Policy: The Graduate Leave of Absence Policy assists graduate students who must temporarily withdraw from their programs. Reasons for requiring a leave typically include bereavement, illness, care giving, maternity, paternity, and call to active military duty. Students who are granted a leave of absence are declared inactive but not dismissed from the university; however, being declared inactive may affect loans or financial aid, health insurance, and access to university resources including libraries, computers, the Wellness Center, advising, dissertation/thesis committees, and other resources.
Eligibility: A Leave of Absence is granted only to students who a) have completed at least one full semester at the University of the Incarnate Word and are in good academic standing, with a minimum GPA of 3.0 and b) are in good administrative standing, as defined by the criteria of continuous enrollment and the Master's or Doctoral program continuation criteria.
Types of Leave
- Military Leave: A student who must interrupt study temporarily to fulfill a compulsory military obligation for a specific length of time will be granted a military leave of absence to fulfill that obligation.
- Maternity and Paternity Leave: Students who must interrupt study temporarily because of birth of a child, adoption, foster care, or any related conditions may be granted a maternity and paternity leave of absence.
- Medical and Compassionate Leave: A student who must interrupt study temporarily because of physical or psychological illness or care for family member due to health or medical issues may be granted a medical and compassionate leave of absence. Note: Due to the HIPAA Privacy Rule, do not provide your private medical information.
- Personal Leave: Students who must interrupt study temporarily for reasons other than those described above may request a personal leave of absence. Reasons may include financial status or other critical matters in one’s family, changes in one’s outside employment, and other situations.