How to Email Professor About Late Work

Co-authored by Alexander Ruiz, M.Ed. and Caroline Heiderscheit

Last Updated: December 5, 2022 References

With deadlines, jobs, activities, and relationships to juggle, managing your schedule as a student can be tough. If you’ve realized you’re going to miss a deadline (we’ve all been there), you might be wondering how to email your professor for an extension, to apologize, or to limit any late penalties. Don't worry, we've got you covered. Below, we'll walk you through how to email your professor, plus we'll give you some sample emails to inspire you, too. To learn how to email your professor about late work, read on!

Section 1 of 3:

Tips For Late Work Emails

1
Keep your email concise. When you’re nervous to email a professor, you may feel tempted to ramble or overshare. And while that’s totally understandable, avoid it if you can. Your professors are busy, and they’ll appreciate you getting straight to the point. Provide just the info they need to know, and once you’ve completed your email, go back and edit it for concision.^{[1]
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- Don’t say: “I’m just genuinely so, so sorry. I can’t believe I turned this in late, and you have no idea how long I prepped for this assignment. I really am so sorry that I missed the deadline, and you should know that I will do my best in the future, even when I have tech issues, to not let this happen again.”
- Instead say: “I apologize for turning in this assignment late. Know that I take my work seriously and I’ll do my best to avoid this in the future.”
2
Include a subject line that's clear and detailed. Start your A+ email with a relevant, straightforward subject line that avoids vague phrases and isn’t too lengthy. Remember, your professor is probably managing a huge inbox, and the more time you cut down for them, the more grateful they’ll be to you.^{[2]
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- Don’t say: “Message from a student in Psych 104,” “Need an extension,” or “Hello from Randy Bernard!”
- Instead say: “Extension Request for Psych104, Paper 2: Randy Bernard”
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3
Use a professional tone and be polite. Even if the two of you have chatted casually in person, it’s always best to be formal over email. Then, make sure to be as courteous as possible throughout your email as well.^{[3]
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- Use a formal greeting. “Dear Professor James,” and “Professor James,” are perfect. “Hey,” and “Hi,” are too informal and should be avoided.
- Same goes for your signoff—choose a formal phrase. “Best,” and “Sincerely,” are great picks.
- If you’re asking your professor for something, be sure to ask, not demand. Instead of saying “I need” an extension, say that an extension would be extremely helpful to you.
- Remember to use “Please” and “Thank you," too!
4
Apologize for your late assignment. Show your professor that despite this late assignment, you take their time seriously. If you explain your situation or ask for an extension without this crucial element of your email, you may unintentionally signal to your professor that you’re ungrateful.
- This could hurt your relationship and increase penalties on your assignment.
- So instead, say you're sorry: “I apologize for my late assignment. I know you're busy, and I don’t want to waste your time.”
- “I’m sorry for this late paper, especially because it communicates a lack of care and concern for my grades that I don't feel is accurate.”
5
Ask for an extension if relevant. If you had something come up and, with a little more time, you could have your assignment fully fleshed out and turned in, ask to move the deadline back. Professors get these requests constantly and can’t necessarily accommodate everyone, so make sure to be honest, clear, and thoughtful—because this will raise your chances.^{[4]
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- “If I had an extra 48 hours to complete this assignment, I’d be able to fully explore and structure my insights for this term paper.”
- “I would greatly appreciate an extension on this project. With a little more time, I could turn in my very best work and learn even more from this assignment."
6
Include helpful context. Without oversharing, explain to your professor why the initial deadline might not work for you. Explain the hurdles that got in the way of you completing the assignment on time, but don’t go into too much detail. If your lateness is due to mental illness, follow the same rule: be honest but brief.^{[5]
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- “Last night, my dog had a bar of chocolate without me realizing. I’ve spent the entire evening with her at the vet.”
- "To be entirely honest, I've been dealing with some mental health issues that are seriously affecting my schoolwork."
- If you can, avoid lying. If you're granted an extension and the truth comes out later on, you could face major consequences.
7
Take responsibility instead of avoiding blame. It can be so hard to do this, especially when some things were genuinely out of your control. But trust that if you accept responsibility, you're more likely to get what you're asking for. In all likelihood, your professor will admire your maturity and professionalism!^{[6]
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- Don’t say: “Honestly, it was out of my hands entirely. I’m a victim of circumstance, and that’s why my assignment is late.”
- Instead say: “It's true that I didn’t plan for this to happen. That being said, if I’d started earlier, this wouldn’t have been an issue. So I know, ultimately, this is my fault. I take full responsibility.”
8
Say that it won’t happen again and you take school seriously. Especially if this was just a fluke occurrence, let your professor know that you will not make late work a habit. Explain that typically, you’re organized and responsible and you care about your education.
- “This isn’t like me, and in the future, I promise to do better.”
- “I take my schoolwork very seriously. If it weren’t for my dog’s illness, I would have made getting this assignment in my top priority.”
9
Attach relevant documents. Maybe your assignment was late because you had a personal medical emergency—in this case and in similar situations, it may help to provide proof through medical documentation. There’s no need to attach tons of docs, but if you can strengthen your case with one or two official notes, emails receipts, or medical records, this can only help your case.^{[7]
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10
Have a backup plan. Even if you’ve asked for an extension, start your work anyway. It’s totally up to your professor whether or not they’ll shift the deadline, and some schools have strict policies around late work. Hope for the best, but plan for the worst. Definitely get moving on that paper, and if the deadline hasn’t passed yet, do your best to finish in time!^{[8]
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Section 2 of 3:

Sample Emails

1
Dear Professor Wind,

I hope this email finds you well. I'm Theo, a student in your Wednesday afternoon physics lab. Though I know our next project isn't due for another 2 days, I'm emailing to say that I would greatly appreciate an extension.

I'm so sorry for the inconvenience. The truth is, I've been struggling through some mental health issues and schoolwork has been taking longer than usual for me lately. With this in mind, I should've budgeted for more time, so I take full responsibility. I take my education very seriously, and in the future, I'll do my best to make sure this doesn't happen.

Below, I've included a note from my doctor. Thank you so much for your consideration and for taking the time to read my email. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.

Sincerely,
Theo Wu
2
Dear Professor Perez,

I hope your week is off to a nice start. My name is Sari, and I'm a Sophomore in your Thursday poetry seminar (Poetry 104b). I'm emailing to apologize for this last submission, because I turned in my assignment late.

I value your time, and genuinely love your class. That being said, I have been extremely sick this week. It's made it difficult to finish my schoolwork. I should've emailed you beforehand, but I thought I could get everything done when I was better. That was poor judgment on my part, and I take full responsibility.

Below, I've included a note from my doctor. Again, I'm so sorry for the inconvenience. If you have any questions for me, email me any time. If you'd like to meet in person to discuss this further, I've included my availability below.

Thank you,
Sandy Davis
3
Dear Professor Jaha,

I hope you’re having a nice Monday. I’m Cliff Kuznetzov. I’m emailing to apologize, because I turned in my weekly reflection late.

I promise that I care a lot about this course and about my assignment. I had a last minute tech issue—my internet cut out seconds before I was set to submit. I recognize that if I’d been more responsible and started earlier, this issue wouldn’t have resulted in a late assignment. I’ll be sure to start earlier in the future.

I would love to chat in person or complete any makeup work that you think would be appropriate. Please let me know, and I’ll get started right away. I appreciate your time.

Best,
Clifford Kuznetzov

Section 3 of 3:

Why You Should Email Your Professor About Late Work

1
You could get a deadline extension for your assignment. You know what they say about best laid plans—maybe you budgeted enough time to do your assignment, but something totally out of the blue disrupted your schedule. This could be a family illness, emergency, or tech issue, but whatever the cause, you might suddenly realize that you won’t have enough time to finish.^{[9]
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- Policies around extensions differ from school to school, but by writing an A+ email, you can only help your chances.
- Generally, professors only give you an extension under extenuating circumstances, like a major accident. They're going to be less inclined to extend an assignment if you had competing priorities, like work.
- Professors are people too, and they want to help! Especially if you don’t have a history of late work, when you plead your case, they may be more forgiving than you’d expect.
2
You might limit the number of points docked on your assignment. If you’re turning in an assignment late and worry about penalties, then emailing to offer some context can be extremely helpful. Without your explanation, your professor might assume that you didn't care enough to turn in your assignment on time. But if you explain what got in your way, they may go a bit easier on you.^{[10]
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- Especially if you had a major, unforeseen factor pop up in the final moments before submitting your assignment, you may be able to explain and limit your punishment.
3
Your professor will know that you take school seriously. Maybe time simply got away from you—you don’t have an excuse to explain, but you still want your professor to know that you’re sorry. All professors are different, and you never know.^{[11]
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- By offering a respectful and honest apology for your late assignment, you can improve your relationship with your professor, earn their respect, and possibly limit your late assignment’s penalties.

Expert Q&A

Question

What's the biggest mistake students make when asking a professor for an extension?

Alexander Ruiz, M.Ed.
Educational Consultant
Alexander Ruiz is an Educational Consultant and the Educational Director of Link Educational Institute, a tutoring business based in Claremont, California that provides customizable educational plans, subject and test prep tutoring, and college application consulting. With over a decade and a half of experience in the education industry, Alexander coaches students to increase their self-awareness and emotional intelligence while achieving skills and the goal of achieving skills and higher education. He holds a BA in Psychology from Florida International University and an MA in Education from Georgia Southern University.

Alexander Ruiz, M.Ed.

Educational Consultant

Expert Answer

The biggest mistake students make is not attempting the assignment before asking to extend it. The most common reason why students need an extension is that they ran out of time to do their work because they were busy with other stuff. Unfortunately, this really isn't a good reason because everyone is responsible for doing their work on time. However, professors totally understand that some students need more time to grasp the material, so they'll often extend a deadline to give you time to revise or redo an assignment.