Leave of Absence

There are two types of leaves of absence: mandatory and voluntary. A student may be put on a mandatory leave of absence for academic, medical, or administrative reasons. Alternatively, a student may voluntarily request to take a leave of absence for bereavement, jury duty, maternity leave, medical reasons, military duty, or other personal reasons.

MWU students requesting a leave of absence must comply with the following:

1. Make an appointment with the Program Director/College Dean to discuss the leave of absence.
2. A student must provide written notification and documentation, if applicable, to the Program Director/Dean stating the reason for the leave of absence from MWU. If approved, the Dean will conditionally approve a leave of absence until all clearances are obtained.
3. The student must receive clearance of his/her leave of absence from the MWU departments on the online.midwestern.edu leave system within seven calendar days from the date of the Dean's approval. This time frame will allow offices such as Student Financial Services and the Registrar to process the leave of absence, prepare the required financial aid exit, and calculate the return of unearned Federal Title IV aid and all other aid, as appropriate.
4. Upon submission of all completed documentation and adherence to all clearance procedures, the Dean will provide an official letter granting a leave of absence to the student.

The student is withdrawn from all courses if the leave of absence is granted in the midst of an academic quarter. Once the Dean conditionally approves the leave, the Department Chairs/Program Director/course directors receive an automated electronic notification of the student's withdrawal. A grade of "W" (Withdrawal) or "WF" (Withdrawal/Failing) appears on the official transcript. The course director is responsible for submitting the correct grade. Students on the approved leave are obligated to pay their premium for long-term disability insurance.

All leaves of absence are granted for specific periods of time. Typically, a single leave of absence will not exceed 12 months, and consecutive or multiple interrupted leaves of absence will not exceed 18 months. At a minimum of 30 days prior to the end of the leave period, the student is required to submit written notification to the Dean and Registrar of an intention to return. If the leave of absence was granted for medical reasons, a letter must be provided to the Dean from the treating physician verifying that the student is both physically and mentally capable of resuming the academic program prior to registering for classes. To request an extension of a leave of absence, a student must resubmit another written notification as described above. If an individual fails to return to MWU at the agreed-upon date, the student is considered to have withdrawn from the University and must reapply for admission. Leaves of absence can only be initiated through the Office of the Dean.

Students on leaves of absence are ineligible to run for or hold student organizational/club/class offices and are not permitted to work for the University.