Mandatory attendance in education is commonplace, with certain courses within higher education extending this to being an assessed component. Medicine is one such example of this, where guidance from the General Medical Council states that students must achieve an 80% attendance rate to pass relevant modules. The thinking behind this enforced attendance is that it promotes engagement from the students and thus better chances at achieving the learning outcomes. Attendance at the various session types within the medical curriculum (i.e. lectures, clinical skills, and symposia) also allows students to learn aspects of the hidden curriculum; developing skills such as professionalism and improving their interpersonal skills through interactions with colleagues, clinicians, and academics. Whilst there is literature and my own personal experience to support these arguments, there are a myriad of other factors to be considered. Adult learners such as medical students can often have complicated personal situations outside of their academic careers which make attendance challenging. Factors such as physical and mental health, and family responsibilities such as children or carer roles are seldom considered when the attendance policies are enforced. This threat of failure to students, who in many cases are unable to meet the attendance requirements can cause or exacerbate issues of stress and pose risks to their wellbeing. The removal of student autonomy to learn how they feel best suits them is also a problem which warrants consideration, as this should be seen as a vital skill learned while attending university. The subject of attendance is complex, with no ‘one size fits all’ solution. However, evidence shows the enforcement of mandatory attendance policies can be actively detrimental to students, and an individual’s presence in a room does not equate to academic ability—the evaluation of which should be reserved for assessments.