Leave of Absence

Students who find it necessary to leave the University but who plan to return within one year may request a leave of absence. The decision to take a leave of absence is a serious one. ɫ��ɫ University policy requires students to discuss leave-of-absence plans and decisions with their Program Director (for graduate students or RN-BSN students) or Provost's Office.

Though a leave of absence for up to two academic terms will protect students against changes in academic requirements and will facilitate their return, there is no guarantee that financial aid will be continued. Students on a leave also should be aware that courses taken during the leave at other colleges or universities may affect their academic standing at the University. Undergraduate students planning to take college courses while on a leave should consult with the Provost's Office, and graduate students making such plans should consult with their Student Experience Mentor or Program Chair/Director.

In order to return to the University, students must contact the Provost's Office and apply for readmission. The readmission process will initiate the student’s course registration and arrangements for housing. Students who fail to return after the approved leave period will be withdrawn from the University.

To request a leave of absence, students must follow the procedures outlined in the Withdrawal from University process, and indicate that they would like to request a leave of absence. Note that policies for the refund of tuition and fees, as well as reimbursement of financial aid are the same as for students that are withdrawing from the University.

Leave of Absence due to Military Service

Students can be ordered to federal active duty under the laws in Title 10 U.S.C., in which “Active Duty” means full-time duty in active military service. Title 10 allows the President of the United States to federalize a state’s militia (National Guard) by ordering them to active duty for missions of national defense, national civil unrest or natural disaster. In addition, members of the National Guard can also be activated by the Governor of Pennsylvania under the provisions of Title 32 U.S.C. for state active duty (SAD) orders to assist in state natural disasters, threats to the state’s security, or civil unrest. Whenever a ɫ��ɫ student serving in the military is called or ordered to active duty, the University will grant the member or the member's spouse a military leave of absence from their education without penalty. For the purpose of this procedure, the student refers to both military personnel and the spouse of military personnel being called to active service who are enrolled at ɫ��ɫ University.

Students who enlist for service in the military after the add/drop period will be subject to the University’s non-military refund policy.

Definitions

Military Absence: A period in which a student will be absent from class due to military orders with the expectation of completing all missed assignments by the end of the semester.
Military Incomplete: University procedure to allow students, who are members of the U.S. Armed Forces with military orders, to fulfill their military obligation and submit completed assignments within a defined period of time. Students taking an incomplete will receive a temporary grade of “M”.
Military Withdrawal: a University approved withdrawal from all in-progress University classes initiated by a student being called or ordered to active service greater than 6 months, whether voluntary or involuntary.
Military Affiliated Student: any student who is a member of the U.S. Armed Forces (Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, Coast Guard, National Guard, or Reserve) and the spouse is a member of the Armed Forces called or ordered to active military service.
Calls or Orders to Active Service: Students can be ordered to federal active duty under the laws in Title 10 of the U.S. Code. “Active Duty” means full-time duty in active military service. Title 10 allows the President to federalize a state’s militia (National Guard) by ordering them to active duty for missions of National Defense, national civil unrest or natural disaster.

In addition, members of the National Guard can also be activated under the provisions of Title 32 of the U.S. Code for state active duty (SAD) orders to assist in state natural disasters, threats to the state’s security, or civil unrest.

Length of orders: Military orders will be categorized into short-term and long-term. With two subcategories for short-term orders 1) for a period of one day to three weeks, or 2) orders greater than three weeks but less than six months. Long-term orders are defined as orders that exceed the semester end date or longer.

Military Leave of Absence Process

Student Responsibilities

All students called or ordered to active duty in a branch of the U. S. Armed Forces causing an interruption in the student’s semester must provide the University with advanced notice of such service and the intention to take a leave of absence.

All students with military orders will:

schedule an appointment with the Office of Veteran & Military Services, and
provide a copy of official military orders or memorandum from the ordering unit, signed by the commanding officer or authorized unit representative and include the effective date of military service and the anticipated return date.

Military Absence

Short-Term Orders (one day to three weeks)

All absences will be excused, and students will be allowed to make up missed work without a penalty to their grade. In addition to meeting with Veteran & Military Services, students need to contact professors (as soon as possible) to make arrangements to make up missed classes and complete assignments.

Military Incomplete

Short-Term Orders (Greater than 30 days not to exceed six months beyond the end of the semester)

A student with short-term military orders that do not extend beyond the semester end date will have two options to choose from at the time of the exit interview. The student may:

Request a temporary military leave and receive a temporary grade of “M” (which functions similarly to an incomplete); when the student returns and completes the work, the grade will be replaced as determined by the professor. The additional time granted to complete coursework will never be less than the length of time of the leave and can be extended as appropriate or needed, up to six months total. NOTE: Extensions for completion of the coursework can only be granted to students who are maintaining appropriate and regular communication with the Executive Director of Veterans and Military Affairs at ɫ��ɫ University and must provide a copy of their orders to the E.D.
If the student is unable to complete the course within six months from the semester end date, they must work with the professor(s) and appropriate College Dean to either extend the time to complete assignments.
OR
The student may elect a Military Withdrawal from their course(s), indicated with an “MW” on their transcript. An “MW” grade is equivalent to a “Withdrawal” (W). Students who feel they will be unable to complete their assignments within the allotted time are strongly encouraged to request a Military Withdrawal.

Students granted a Military Absence or Military Incomplete and awarded academic credit for work completed in the semester in which a student takes military service leave will not receive a refund.

Military Withdrawal

Long Term Leave (Orders that exceed beyond the semester end date or longer)

A student with long-term military orders will:

schedule an Exit Interview with the Office of Veteran & Military Services and provide documentation of official military orders. Documentation can be official orders or a memorandum from the ordering unit, signed by the commanding officer or authorized unit representative, and include the military effective date and anticipated return date.
receive an “MW” for Military Withdrawal without negatively impacting the student’s GPA.

University Responsibilities

Repayment and Refunds General Statement

Refunds are determined based on the source of the funds after all repayments have been completed. To comply with the Department of Defense (DOD) policy, any student using Tuition Assistance (TA), ɫ��ɫ University will return any unearned TA funds on a prorated basis through at least 60% portion of the period for which the funds were provided. TA funds are earned proportionally during an enrollment period. Any unearned TA funds — based upon when a student stops attending — will be returned directly to the military service from which the funds were provided, not to the service member.

Return of any unearned Federal financial aid (known as Title IV funds), including Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG), and Federal Subsidized and Unsubsidized Direct Loans, is determined based on withdrawal date and percentage of semester completion.

The School Certifying Official (SCO) will notify the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) of the student’s leave of absence. The reason for the leave of absence will be documented as “mitigating circumstances” for students providing documentation of active duty status. Failure to provide notice or documentation may result in the need for you to pay the VA for the cost of any housing or books and supplies already received. It may also result in ɫ��ɫ repaying the VA for tuition, fees, and Yellow Ribbon benefits paid on your behalf.

University Roles

Veteran & Military Services

The Office of Veteran & Military Services serves as the primary point of contact for students and families needing assistance during the student’s military leave of absence, including referring and coordinating communications with other University offices as needed. Upon receiving notice of a student’s request to withdraw from a program or drop all enrolled courses, the Veteran & Military Services executive director will review the request and initiate the military leave of absence using the Exit Form in AMOS. A note will be created in Navigate to include: the reason for the withdrawal, the student’s date of military leave, anticipated return date, and referrals to the following offices: Registrar, Student Accounts, Financial Aid, Housing, and IT. It is the student's responsibility to schedule an appointment with these offices. A copy of the orders will be retained by the Veteran & Military Services office and added to the student online record in the ɫ��ɫ shared drive.

Financial Aid

Determines the need to repay unearned Title IV funds provided through financial aid service providers and the timelines and requirements to defer payments based on active duty service.

Student Accounts

No refund will be provided until the University receives a copy of the military orders necessitating the withdrawal.

Housing

Residential students who need to take a Military Leave of Absence should contact the Office of Housing regarding their space. Residents who may be gone for a long period of time should plan to vacate their space and return their room key(s). Room and board rates will be prorated for residents who are not returning to their room for the duration of the Military Leave of Absence. Board rates will be refunded on a weekly prorated basis. The Office of Housing will work with students to identify a housing assignment based on available spaces at the time of their return from their Military Leave of Absence but cannot hold their previous assignment as it may be offered to another student.

Registrar

All courses unable to be completed due to a military leave of absence will be identified on the student’s transcript with an “MW” grade. An “MW” grade is equivalent to a “Withdrawal” and replaces the standard “W.”

Readmission

This Military Leave of Absence will remain in place for a maximum of five years. Students are entitled to return without requalification for admission provided the student (1) returns after a cumulative absence of five years or less and (2) notifies the Office of Veteran & Military Services of their intent to return to the ɫ��ɫ within one (1) year of completion of their military service obligation. The student’s educational status will be restored to the status they had attained before their orders to military duty without loss of academic credits earned, scholarships or grants awarded, or tuition and other fees paid before the commencement of the military duty.

Students wishing to resume their studies within five years must complete the .