Withdrawal

ELIGIBILITY

The Leave of Absence Policy is intended to assist students who are pursuing a graduate degree from

Anderson University but need to leave the university for a semester due to unforeseen circumstances.

Examples of qualifying events include, but are not limited to:  Pregnancy with or birth or adoption of a child  Personal illness or caring for ill family members  Military service Granting of the Leave of Absence is at the discretion of the Dean or Program Director. It is the assumption that the university and the student both intend for the Leave of Absence to be for one term, but, depending on the specific circumstances, can be extended for a second term. Note that for programs that have a time limit within which to complete a graduate degree, the Leave of Absence stops the clock on that time limit.

PROCEDURE

1. The student must complete the appropriate Leave of Absence forms and submit them to the Dean or Program Director 2. The Dean or Program Director will verify that the student is in good standing: a. Verify academic status b. Verify financial status c. Verify no disciplinary action in place

3. The Dean or Program Director will determine whether to grant Leave of Absence; if granting, the

Dean or Program Director will sign and submit form to the Registrar’s Office 4. Registrar’s Office will notify student and Dean or Program Director once registration system is updated to indicate Leave of Absence. Note: The student’s record remains in active status with a notation of being on leave. 5. When the Leave of Absence is concluded, the student must complete the Return from Leave of

Absence Form to confirm return term, that the underlying issue for the leave has been resolved, and that the student is ready to resume the program.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

While on Leave of Absence, graduate students retain the ability to access campus services such as the library and access to their online services through the online learning platform, AU email, and similar.

Students applying for a Leave of Absence should be made aware that, while AU keeps their student record active, their enrollment status will show as “Not Enrolled” during the leave. This may be important if their employers ask about enrollment status.

Due to Visa restrictions, F1 Visa international students may not be eligible for an academic Leave of Absence and should consult with International Student Services.

A graduate student who finds it necessary to withdraw from Anderson University while classes are in session is required to complete the withdrawal process by contacting the director of their academic program. The official date of withdrawal will be the date the student contacts the program director with the expressed intent to withdraw, even if the individual was not able to meet with the director or the withdrawal was not processed that day.