Leaves of Absence

Leave of Absence

A leave of absence is a temporary cessation of study that may be granted for medical or other extenuating circumstances. A leave of absence allows a student in good academic standing to postpone their studies while maintaining their bulletin rights for a definite period of time, not to exceed one year. A leave of absence must be approved in advance of the semester in which the leave of absence is to begin. All leave of absence requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Students receiving financial aid are strongly encouraged to meet with a financial aid advisor to review their financial obligations and the impact of a leave of absence on financial aid eligibility, repayment terms, and the repayment grace period.

A student who is on a leave of absence is not permitted to participate in other College programming or activities, unless the programs or activities are open to the public. Acceptance of transfer credit taken during a leave of absence is subject to the transfer credit policy for undergraduate or graduate students. If academic credit is attempted at another institution during a student’s leave, the student must complete the Request to Take a Course on Another Campus form for prior approval of credit.

Undergraduate students who wish to request a leave of absence must complete the Leave of Absence form and seek approval from their Academic Advisor and the Registrar’s Office.

Military Leave of Absence and Deployment Refund Policy

In accordance with Iowa Code Section 261.9(1)g, Loras College offers these options for a student who is a member, or the spouse of a member if the member has a dependent child, of the National Guard or Reserve forces of the United States and who is ordered to State military service or federal service or duty:

1. Withdraw from the student’s entire registration and receive a full refund of tuition and mandatory fees.
2. Make arrangements with the student’s instructors for course grades, or for incompletes that shall be completed by the student at a later date. If such arrangements are made, the student’s registration shall remain intact and tuition and mandatory fees shall be assessed for the courses in full.
3. Make arrangements with only some of the student’s instructors for grades, or for incompletes that shall be completed by the student at a later date. If such arrangements are made, the registration for those courses shall remain intact and tuition and mandatory fees shall be assessed for those courses. Any course for which arrangements cannot be made for grades or incompletes shall be considered dropped and the tuition and mandatory fees for the course refunded.

See Section 103 Compliance Policy for additional information.