Leave of Absence Policy Academic Term 2012-2013

Periodically students must interrupt their enrollment due to extenuating circumstances. Allowing students to take a leave of absence (LOA), provides student with the opportunity to return to the University under the rules and policies in effect when they left. It also allows the University the opportunity to counsel students about the required actions to return upon the end of the leave.

A leave of absence (LOA) is a temporary interruption in a student’s program of study. LOA refers to the specific time period during a program when a student is not in attendance. A LOA, together with any additional leave of absence, must not exceed a total of 180 days in a 12 month period. The 12 month period begins on the first day of the student’s initial LOA. All student requests for a LOA must be submitted in writing, be signed and dated. CSU will approve the student’s request for a LOA in accordance with the University policy.

CSU must determine, before it grants an LOA, that there is a reasonable expectation that the student will return from the LOA. For CSU to make this determination, CSU must know the reason for requesting the LOA. Students must apply in advance for an LOA unless unforeseen circumstances prevent the student from doing so. For example, if a student were injured in a car accident and needed a few weeks to recover, before returning to school, the student would not have been able to request the LOA in advance.

Approved Leave of Absence and Return of Title IV

A student granted an LOA is not considered to have withdrawn, and no Return of Title IV calculation is required. If a student does not meet the conditions of the LOA, the student is considered to have ceased attendance and will be considered withdrawn. CSU is then required, by Federal regulations, to perform a Return of Title IV calculation.

How Title IV Aid is Handled During an Approved Leave of Absence

CSU will not assess any additional institutional charges to a student and will not award any additional Title IV aid while student is on an LOA. A student who is granted an approved LOA remains in an in-school status for Title IV loan repayment purposes. A student, who has exhausted his or her grace period and is unable to begin repayment of a loan, may apply for a deferment or forbearance of payment.

Consequences of Failing to Return from an Approved Leave of Absence

If a student on an approved LOA fails to return, CSU must report to the holders of the loan the change in enrollment status as of the withdrawal date. Another possible consequence of not returning from a LOA is that a student’s grace period for a Title IV program loan might be exhausted. Also, if a student does not return at the expiration of an approved LOA (or the student takes an unapproved LOA), the student will be considered to have withdrawn and a return calculation will be performed using the date the student began the LOA.

Approved Leave of Absence Process

Students can initiate a request for an approved leave of absence from CSU in the Office of the Registrar in the Cook Administration Building Room 128. Students should follow these steps in order to complete the process:

"Students in good academic standing, who may need to interrupt their enrollment, due to extenuating circumstances, may pick up the Leave of Absence form.
Student must read and adhere to steps indicated in the application.
Student will complete the form with information including their CSU email address and CSU identification number as well as indicate the semester in which they request LOA.
Student will enter the degree/major, credit hours enrolled, semester they began at CSU, the reason for the request and when they expect to return.
Student will sign and date the form and return it to the Office of the Registrar to complete the approval process.
Student will be notified, via CSU email, if LOA application was approved or denied.

CSU Financial Aid Leave of Absence Policy - Updated: 10/05/2012

You may download a .pdf version of the above policy by clicking here.

You may need to download some of the forms/documents on this web site.