Leaves and Withdrawals

Auditing

When a residential location in the Neuropsychology certificate program is not otherwise full, alumni from the program or approved health care and health service providers are permitted to return to audit the didactic courses of the two year program. No other auditing of courses in other programs by students or alumni is formally recognized.

An audit status indicates that the student has merely received instruction, rather than achieved a given standard. This technique is often employed by individuals who wish to take a specific course without the risk of under-performance resulting in a poor or failing grade. This can be helpful when reviewing a long-unstudied subject, or when first beginning the study of a discipline where one has little experience or confidence. Some students audit a class merely for enjoyment with no need or desire of academic credit.

At Fielding, an audit registration is a non-credit registration for the student who wishes to attend lectures in a course, and/or observe classroom activity online, without any responsibility to take examinations, complete homework or papers, practice hours, or to be evaluated. At the discretion of the instructor, a student registered as an auditor may be expected to participate in any and all inperson classroom or online discussions.

Successfully audited classes appear on the student's transcript marked with AU (Audit) in the grade value column. Audit registration will not be included in computing a student's academic/enrollment load and does not count towards satisfactory academic progress or financial aid eligibility. Audited courses do not meet graduation requirements nor impact the student's grade point average. Auditing students are counted towards the course's enrollment cap. Credit for courses audited will not subsequently be granted on the basis of the audit.

Policy Revised 05/01/2021

Leave of Absence Policy

The purpose of leave time is to permit students time off from their studies.

Approved leaves of absence are considered a temporary hiatus from study and do not constitute dismissal from Fielding. Students concurrently enrolled in more than one academic program are ineligible to take leave in just one program. Not all academic programs allow for leaves, and others allow for leaves only after the first term or first year of enrollment or re-enrollment has passed. Students should check with the Advising office and/or published leave policies by school or program with questions about the applicability of leaves for their program(s), personal leave eligibility, or the leave policy.

There are four types of leaves available to students at Fielding Graduate University: 1) full-term leave 2) emergency leave, 3) military leave, and leave during clinical practicum or internship.

Requests for leave must be made in writing to the Advising office, and approval for the leave must be obtained before beginning the leave. All leave requests must include a specific reason for the leave. Any student taking leave without approval will be considered withdrawn.

Students are not permitted to participate in any academic activity while on leave, including but not limited to: coursework, clinical training, residency, research, internship, or data collection. In addition, instructors are not required to review student work received during the leave period. Students on leave may not attend residency sessions.

This break from academic coursework is best determined by students and can include, for example, time off to deal with health issues (emotional and physical), family, financial, and work related concerns. Furthermore, students are responsible for using these leaves for their intended purposes.

Students on financial aid should be aware that disbursements of student loan funds and in-school deferment statuses can be affected by leaves of absence. A student who is on academic and/or financial aid probation may not meet the terms of probation if the leave is not part of the approved academic plan upon which the probation is based.

Full-Term Leave of Absence

Students are eligible for up to three non-consecutive full-term leaves during their student tenure, no more than one term per 12-month period. A student will not be charged tuition for the period of a term-length approved leave. If a student has already paid tuition for the term-length leave, a tuition credit will be posted to the student account.

Advance request of full-term leave is strongly encouraged in order to adequately plan for the academic and financial repercussions of the leave, and the request must be received no later than the 5th day of the term. Leave requests received after the 5th day of the term will be considered for Emergency Leave of Absence.

Emergency Leave of Absence

If a student encounters an emergency situation after the 5th day of the term/module that will cause them to be unable to complete their enrolled coursework, the student may be eligible to request an emergency leave of absence for the remainder of the term/module. The emergency leave replaces one of the three terms of leave of absence available to the student. No more than 180 days of leave may be taken during any 12 month period.

The request for emergency leave must include an explanation by the student of the situation that has led to the need for the emergency leave. The Director of Advising will review all emergency leave requests and must approve an emergency leave before it can be taken. The student must work with their instructors and the Registrar's office to determine if and when any in-progress coursework will be completed, with the Registrar making the final determination about in-progress coursework, if necessary, in compliance with applicable policies and regulations. Students who remain enrolled in their courses (and receive grades of Incomplete) will not receive a tuition refund.

Students who request to withdraw from all current registered courses will have ‘W’ grades transcripted, even if the leave begins prior to the add/drop deadline, and may receive a refund in accordance with the tuition refund schedule.

For students on payment plans, monthly payments will continue when a student is on leave.

Military Leave of Absence

Enrolled students in any academic program are eligible for military leave regardless of academic standing. Military leave cannot exceed 180 days in a 12-month period with the student returning to study on or before the end of the 180 day period. If there are multiple deployments, a military leave can be granted for each deployment; however the same 180 day limit in a 12-month time period

applies. The leave may start as soon as two weeks after the date of the student being notified of their deployment by the military. The student must provide copies of the official notification.

The student must work with their faculty and the Registrar's office to determine if and when any inprogress coursework will be completed, with the Registrar making the final determination, if necessary, in compliance with applicable policies and regulations.

Students who remain enrolled in their courses (and receive grades of Incomplete) will not receive a tuition refund. Students who withdraw from all courses will receive a refund in accordance with the tuition refund schedule.

Students with federal or private student loans who may be deployed longer than 180 days in a 12month period should contact their loan servicer(s) to request a Military Deferment on those loans.

Leave during clinical practicum/internship

Students in the Clinical Psychology PhD or Respecialization certificate programs whose only academic activity in an academic term is clinical practicum or internship and who need to request a leave of absence from their training site may request a short-term leave of absence from Fielding that matches the dates of the leave from the training site.

The student must work with the Director of Clinical Training to determine eligibility before applying for a leave from their training site. The student must provide documented approval from the training site, a description of the reason for the leave, and any other requested supporting documentation to the advising office in advance of the leave start date to be considered for this leave of absence.

Returning from Leaves

All leaves are granted with the expectation that the student will return from the leave on the date indicated in the approval. To return from leave, all past due tuition and fees must be paid by the 15th day of the month prior to the return date. In addition, students must register for academic work within 15 calendar days of the return date. Failure to register for coursework or to pay an outstanding balance upon return may result in withdrawal by the institution.

In certain exceptional situations, students may be allowed to return early from a leave. Tuition will be charged for any applicable period of enrollment and students enrolled for more than 60% of a term will owe the full tuition for that term. Leaves ended early will still count as a full term leave towards the student's total leave time permitted. If a student wishes to return from a leave early, they should make a written request to the Advising office detailing the exceptional circumstances that necessitate the early return. Requests will be reviewed by the Director of Advising, and any decisions made will be final.

Requests for Additional Leave

If the student needs additional time away from study beyond one full term or 180 days of Emergency/Military Leave within a 12-month period, the student will need to withdraw and apply for re-enrollment when circumstances allow it. Students who have been separated from the university may be eligible to re-enroll.

If a student has exhausted their total eligible leave time, any further leave requests will be reviewed by the Director of Advising on a case-by-case basis for approval, and any decisions rendered are final. In no situation will a leave be approved that exceeds 180 days in a 12 month period.