Leave of Absence or Voluntary Withdrawal

A leave of absence is occasionally advisable for any number of reasons—family emergency, financial distress, illness, etc. A student may leave for one or two semesters and return, or choose a different course of action. Students considering a leave or withdrawal from the university should discuss with their academic adviser or area convener.  

Upon approval, a student may take a leave of absence for up to two terms. In special cases, a third and fourth semester of leave may be approved by the Graduate Academic Standing Committee. As the student pays no tuition or fees during a leave of absence, he/she is not entitled to use any of the resources of the University: faculty, library, housing, or grants-in-aid. Time spent in leave of absence will not be counted as part of the time limitation for the masters or doctoral degrees. Students should be aware that repayment for any student loans may begin in a leave of absence, by federal regulation. If a student does not register in the term following the end of their leave, they will be withdrawn from the university and will be required to submit a re-entry to return to their program. 

Students must complete the leave-of-absence form, which is available through TreeHouse, in the Registrar box found on the Student tab. The form will be sent to the Associate Provost for approval. Students on a voluntary leave of absence who wish to return to Drew must fill out a re-entry form also available on the Registrar’s office page.

Students leaving later than the end of the ninth week of classes, and before the end of a given semester, will be subject to grades of “F” at the time of withdrawal, unless a recommendation for withdrawal (“W”) is made by the Graduate Academic Standing Committee.