Leave of Absence—Long Term

If you have completed at least one term/session of your degree program at the University and can demonstrate extenuating circumstances beyond your control, you may request a leave of absence. A leave generally permits you to suspend studies and return to the version of the program that you left.

You must complete and sign a Leave of Absence Request Form and submit it through the Office of Student Support for approval. As appropriate, provide documentation to support your request. If you are seeking a leave of absence in the middle of a term/session, there may be impacts to your funding and/or loan deferment; therefore, you should speak with the Student Finance Office prior to submitting the leave request.

You may request up to one period of leave per calendar year. A leave may be from four weeks to two terms in duration, though your return date will be dependent on course availability.

If you request and receive approval for a leave of absence effective before the completion of your course(s), you will receive a “W” for each attended course at the start of the leave unless you are eligible for an “IP” grade. (See Registration for more information.) Module courses successfully completed before the leave will be recorded as such on the transcript.

If you are an active-duty servicemember, in the National Guard or Reserves, or are a military family member, you may take a military leave of absence at any point in your current enrollment for a period of up to 12 months. You may also have the option to renew this status one time for up to a total of 24 months of leave; however, if you exercise this option, you will return to the version of the degree program in effect at the time of your return.

If you do not return to class by the scheduled date and later choose to return to the University, you will need to return to the current version of the program. You are not eligible for financial aid while on leave. Please note that your lender entitles you to a 6-month grace period before entering repayment on your student loans. If you have already exhausted your student loan grace period, you will enter loan repayment immediately.

Leave of Absence—Short Term

If you are enrolled in an ExcelTrack program, are registered in only module courses in a term, have completed all of the term's module courses, and due to extenuating circumstances must suspend your studies for the remainder of the term, you may apply for a short-term leave of absence. This short-term leave will enable you to return at the beginning of the next available term. Only one short-term leave is permitted in any 12-month period and may not exceed 100 calendar days.

A short-term leave of absence must be submitted and approved by the Dean (or designee) prior to the requested start date of the leave. Unforeseen circumstances can be submitted with appropriate documentation for review and approval.

The in-school grace period will apply while on an approved leave of absence. If you fail to return from an approved leave of absence, your financial aid grace period will be impacted.

Requesting to Officially Withdraw from the University

Circumstances sometimes require that you withdraw from the University. If your situation warrants withdrawal, please follow the steps below:

1. Meet with a Student Advisor via telephone, mail, or electronic notification to discuss your decision to withdraw. We will seek to make reasonable efforts to assist you in continuing your education.
2. Once you have officially notified the above indicated designee of your intent to withdraw, you should contact the Student Finance Office only if you intend to withdraw from in-progress courses. The Student Finance Office can answer questions regarding financial obligations to the University and student loan repayment responsibilities. All students should refer to the Tuition Refund Chart for information on how institutional refunds are calculated. Students utilizing Federal Financial Aid, such as Federal Student Loans or Federal Pell Grant, should also refer to the Return of Title IV Financial Aid section of the Purdue Global Financial Aid Information Guide for specific calculation information.
3. If you are using Veterans education benefits and withdraw from the University, a notice of termination of enrollment will be sent to Veterans Affairs.
4. If you are enrolled in a graduate program, a request to withdraw from the University while courses are in progress will result in “W” grades for all attended courses, except during the final 28 days of a term (final 21 days of a 6-week session) when “F” grades will be posted. If you are an undergraduate student, you will receive “W” grades for all in-progress module courses and temporary “IP” grades for all traditional courses until the grades can be finalized at the end of the term. (See Registration for more information.) All in-progress courses taken in a nondegree-seeking enrollment will receive “W” grades.
5. If you withdraw from the University and wish to return, you must apply for readmission and may not return sooner than the beginning of the next grading period/term. If you withdraw from and reenter a nursing or health science program, you may be required to demonstrate competency in clinical skills prior to beginning a clinical or externship.

Withdrawal Due to Nonattendance

Attendance has important effects on your enrollment status at the University:

• If you do not log attendance in any of your classes for 21 consecutive calendar days (excluding scheduled breaks), you will be administratively withdrawn from your program. You may not exceed 14 days of nonattendance if you are enrolled in a 6-week session.
• If you are enrolled in a non-ExcelTrack program and do not log attendance within any of the classes in your schedule at the end of the twelfth day of the term/session, you will be administratively withdrawn from your program.
• If you are a first-term or returning student enrolled in an ExcelTrack program and do not complete academic activity prior to the end of the third week of a 10-week term or the second week of a 6-week session, your enrollment will be cancelled.
• If you are enrolled in a graduate program and are withdrawn due to nonattendance while courses are in progress, grades of “W” will be posted for your courses, except when the period of nonattendance occurs in the final 28 days of a term (final 21 days of a 6-week session) when “F” grades will be posted. If you are an undergraduate student, you will receive “W” grades for all in-progress module courses and temporary “IP” grades for all traditional courses until the grades can be finalized at the end of the term. (See Registration for more information.)
  
  Any incomplete courses at the time of withdrawal are subject to standard University withdrawal policies.
• If you are a nondegree-seeking student, while still strongly encouraged to attend classes frequently, you are not subject to course withdrawals due to nonattendance.
• If you are enrolled in an ExcelTrack program, are registered in only module courses in a term, have logged attendance in the term, and know that you must exceed 21 days of nonattendance (14 calendar days in a 6-week session) during the term, you may  confirm your intent to return within the term in writing. 
  
  The written confirmation must be submitted and approved by the Dean (or designee) prior to the planned, extended period of nonattendance. You may not exceed 45 days of nonattendance under this arrangement and must resume attending classes before the end of the term. Speak with your Student Advisor for assistance.