 2 will be able to take one day per term. Full Summer students will be able to take 1 day in Summer 1 and 1 day in Summer 2.
A student cannot use multiple Wellness Days consecutively.
- If using a Wellness Day on a Friday, the following Monday will be considered a consecutive day.
- If Monday is a holiday, then Tuesday will be considered consecutive to the previous Friday.
- Wellness Days cannot be used consecutively to University holidays.
A student cannot use Wellness Days to miss two classes of the same course in a week.
A student cannot use Wellness Days on days when exams are scheduled.
- Therefore, the following days constitute ‘blackout dates’ when Wellness Days are not available:
  - May 6, 24, & 28
  - June 18, 20, 24, 25, & 26
  - July 3 & 5
  - August 12, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21
A Wellness Day does not grant an automatic extension for due items.
- Students remain responsible for any and all assignments, exams, lab days, presentations, etc. due on that day.
- Students are expected to contact their course instructor to arrange any make-ups or extensions following the guidelines in the course syllabus.
A Wellness Day only excuses attendance for undergraduate-level courses. It does not excuse attendance from any graduate level courses, employment responsibilities, etc.
Students may not use Wellness Days to miss a clinical, internship or fieldwork placement day.
A student cannot “bank” Wellness Days to be used in a future semester.

If a student requires additional time away from class, they should contact their academic advisor as soon as possible to discuss available options.

How does a student take a Wellness Day?

Students should log in to the Student Hub and navigate to the Classes tab to find a link to the Wellness Day Request Form. Once completed, course instructors will be directly notified by email of the student’s selected Wellness Day, remediating the stress of having to contact them directly.

What information is shared with my instructors?

Student privacy is paramount. When the form is completed, only instructors of affected classes will be notified. They will be informed of the Wellness Day but will not be told why the student has requested a Wellness Day.

What other resources does a student have available?

Support is available:

UHCS offers confidential medical and mental health services. Call 617.373.2772 to schedule an appointment. You can also come for a walk-in mental health visit, available Monday through Friday from 11am-2pm, and Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 5pm-7:30pm. A Student Mental Health Guide is also available that includes information about available mental health resources, answers many common questions about seeking support, and addresses ways to support a friend experiencing mental health challenges.
Find@Northeastern offers students a variety of mental health resources. Full-time degree-seeking students across the Global University System can connect to confidential 24/7 urgent mental health support by calling 877.233.9477 (US), 855.229.8797 (Canada), or +1.781.457.7777 (International), unlimited free counseling through Uwill, and free access to Headspace. Additionally, all Northeastern students can access a moderated peer-to-peer platform through Togetherall.
We Care is available to help students when significant issues arise that impede their success.  617.373.7591; wecare@northeastern.edu
NUPD: For immediate emergency assistance call 617.373.3333; For general non-emergency inquiries call 617.373.2121