Withdrawal or Leave of Absence

Definitions

Withdrawal from one or more courses

Students may choose to withdraw from (or “drop”) one or more courses, without dropping their entire schedule. This is a Change of Academic Schedule and may incur a financial penalty depending on when it occurs in the semester schedule. See Change of Schedule for information.

Withdrawal from study at FDU

Withdrawing from all registered courses is withdrawing from the University and may incur a financial penalty depending on when it occurs in the semester schedule. A student who withdraws from study must reapply through Admissions and be accepted in order to return to FDU at a later date. See below for more information.

Leave of Absence

A leave of absence, if granted, allows students to interrupt their studies and return without penalty and may be granted for (1) medical, (2) financial, (3) employment or (4) military reasons. See below for more information.

Academic Leave of Absence/Withdrawal

Students who wish to take an Academic Leave of Absence or to withdraw from the University due to transfer, personal, or financial reasons must submit an Official Leave of Absence/Withdrawal Form. Undergraduate students can obtain the Academic Leave of Absence/Withdrawal form in the Dean of Students Office. Please see guidelines below.

Undergraduate Student Leave of Absence

An academic leave of absence allows Fairleigh Dickinson University students to interrupt their studies if necessary. An academic leave of absence permits an undergraduate student to temporarily withdraw from the University and return without penalty, may be granted only to a matriculated student with a cumulative grade point ratio of 2.00 or higher. An academic leave may cover only one semester with the privilege of renewal for one more consecutive regular semester. To request a renewal, a student must submit an appeal in writing to the Dean of Students. An academic leave of absence may be granted for (1) medical, (2) financial, (3) employment, or (4) military reasons. An academic leave of absence is not required for the summer or January sessions. For the Vancouver Campus, a leave of absence is only required for students needing to take a leave during the Fall and Spring trimesters.  A leave of absence is not required for the summer session as this is considered during regular scheduled break in the academic year.

Verification in writing must be furnished where applicable by the physician, employer, or other authority. A student taking an ALOA is not permitted to take class(es) at another institution, and ALOA becomes void if academic or judicial sanctions such as suspension or dismissal are applied at a later date. Leaves granted for medical reasons require that the condition necessitating the leave be ameliorated by medical or therapeutic treatment according to current standards of treatment, including if such standards call for continuing treatment subsequent to return to studies. Written verification from treating professionals will be required before return, and intermittently for continuing treatment. All academic leaves of absence must be approved in advance by submitting a Withdrawal and Academic Leave of Absence Form to the Dean of Students Office. Authority to grant an academic leave of absence to New Jersey campus students, or to renew leaves, resides with your respective Dean of Students. Authority to grant a leave of absence for the Vancouver Campus resides with the Enrollment Services Office.

International Students on a Study Permit will normally be required to leave the country if they take a leave of absence. If you are an international student and hold an Off-campus Work Permit and you take a leave of absence, you will be required to surrender your work permit and re-apply for a new permit after the required waiting period.

Undergraduate Withdrawal

A student must notify the Office of Enrollment Services by email to Registrar@fdu.edu, of his or her intention to withdraw from study. The penalties for withdrawing on the first day of the semester, and after, are published on page 23 of this bulletin, on the reverse side of the registration and program change forms, and in general information on Self-Service.

Graduate Student Leave of Absence

A leave of absence allows students to interrupt their graduate studies if necessary. A leave of absence is granted for one semester with the privilege of renewal for one more consecutive semester. Request for a leave of absence must be approved in writing by the student’s department chairperson or school director and the college dean. (Information on procedures for requesting a leave of absence is available from the Office of Enrollment Services on each campus.) Students wishing to renew their leave of absence also must do so in writing. Students who have been granted a leave of absence will be maintained as students in good standing during the semester in which a leave of absence is taken, but will be discontinued from graduate study unless students register the semester following a leave of absence, or request and are granted an extension of the leave of absence.

Request for a leave of absence must be approved in writing by the student’s department chairperson and the school director or college dean. Students wishing to renew their leave of absence also must do so in writing by submitting a request for leave of absence to the Director of Enrollment and Student Services. Students who have been granted a leave of absence will be maintained as students in good standing during the semester in which a leave of absence is taken, but will be discontinued from graduate study unless they register the semester following a leave of absence, or request and are granted an extension of the leave of absence.

Graduate students should submit the appropriate withdrawal form to the Dean or Director of their college or school for approval.

Students who wish to return at a later date must reapply through the Admissions Office.

Graduate Student Withdrawal

Graduate students should submit the appropriate withdrawal form to the Dean or Director of their college or school for approval.

Students who wish to return at a later date must reapply through the Admissions Office.