 Taking a Leave of Absence
It is the responsibility of each graduate student to maintain current registration each semester until graduation. If you plan to suspend work toward your degree for one or more semesters, you must file for a leave of absence. A leave of absence form may be obtained from your academic department or school/college dean's office.
Keep the following in mind:
- Your department must approve a leave of absence for a specific period of time that will allow you to return and resume studies.
- While you are on a leave of absence, you are not permitted to register at SU for any coursework.
- It is important that you reach an agreement with your department regarding how the leave will affect your timeframe for completing degree requirements. You may want to consider recording the terms of your leave on a Petition to the Faculty, signed by your
department.
- The effective date of your leave determines (1) how your course registration and grades are handled and (2) tuition that you will be charged or credited. If you want to preserve the option of requesting grades of incomplete, you must check "completing semester" on the leave of absence form. Review these rules of the Registrar regarding the academic and financial implications of your leave in Acadmic Rules and Regulations (below) and consult the current academic calendar.
- A health related leave must also be approved by the SU Health Center. Contact Kathy Shattuck at 443-9001 to discuss the procedures. Once a copy of your petition reaches her, she will correspond with you directly.
- Upon your return from a leave of absence, you must file a Petition to the Faculty for readmission to your graduate program. This form must be approved and signed by your department and the Graduate School. Allow time for processing the readmission request before the beginning of any given semester in which you want to return. If your leave was health related, you must submit medical information to the SU Health Center for readmission to the University.
- A leave of absence may affect the status of a loan or other financial support. Check with your department, the Financial Aid Office, and the Graduate Enrollment Managment Center.
- Check the Academic Calendar published by the Registrar. The date your leave of absence is effective is subject to the published financial deadlines.
Rules and Regulations
Below are the relevant excerpts from Academic Rules and Regulations regarding withdrawals, leaves of absence, and readmission:
12.0 Academic Actions
12.1 LEAVE OF ABSENCE AND WITHDRAWAL
Students who intend to leave the University before completing degree requirements should file an Official Leave of Absence form, whether they intend to return to the University or not. That process is initiated in the home college dean’s office for undergraduates and in their
academic department for graduate students.
Students who are suspended from the University for academic or disciplinary reasons will be officially withdrawn from the University. The suspending college or the Office ofStudent Affairs initiates the official withdrawal in this instance.
Students may also be withdrawn by the University for medical reasons. Officially withdrawn students lose their matriculation status. That status may be reinstated if the student subsequently meets all requirements for readmission to the University. Students who take a leave of absence or are withdrawn from the University have that action and its effective date recorded on the transcript.
The transcript notation for Leaves of Absence is "Leave of Absence - Student Initiated," and for Withdrawals, "Withdrawal - University Initiated."
For financial and academic purposes, the effective date of the action is the date the form is approved by ... the Graduate School (for graduate students), or the last day of classes attended, whichever is later. The notation "Did not register" will appear on the records of undergraduate students who do not register and do not notify the University that they have left. Students who leave after the semester begins, but who do not notify the University, will continue to incur tuition, room, board, and other charges. Course registration will remain on the transcript record, and any grades submitted by faculty will also appear on the transcript.
Students receiving financial aid must inform the Office of Financial Aid in 200 Archbold. International students should notify the Office of International Services, 310 Walnut Place. Students residing in University housing or who are on a University meal plan must inform the Office of Residence, Dining, and I.D. Card Services, 202 Steele Hall, of their intention to leave the University.
Related Procedures University ID cards are activated upon registration, therefore student are encouraged to retain their I.D. cards if they plan on returning to the University.
12.1.1 Withdrawals or Leaves Taken for Medical Reasons
Students leaving the University for reasons of health must submit a medical statement that supports the need to leave to the director of the University Health Service.
12.1.1 Financial Implications of Leaves and Withdrawals
See Table E and Tuition, Fees, and Related Policies for the complete statement of the University’s policy and requirements for refunds for withdrawals and leaves of absence. Students must initiate the request for refund in all cases, including those actions taken for medical reasons.
12.1.3 Academic Implications of Leaves and Withdrawals
If a student is withdrawn or takes a leave of absence before the academic drop dead-line, all courses are dropped from the transcript. After the academic drop deadline, courses for which the student was registered remain on the transcript, and grades of WD are recorded. Following the deadline to receive a WD, an F grade is recorded for all courses unless an approved petition has been filed with the office of the dean of the student’s home college. (See Table E.)
Students who take a leave of absence or are withdrawn may not receive Incomplete grades in courses for which they were registered. Only grades of WD or F can be recorded on the transcript.
Students who register for a future semester and are later withdrawn or take a leave of absence for that semester will have their early registration cancelled.
12.2 READMISSION/TERMINATION OF LEAVE OF ABSENCE
Students who have taken a leave of absence from the University must apply for readmission. Readmission is dependent upon space availability in the college and program to which the student seeks readmission.
In order to obtain an application for undergraduate readmission, contact the Office for Student Assistance, 306 Steele Hall, Syracuse, NY 13244-1120, phone 315-443-4357. Readmission for students withdrawn for academic or disciplinary reasons is subject not only to space availability, but also to satisfaction of additional requirements specified in the terms of the withdrawal and the restrictions of particular colleges and programs.
A student who is applying for readmission to a degree program in which requirements have changed since the time of withdrawal or leave of absence may be required to satisfy the requirements of the program of study as currently defined. The responsible academic unit will re-view the student’s transcript for final determination of the requirements to be fulfilled.
Undergraduate students accepted for readmission who meet eligibility criteria may apply for Academic Renewal. (See item 3.0.) No student may be readmitted until all prior Syracuse University financial obligations and disciplinary actions have been satisfied. If the leave or withdrawal from the University was for reasons of health, the attending physician must submit a medical evaluation of the student’s present state of health to the director of University Health Service, 111 Waverly Avenue. Health clearance must be granted by the University Health Service before an application for re-admission can be considered.
Readmitted students are eligible to register for the
upcoming semester during the regular registration period in the prior semester or on the registration day for new students at the beginning of the semester.
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