Leave of Absence/Withdrawal
Leave of Absence
A student who is not on academic or disciplinary probation and wants to be away from the college may take a leave of absence for one semester or one academic year. The student must file a completed Leave of Absence form, including the signature of the Director of Academic Advising with the Registrar's Office. Students may not apply for a leave of absence for the current semester after the withdrawal deadline, except for medical leaves approved by the Director of Counseling.
A student who has a medical, psychological, or emotional condition that renders him or her unable to continue course work may be placed on medical leave by the Director of Counseling. The college reserves the right to approve a return from medical leave of absence. For return, the Director may request additional information such as evidence of satisfactory health or a personal interview to determine the student's ability to meet academic standards. Students returning from a medical leave of absence must meet with the Dean of Student Development, whose signature is required on their Return from Leave of Absence form.
Pursuant with federal guidelines, students taking a leave of absence of one or more semesters will be considered withdrawn for the purpose of student loan repayment.
Students who want to return to the college from a leave must fill out a Return from Leave of Absence form no later than 30 days before the first day of classes for the semester they want to return. Exceptions are made in cases of hardship as determined by the Director of Academic Advising. Returning students are expected to attend registration. Return forms and registration instructions are mailed to the address indicated one month before registration for the semester the student is expected to return.
Any student holding an F1 student visa who is considering a leave should meet with the Coordinator of International Education prior to applying for the leave.
Students who want to extend a one-semester leave of absence to one year must request the extension in writing. Students who do not return to the college at the end of an approved leave of absence are considered to have withdrawn from the college and must reapply for admission.
Students attending another institution through the Mobility, international exchange, or CAPS Programs do not need to file a Leave of Absence form. However, these students must follow the appropriate procedures as laid out by the Exchange Programs Advisor in the Advising Office.
Limited Enrollment Status
Matriculated undergraduates who, for hardship reasons, would like to take a single course through Continuing Education may apply for Limited Enrollment Status (LES).
Students on Limited Enrollment Status are still considered matriculated BFA students, but may register only for classes offered through Continuing Education, and are charged for those courses on a per-credit basis.
Students on Limited Enrollment Status are subject to the following restrictions:
- LES registration is for 5 or fewer credits of enrollment through Continuing Education
- LES students have no eligibility for financial aid.
- LES students may not cross-register to other institutions.
Students must petition (to the Advising Office) to switch to LES on a per semester basis and can only do so for up to two consecutive semesters. From a degree enrollment point of view, LES is considered a semester of leave. Thus, a student can be on LES at most for one semester which precedes or follows a one semester leave of absence.
Withdrawal
Students who want to permanently withdraw from MassArt should notify the college in writing or on a Withdrawal form. This assures that the student's financial and academic status is properly treated upon exit.
Students who do not return to the college at the end of an approved leave of absence will be considered withdrawn from the college.
Once withdrawn, students must apply for readmission in order to reenroll in the degree program.