Enrollment Adjustments

Leave of Absence

A Leave of Absence is an authorized, temporary break from academic participation. Leave requests (as well as requests to return from leave) require approval from the appropriate office as outlined in detail for each request type.

Medical Leave of Absence

Undergraduate Students

A medical leave of absence for an undergraduate student is granted by the James H. and Christine Turk Berick Center for Student Advising to an undergraduate student whose health prevents them from successfully pursuing full-time study. Undergraduates who take a medical leave of absence are guaranteed housing upon their return if they were already guaranteed housing. Students on medical leave may be eligible to continue participation in University-sponsored health insurance; please contact studentinsurance@columbia.edu for additional details.

Documentation from a physician or counselor must be provided before such a leave is granted. In order to apply for readmission following a medical leave, a student must submit proof of recovery from a physician or counselor. Please visit the CSA website for further details.

A medical leave for an undergraduate student is for a minimum of one year and cannot be longer than two years.

When a medical leave of absence is granted during the course of the semester, the fact that the student was enrolled for the semester and withdrew will be recorded on the student's transcript. The date of the withdrawal will also appear on the transcript. If the leave begins prior to the drop deadline, then the specific courses that the student is enrolled in will be deleted from the student's record. If after the drop deadline, the course grades will typically result in W (Official Withdrawal) in all courses. In certain circumstances, a student may qualify for an IN (Incomplete), which would have to be completed within two semesters after the student returns to Columbia. If the Incomplete is not completed by that time, an F or contingency grade such as W will be inserted as the final grade.

In exceptional cases, an undergraduate student may apply for readmission following a one-term medical leave of absence. In addition to providing a personal statement and supporting medical documentation for the Medical Leave Readmission Committee to review, the student will also need to provide a well-developed academic plan that has been approved by their departmental adviser and their Advising Dean as part of the readmission process. This plan must demonstrate that their return to Columbia Engineering following a one-semester leave of absence will allow the student to properly follow the sequence of courses as required for the major and to meet all other graduation requirements by their eighth semester. The final decision regarding whether or not a student will be allowed to be readmitted after a one-semester leave will be made by the Medical Leave Readmission Committee.

During the course of the leave, students are not permitted to take any courses for the purpose of transferring credit and are not permitted to be on campus. For more information about the medical leave of absence policy, undergraduates should consult their CSA Advising Dean.

Graduate Students

A medical leave of absence for a graduate student is granted by the Office of Engineering Student Affairs; please consult with their office for more information.

Documentation from a physician or counselor must be provided in order for such a leave to be granted.

When a medical leave of absence is granted during the course of the semester, the fact that the student was enrolled for the semester and withdrew will be recorded on the student's transcript. The date of the withdrawal will also appear on the transcript. If the leave begins prior to the drop deadline, then the specific courses that the student enrolled in will be deleted from their record. If after the drop deadline, the course grades will typically result in W (Official Withdrawal) in all courses. In certain circumstances, a student may qualify for an IN (Incomplete), which would have to be completed within two semesters after the student returns to Columbia. If the Incomplete is not completed by that time, an F or contingency grade such as W will be inserted as their final grade.
A medical leave for a graduate student is for a minimum of one semester, up to two years (or four semesters) total. If a student does not return for their approved term, they will be withdrawn from the School. Students may return in the Fall or Spring terms.

Students on medical leave may be eligible to remain in on-campus housing; please contact seas-housing@columbia.edu for additional details. Students on medical leave may be eligible to continue participation in University-sponsored health insurance; please contact studentinsurance@columbia.edu for additional details.

Graduate students requesting to return from medical leave must submit supporting medical documentation and a personal statement that includes a well-developed plan to complete their degree. Graduate students may also be required to meet with a medical provider at Columbia. Doctoral students must have a faculty advisor and funding from their faculty advisor and/or academic department prior to and when returning from an approved medical leave. It is recommended that students submit the request to return form well in advance of the semester that they wish to return for. Please note that return requests are not processed until June 1 for fall returns and November 1 for spring returns.

During the course of the leave, students are not permitted to take any courses for the purpose of transferring credit and are not permitted to be on campus.

Voluntary Leave of Absence

A voluntary leave of absence may be granted to eligible students who require a break from their studies due to personal reasons.

Undergraduate Students

A voluntary leave of absence (VLOA) may be granted by the Committee on Academic Standing to undergraduate students who request a temporary withdrawal from Columbia Engineering for a nonmedical reason. Students considering a voluntary leave must discuss this option in advance with their CSA Advising Dean. Voluntary leaves are granted for a period of one academic year only for undergraduate students; VLOAs will ordinarily not be granted for one semester, or for more than one year. Students must be in good academic standing at the time of the leave and must be able to complete their major and degree in eight semester. Please visit the CSA website for future details.

When a voluntary leave of absence is granted during the course of the semester, the fact that the student was enrolled for the semester and withdrew will be recorded on the student’s transcript. The specific courses that the student is enrolled in for the semester will be deleted if the leave begins prior to the drop deadline. If after the drop deadline, the course grades will normally be a W (Official Withdrawal) in all courses. In certain circumstances, a student may qualify for an IN (Incomplete).

In exceptional cases, an undergraduate may apply for readmission following a one-term voluntary leave of absence. The student will need to provide to the Committee on Academic Standing a well-developed academic plan that has been approved by the departmental adviser and the Berick Center for Student Advising as part of the admission process. This plan must demonstrate that their return to Columbia Engineering following a one-semester voluntary leave of absence will allow the student to properly follow the sequence of courses as required for the major and to meet all other graduation requirements by their eighth semester. The Committee on Academic Standing will review the student's academic plan and request for readmission. The deadlines for petitioning for readmission are June 1 for the fall semester and November 1 for the spring semester. Undergraduates should consult the voluntary leave of absence policy statement available on the website of the Berick Center for Student Advising for more information regarding the readmission procedures from a voluntary leave of absence.

During the course of the leave, students are not permitted to take any courses for the purpose of transferring credit and are not permitted to be on campus. For more information about the voluntary leave of absence policy, undergraduates should consult their CSA Advising Dean.

Finally, students on a voluntary leave of absence must vacate University housing and are not eligible for University-sponsored health insurance. Students who choose to take voluntary leaves are not guaranteed housing upon return to the University. Undergraduate students who go on leave during their first year and had guaranteed housing prior to their leave are guaranteed housing upon readmission. International students should contact the International Students and Scholars Office to ensure that a leave will not jeopardize their ability to return to Columbia Engineering

Graduate Students

A voluntary leave of absence (VLOA) for a graduate student is granted by the Office of Engineering Student Affairs. Voluntary leaves are granted for a minimum of one semester, up to one year (or two semesters) total. A graduate student must have been registered for at least one semester and have a minimum cumulative 2.5 GPA to request a voluntary leave. Additionally, doctoral students must have a faculty adviser and funding from their faculty adviser and/or academic department prior to and when returning from an approved voluntary leave of absence. The deadline to request a voluntary leave for a given term is the drop deadline for that term. VLOA requests made after the drop deadline may only be granted in exceptional circumstances.

When a voluntary leave of absence is granted during the course of the semester, the semester coursework will be deleted if the leave begins prior to the drop deadline. If after the drop deadline, the course grades will result in W (Official Withdrawal) in all courses. In certain circumstances, a student may qualify for an IN (Incomplete). For graduate students, an IN would have to be completed within two semesters after the student returns to Columbia. If the Incomplete is not completed by that time, an F or contingency grade such as W will be inserted as the final grade.

Students on a voluntary leave of absence must vacate University housing and are not eligible for University-sponsored health insurance.

A graduate student may request to return from a voluntary leave of absence for the fall or spring terms. A request to return must be made before the return semester begins. It is recommended that students submit the request to return form well in advance of the semester that they wish to return for. Please note that return requests are not processed until April 1 for fall returns/November 1 for spring returns. Please contact the Office of Engineering Student Affairs for more information.

Students may not take courses for transferable credit while on leave. Finally, students who choose to take voluntary leaves are not guaranteed housing upon return to the University. International students should contact the International Students and Scholars Office to ensure that a leave will not jeopardize their ability to return to the school.

Undergraduate Emergency Family Leave of Absence

Undergraduate students who must leave the University for urgent family reasons that necessitate a semester-long absence (e.g., family death or serious illness in the family) may request an emergency family leave of absence. Documentation of the serious nature of the emergency must be provided. Students must request an emergency family leave of absence from their Advising Dean in the James H. and Christine Turk Berick Center for Student Advising.

When an emergency family leave of absence is granted during the course of the semester, the fact that the student was enrolled for the semester and withdrew will be recorded on the student transcript. The specific courses that the student is enrolled in for the semester will be deleted if the leave begins prior to the drop deadline. If after the drop deadline, the course grades will normally be W (official withdrawal) in all courses. In certain circumstances, a student may qualify for an Incomplete, which would have to be completed by the first week of the semester in which the student returns to Columbia. If the Incomplete is not completed by that time, a W will be inserted.

To return, students must notify the Berick Center for Student Advising as soon as possible, ideally by November 1 for the spring semester and June 1 for the fall semester. Students must request readmission in writing and submit a statement describing their readiness to return. Students who were guaranteed housing prior to taking an emergency family leave are guaranteed housing upon readmission. Students may request permission to return after one semester as long as they can demonstrate that they can remain in sequence with their coursework and have the prior approval of the departmental adviser.

This plan must demonstrate that their return to Columbia Engineering following a one-semester leave of absence will allow the student to properly follow the sequence of courses as required for the major and to meet all other graduation requirements by their eighth semester.

Students who decide not to return must notify the James H. and Christine Turk Berick Center for Student Advising of their decision. The date of separation for the leave of absence will be the date of separation for withdrawal. Leaves may not extend beyond four semesters. Students who do not notify the Berick Center for Student Advising of their intentions by the end of the two-year period will be permanently withdrawn.

Leave for Military Duty

Please refer to the Military Leave of Absence Policy in University Policies at universitypolicies.columbia.edu for recent updates regarding leave for military duty.

Involuntary Leave of Absence Policy

Please refer to the Involuntary Leave of Absence Policy in University Policies at universitypolicies.columbia.edu.

Withdrawal

Student may withdraw if they wish to permanently discontinue their program of study. Students are strongly recommended to consult their advisor and/or Department prior to withdrawal.

Students who withdraw during a semester before the drop deadline have the semester coursework deleted. If after the drop deadline, the course grades will result in W (Official Withdrawal) in all courses. Students who withdraw must vacate University housing and forfeit University-sponsored insurance.

Readmission

Students who withdrew or were withdrawn may be eligible to apply for readmission to the school. Specific readmission procedures are determined by the reasons for and timeframe of the withdrawal.

Further information for undergraduate students is available in the Berick Center for Student Advising. Undergraduate students applying for readmission should complete all parts of the appropriate readmission procedures by June 1 for the fall term or November 1 for the spring term.

Graduate students applying for readmission must complete a change of status application and should consult the Office of Engineering Student Affairs for additional information. Students are only eligible if their withdrawal date is within one year of their readmission request. Students who were withdrawn from the school due to a dismissal are not eligible to apply for readmission.

Readmission requests should be submitted for the next commencing Fall or Spring term. Requests are not processed until April 1 for fall returns/November 1 for spring returns.

Readmission is not guaranteed - such requests are reviewed by the student’s academic department and the Office of Engineering Student Affairs. Students who fail to apply for readmission within the outlined one-year timeframe can only return to the school by submitting an application to the Office of Graduate Admissions. Submitting an admission application does not guarantee reinstatement and is subject to review by the Department and the School’s admissions committees.