307-4 - Academic Leave of Absence

Title:	Academic Leave of Absence
Owner:	University Registrar
Last Update/Revised:	05/01/2024

Policy:

Students are expected to maintain continuous enrollment in their program of study. A leave of absence (LOA) may be granted for jury duty, military reasons, medical reasons, significant academic issues or other extenuating circumstance as approved by the Office of the Registrar.

An approved LOA cannot exceed more than 180 calendar days in a twelve-month period. The 12-month period begins on the first day of the student’s LOA. Students are expected to attend by the end of the add drop period of the session of their approved return date. Students who are not in attendance by the end of the add period, will automatically be considered a withdrawal. This temporary academic leave status will not be reported to external agencies as it does not meet the requirements under the Federal Student Aid definition for term-based institutions. All payment plans while on an academic leave of absences may be postponed until date of return or at point of withdrawal should students not return by scheduled date.

LOAs are approved when the student meets the following criteria:

Actively attending classes (last date of attendance/participation cannot exceed 30 calendar days).
Completed at least one semester (at least two consecutive 8-week sessions).
In good academic standing (not on disciplinary action, academic probation or academically dismissed from the University).
Scheduled return date must align with a start date (return date cannot be in the middle of a session).

LOAs are not available for:

Non-degree seeking students.
International students. Refer to the International Student Handbook regarding academic breaks/vacations.

Purpose: The purpose of this policy is to provide students with an option to take a temporary leave from the University without being withdrawn.

Procedure:

Students should speak with their academic advisor prior to submitting a request for an LOA.
Students should submit all formal requests for an LOA through the student portal.
Requests must include, reason for an academic leave and dates for which leave is needed (start and end dates).

Scope: This policy applies to all current students.

Documents and Forms:

Leave of Absence Form (available in student portal).