Office of Student Support & Accountability

Medical Leave and Return Process

What is the Medical Leave and Return Process?

Spartans thrive when they are able to attend to their health and wellness goals during their academic journey. We understand that in some cases taking the time to address a Spartan's health and wellness may require time away. The Medical Leave and Return Process (MLRP) is an exceptional remedy to assist students experiencing impacts from a personal health condition that impact their ability to maintain enrollment to address their needs and find support to continue with their academic goals. 

What is a medical leave?

A student medical leave is a university-verified designation indicating a personal health condition had a catastrophic impact on a student's ability to remain enrolled. A medical leave requires students be or previously have been under the care of a licensed treatment provider who is willing and able to attest to the student's health condition, its impact on the student, and the impact on their ability to maintain course enrollment during the requested term. The health condition can be related to physical health, mental health, or a combination of concerns. 

Starting the Process

1. A student medical leave involves withdrawing, also known as dropping all courses in a term. Taking a medical leave is a big decision that can affect finances, on-campus housing, immigration status and more. Students are expected to review the University Withdrawal Policy to understand the specific steps and implications before initiating a request.

2. Students must review the Medical Leave and Return Process Policy in full before initiating the process.

3. All withdrawals from the University are subject to the Medical Withdrawal Policy for Class Tuition and Fees Refund Policy. If you have questions about your last date of attendance and how this affects your potential refund, please contact the Office of the Registrar.

  • Most granted medical leaves, receive a $500.00 lump-sum tuition refund for the term withdrawn.
  • If you receive financial aid, contact the Office of Financial Aid to determine how taking a Medical Leave would impact your aid before initiating your request for leave.

Timing

Current Term Medical Leave: Students who withdraw between the Last Day to Drop with Refund and the Class Ends Date due to a personal health condition and wish to be reviewed for a refund may request a Medical Leave. A request during this time is a current term medical leave.

Retroactive Medical Leave: Students who are requesting a retroactive withdrawal based upon a student’s medical condition that prevented the initiation of a withdrawal during a term of instruction may do so. A retroactive medical leave is any leave requested after the class ends date. Students can request a medical leave up to the commencement date of the semester one calendar year later. 

To find these specific dates for a given semester, please visit the academic calendar.

To download a PDF version of the Medical leave timeline, click here. 

Other Information

 

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