Policy:

A Leave of Absence (LOA) is a break from Clarkson College for a specified period of time. Permission for an active student to have an LOA requires the approval of the student’s advisor or program director and the reason for the request on the Change of Registration form. According to 34 eCFR 668.22(d), the number of days for an approved leave of absence, when added to the number of days in all other approved leaves of absence, cannot exceed 180 days in any 12-month period. Therefore, an LOA at Clarkson College will be granted for one (1) semester. Any student on LOA who does not register for classes the following semester will be automatically withdrawn from Clarkson College and subject to the AD-10 Readmission policy.

Active-Duty Service Member or Spouse

Any active-duty service member, including a member of a state National Guard or reserve forces or a spouse of a duty service member with dependent children, who is called to perform either state or federal military duty that would interfere with the member’s ability to complete the current term of instruction, will be granted an LOA, upon submission of a copy of written orders. LOAs will be granted for the period of active duty. An LOA is not granted for voluntary active duty or training when the member could schedule the training to avoid a conflict with school instruction. Academic standing prior to being ordered to military duty will be restored upon his or her release from duty without loss of status, academic credits previously earned, scholarships, or grants awarded by the College. The leave cannot exceed five (5) years. One of the following options will be granted:

• To withdraw from the student's entire registration and receive a full refund for the student’s current semester of tuition and mandatory fees.
• To make arrangements with the student's instructors for course grades or for incompletes that shall be completed by the student at a later date. If such arrangements are made, the student's registration shall remain intact, and tuition and mandatory fees shall be assessed for the courses in full.
• To make arrangements with only some of the student's instructors for grades or for incompletes that shall be completed by the student at a later date. If such arrangements are made, the registration for those courses shall remain intact, and tuition and mandatory fees shall be assessed for those courses. Any course for which arrangements cannot be made for grades or incompletes shall be considered dropped, and the tuition and mandatory fees for the course refunded.

Procedure:

1. The student must complete an LOA on the electronic Change of Registration form. If a student does not register for classes and does not complete a Change of Registration form by the last day to register, they will be withdrawn from college (see AA-32 Registration – Add a Course).
2. The form is then submitted from the Registrar’s Office to Student Accounts for further contact with the student.
3. Any student who has been placed on a leave of absence and who has not registered for classes the following semester will be withdrawn from Clarkson College.
4. The procedure for active-duty service members or spouses will be handled on an individual basis.