Leave of Absence

If you are considering taking time away from the College to serve your educational and personal goals, the following outlines the different options available to you.

The first step in initiating the process of taking time away from the College is to meet with an Associate Dean of Student Development who will assist you in facilitating the process.

Regular

A Regular Leave of Absence is a requested during the semester or summer proceeding the semester you will be taking off. It is typically used when you decide that for personal or academic reasons, you want to interrupt study at Earlham for a period of one semester. This includes going on a non-Earlham related off-campus study program. You may request one-semester extensions up to a total of one year.

During the Semester

Occasionally you may find there are personal, financial or academic circumstances, which are preventing you from being able to successfully complete the semester but you plan to return to the College at the beginning of a subsequent semester. You may request a leave for the remainder of the semester you are in as well as the following semester. The Refund Policy will apply to the semester in which you are taking the leave.

Medical

A Medical Leave of Absence may be granted for health conditions. Please provide documentation from a health care professional that indicates the necessity for you to receive treatment off-campus. If you are granted a medical leave you may not be on campus during the duration of your leave. You must have your health care professional submit a letter to the College in order to be readmitted. The College will make the decision about readmission. Additional information may be required.

Withdrawal

Student Initiated: While we firmly hope that we can assist you in exploring all alternatives and options, occasionally you may decide that it best serves your needs to withdraw from the College. This can be done during the semester or before the next semester begins. Should you then decide to return to Earlham, you must complete a readmission form from the Office of Student Development.

College Initiated for Academic Reasons: In addition, any time in a semester when you have done insufficient work in all courses to be able to pass any of them, then the College — through the Office of Student Development or the Registrar’s Office — will normally require you to leave the campus. Your parent(s) will also be contacted. If you intend to continue study at Earlham, you will need to go through the process of readmission. When you are ready to resume your study at Earlham, contact the Office of Student Development and request a readmission form. You will need to demonstrate to the College that you are ready to resume you academic career. Examples of this include, a transcript of work from another college that shows successful academic work or a letter from a health care professional explaining that whatever circumstances existed that prevented you from being academically successful have been satisfactorily resolved.

If you are taking a leave of absence or withdrawing from the campus during the semester …

• you will need to leave the campus within three days of requesting the leave.

• and live in College housing, please make arrangements with your Area Director to turn in your room key.

• please read the Refund Policy and make sure it is clear to you.

When your leave is over or you have been readmitted to the College, you will need to pick up your confirmation envelope on Enrollment Confirmation day before you can register for classes.