Leaves of Absence
On occasion, students may be well advised to take temporary leave of the College community. Leaves of absence may be granted for a variety of reasons: personal, medical, educational, occupational, or family related. Procedures and eligibility for applying for a personal or medical leave of absence can be directed to the Office of the Vice President for Student Life at this email address (lsl@berea.edu) and an academic leave can be requested at the Office of Student Success &Transition (sst@berea.edu). The term in which a student is on leave of absence does not count towards total terms of attendance.
Please note that students who plan to study abroad in a regular term (fall or spring) must be on campus for the fall or spring term prior to the one of their study abroad experience. Students who plan to study abroad in the summer term must be on campus the prior spring term.
Academic Leaves
Academic Leaves of Absence are designed to allow students to explore educational or occupational opportunities not available through the formal educational program and should be planned as early as possible for a subsequent term. Requests for academic leaves must be submitted to the Office of Student Success & Transition (sst@berea.edu) no later than the last day of registration for the next term.
Personal and Medical Leaves
Personal Leaves of Absence are appropriate during a current term of enrollment for extenuating personal circumstances that require absence for the remainder of the term. Requests for personal leaves should be directed to the Assistant Vice President for Student Life not later than the last day to withdraw from a course for that term. Normally, leaves will not be granted beyond this date except in rare circumstances beyond the student’s control, e.g., for medical reasons.
Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible for a Leave of Absence, a student must have completed at least one regular term of attendance, may not be on any type of probation, and may not have financial obligations that cannot be reasonably met by the end of the current term. Students normally are not eligible for more than one Leave of Absence. Final approval and consideration beyond the parameters of this policy rests with the Enrollment Policies Committee.
Leave Conditions
A Leave of Absence may be no longer than one regular term. College credit earned while on leave is transferable to Berea under the stipulations for transfer credit set forth in the Berea College Catalog. Students on leave may not work in the Labor Program nor use some College services. Should a student for whom a leave has been approved fail to meet the eligibility guidelines, the leave will be revoked and the student must either enroll in the term for which the leave was approved or withdraw. Students who do not return at the end of the leave period will be withdrawn and must apply for readmission. Additionally, Title IV grant and loan aid may require repayment. Students approved for Leave of Absence are not subject to readmission policies unless the leave has been revoked or they fail to return as scheduled. (See “Readmission” in the Enrollment and Registration section of the Catalog.)
Leave of Absence Request Forms are available from the Office of Student Success & Transition (sst@berea.edu) and from the Student Life Office (lsl@berea.edu). Forms must be signed by the Academic Advisor and submitted to the appropriate office (see above) after completion. Terms approved for a Leave of Absence are not counted towards total terms of attendance (see Eight-Term Rule and Extension of Terms).