Two things that students dread the most and they are poor grades and handing in assignments late. The consequences of failing to submit work within the specified deadline or turning it in later than the allotted time is a common cause of worry and stress among students.
Even though you might try hard not to miss deadlines, many things can come along the way, making it inevitable. Some of these things are avoidable, such as writers block, while some, such as emergencies, disasters, or sicknesses, are unavoidable and genuine.
Professors are already wary of such eventualities and look forward to a convincing reason as to why a student failed to turn in the assignment or why they are requesting an extension.
As human as they are, teachers, teaching assistants, and professors can distinguish genuine reasons and either forgive you (avoid deducting late submission marks) or grant you a deadline extension.
Have you ever wondered what excuses you would make to get an extension or if you have submitted an assignment or turned in online homework late? You are not alone. Thousands of students write to their instructors to ask for extensions or to get pardoned for submitting assignments late.
In this guide, we take you through some of the best excuses you can use to make for not handing in your homework on time. You can incorporate them into your late submission of assignment email, deliver them in person to your professor or teacher, or write an apology letter, email, or text message for the late submission. We have professional homework helpers who can handle nearly every subject you can ever think about. If you are short of time, hire one of them for the task and see the best they can do for you; you will be amazed at their capabilities.
Here are some convincing reasons you can use if you fail to meet a submission deadline for an assignment and either want an extension or want it to be accepted and graded unconditionally.
The best excuse for submitting an assignment late is to tell your instructor or teacher the truth. It would help if you were bold enough to let your teacher or the professor know why you really want additional time or why you turned in an assignment late.
If, for instance, you were just lazy or had so many things happening in your life, sharing your genuine concerns with the professor will earn you more time.
Sweep the teacher off their feet by telling them the truth about the assignment. Maybe you never understood it until the last minute, or you were caught up with other assignments and could not balance your time, family, and assignments.
Nobody predicts crime around them. There are instances when exposure to robbery can shatter us down.
You can be so shaken that you can't do anything. If you were a robbery victim or witness, your professor could genuinely understand and extend the deadline.
Maybe during the robbery, your backpack, phone, or laptop was snatched; explaining to your professor earns your trust and more time to complete the assignment and hand it in for marking.
Some people are just lazy when they are part of a group. If a member of your group never did their part, which yours was dependent upon, you can share with the teacher and get an extension or pardon for submitting part of the group assignment late. Group assessments are always a tough call.
One member might be lazy or do the wrong thing altogether, which all of you realize when it is too late. The truth is that teachers know what goes in the groups, and sometimes they give such assignments to test your team or group skills.
Such skills are essential and determine your survival in the job market. Sharing your challenge means you are bold enough to accept failure and take necessary remedies.
You cannot predict when you get sick; even the healthiest people suddenly fall ill out of the blues. You can tell the teacher, "I'm sorry, but I fell ill yesterday and could not do much on the assignment.
I need more time." Any teacher will accept this excuse as it shows your resilience, determination, and readiness to learn and how much you value your school work, even in the face of sickness.
Show that you need an extension to complete just a little bit and work on your paper as though it is your last chance at life.
Besides, if you are handing it in late, your teacher will sympathize with you for persevering through sickness to complete the assignment, albeit late.
Suppose you are a lady; lucky you! But for boys, stay out of this unless you want more trouble with your teacher. You can excuse yourself for submitting an assignment late or asking for an extension blaming your lateness on menstruation.
Male and some female teachers might buy into this excuse, but you must show reasons for it. You can say your cramps were painful, and you could not persevere.
Of course, you will be given an extension or your late assignment accepted because this is a natural process that every lady goes through, and the experience is different from person to person.
People are attached to their pets: dogs, cats, salamanders, iguanas, snakes, spiders, etc. They play a role in our lives anyway.
Losing a pet can make you frustrated, alone, and demoralized, especially if it has meaning in your life. Although this is a rare excuse, pulling it to your teacher can work magic.
It will work unless your teacher is heartless or disentangled with life matters, which most are not. Your pet is a companion or the best friend of your life, and losing them can demoralize your spirit.
If you have a roommate, you can tell your professor that you are submitting an assignment late because your roommate fell ill. You had to take care of them or drive them to the hospital for urgent care.
As caring and empathetic as we teachers are, you will always win our hearts with this excuse on two fronts. One is that you are a loving soul, and two is that you are determined to work hard on your paper despite adversities.
It will be an extension for you, or a pardon for lateness will be granted.
You can blame lateness or ask for deadline extensions claiming that you have other homework or due papers. In an age where assignments swarm you, your professor will most likely buy into your story and grant your wishes and desires.
Inform the teacher early enough of the possibility of getting a deadline extension or that you will submit an assignment late. Do not let assignments bog you down.
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You can also blame lateness in submitting an assignment because your professor got back to you late.
Teachers are busy and sometimes forget to read and respond to emails. Woe unto you if your email for instruction clarification is among them.
If your professor responded or clarified the instructions late, you can use that as a yardstick to get your assignment deadline extension or acceptance of your already late assignment.
If you had a fight with your partner or your parents got into a fight, it is an excuse for a deadline extension or to turn in an assignment late.
You can tell your professor that the commotion and subsequent events- cops, neighbors, and other family members- derailed you from doing the assignment.
Besides, who can concentrate in such environments? Not even your professor can imagine doing assignments after such ordeal. If it is a parent, include their contacts so your professor can reach out. If it were your partner, you must come with a police report.
Trust us on this; such encounters will earn you some sympathy, and your teacher will handle you gently going forward. Instead of punishing you, in addition to accepting late submissions by extending your deadline, they will refer you to a counselor for therapy sessions.
If your area is experiencing a natural disaster such as an earthquake, tremor, hurricane, wildfire, or flooding, you can use that as an excuse for not turning in your assignment on time and ask for an extension.
Such events devastate people, property, and infrastructure, and your professor or teacher will be willing to sympathize with you and add more time.
You can claim that you were involved in an accident and get a deadline extension or pardon for a late submission.
For instance, you can say you were cycling home when you had a bad crash with your bike that caused you so much pain that you could not concentrate on your paper.
Maybe your apartment caught fire, and you had to be evacuated until the fire went off, and you did not have much time left to accomplish the assignment deadline.
A car crash could also have shattered your inner peace and concentration, making you forget an assignment. Any minor accident (spraining a leg, falling on the staircase, or cutting your finger when cooking) or major (fire, car accident, bike crash, etc.), suffices as an excuse for turning in your assignment late.
Nobody will beat you or punish you for your learning disability and for expressing yourself. If they do, such would only amount to discrimination, which is punishable by law. Your university or college admin has to know in advance that you have a learning disability.
Universities and colleges have structures and systems to support students with learning disabilities. You can use this excuse if you tried to meet a deadline but missed it.
Maybe you have dyslexia, meaning that you struggle with spelling and reading. If this is the case, write to your professor that even though you tried, the deadline was so close, and you need more time.
If your close friend lost a relative or someone close to them, you could excuse yourself from an assignment deadline by telling your professor that you were grieving with them. You will come out as a considerate, caring, and sweet soul that everybody needs as a friend.
Your teacher will give you a few hours or days to accomplish the assignment unconditionally. You can then handle the assignment quickly and hand it in for grading like the other students.
Losing a family member such as your grandma, father, brother, or sister is devastating. During the COVID-19 pandemic, as families tore apart, so did the morale to live life to the fullest.
Your teacher, who has compassion, empathy, and emotional intelligence, will understand the weight of losing a family member and direct you to the relevant professionals, such as counselors, for assistance.
Despite the worst encounter, you will get an unconditional deadline extension and pardon for submitting an assignment.
You can convince your teacher to more time or accept an already late assignment by explaining that you were called in for an extra shift at work. You could be covering for a colleague who could not make it to their shift due to unavoidable issues.
When your teacher learns about this, they will pardon you because you have shown employability skills - going the extra mile for an organization.
This works well for student nurses who combine work and already intensive studies, and it can also work for any student pursuing any course.
Tell your teacher you could not afford to miss that extra shift to earn extra money to support yourself. Make it clear that you are not seeking sympathy but are being realistic given uncertain economic times.
This extension excuse has to be very genuine. If you went out of town, you can tell your professor that you had anticipated doing the assignment but found out that network coverage was poor, or you forgot your laptop in your apartment and could not access the instructions remotely. Any teacher who senses genuineness in your request will grant you your wishes unconditionally.
Teachers make a lot of observations apart from teaching. When assigned a paper but a volunteering opportunity comes up, and you grab it, it shows how caring you are to other people. You can claim that you needed the experience to build up your CV or to assist those in need within your community. Asking for more time or a late submission with proof that you volunteered can earn you a lot of respect from your teacher.
If you are truthful in saying that you forgot about a deadline, explain why you might buy more time and complete the paper or accept the already late paper unconditionally.
Be frank and straight up with the teacher and tell them that you had other stuff in your life and did not notice that the deadline was fast approaching.
Technology came as a savior of humankind on many fronts, but it can also be a source of our frustrations.
Saying your computer broke down will probably sound like a lie in a world where you can borrow from a friend or access computers everywhere.
If you want to win with this excuse, provide evidence and show why you could not borrow a computer (privacy, fear of the unknown, or nobody to borrow one from). You can give evidence that you have been to a repair shop, visited the library to use the computers but were chased out during closing hours, or provide photo evidence of the broken computer.
Scavenging on any opportunity to earn extra bucks is commendable as a student; it shows you are independent. It is primal to fend for ourselves and meet our needs. You can say that you attended a recruitment drive, and the interview coincided with the assignment deadline. You will be excused for late submission or given more time to complete your essay or research paper.
You can only demonstrate that your excuse is genuine if you are honest. You can tell your teacher that despite trying everything to avoid being late, your knack for creativity didn't click in on time, and you need extra time to put your house in order and complete the assignment. With so much running in our minds in the fast-paced world, you can research and read well but fail to sit down and write the perfect paper. When this occurs, ask for an extension or let your professor know why you are submitting a paper later than the deadline.
Celebrating yourself is a form of self-care. If you had a birthday and needed time to be with your friends and family or were surprised by friends and could not turn it down, you have to tell your teacher. They will be human enough to allow you more time or accept your late assignment unconditionally unless they are narcissistic.
If you are a TikTok fan, you can check some of the homework excuse reels to get your ribs cracked.
If you notice that you will be late with an assignment (violate a deadline), you should write a late submission request letter. Otherwise, there are dire consequences. Failing to notify your teacher or professor could lead to deduction of the entire grade (an F grade), a partial deduction of a percentage of the whole grade (usually 5-10% depending on the institution), retaking or repeating the entire course(unit), or other measures that are not friendly either. To avoid such, here are some tips:
There is a trail of reasons you can ask for acceptance of a late assignment. You should not be worried or stressed, yet there is an easy way out of missing deadlines.
Many high school, college, and university, even graduate students, have good excuses for not meeting submission deadlines.
When expressing your concerns, you can do so through an apology letter, email, text message, or message on Blackboard or Canvas (student course portal). Here is a format you can use to frame your email or messages.
Here is a sample email template that can help you know how to ask a professor or teacher to accept a late assignment.
Dear Sir/Madam,
I sincerely apologize for violating the submission deadline for this assignment. Even though I tried my best to deliver on the due date (enter the due date and time), I could not do so because [enter your reason/ excuse for lateness and expand on it a few sentences]
I sincerely apologize for this and ask for your pardon (or extension). {I assure you that I will submit the paper within [amount of time you want].} use this if asking for an extension.
I am severely sorry for the inconvenience this situation might have caused you given your busy schedule, and I promise that this will never happen again.
I look forward to your positive response and consideration.
Sincerely yours,
Your Name
Late submission costs 5% of the total marks allotted for your assignment, essay, or paper in most colleges and universities. Some professors are rigorous that each extra day attracts a deduction, and after a while, they might equally fail to accept your assignment and give you an F.
If you are running short of time and need an extension, use the above excuses to convince your teacher to give you more time. These excuses are also a perfect currency for submitting an assignment late, and you can incorporate them into your late submission apology email and win the heart of your teacher/instructor for unconditional acceptance and grading of the late paper.
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