Union College Leave Policy

There are times in a college student’s journey where they might need some time to step away from their education for many reasons, including to address personal health and well-being, work around family issues, access professional and academic opportunities, and/or take an intentional pause to regroup academically. We at Union College want to support students through such circumstances by providing an opportunity for students to take a leave. A leave can be voluntary, resulting in a temporary withdrawal or a permanent withdrawal (such as a transfer) from the College. A student may also be required to take an involuntary leave, should a student be unable to meet expectations set forth by the College.

A voluntary leave can be initiated by the student for a variety of reasons including personal reasons, family emergencies, professional/academic opportunities, health reasons (both physical and mental health), and academic reasons. Students must meet with their Class Deans and all approvals will go through the Class Deans office. Current term requests can be made by the posted deadline and will be effective the date a student submits their request to their Class Dean. If a student withdraws by the withdrawal deadline (the last day of classes), a grade of W will be assigned for each course the student is enrolled in except if the student withdrew before the end of the drop period. The W grade does not factor into a student's GPA and credit is not earned.

Students may also opt to take a planned leave after the completion of a term and indicate that they do not intend to return for the following term(s). Future term requests will be effective on the day after the end of the last term attended.

A student may be placed on an involuntary leave when the student demonstrates behavior that:

• harms, or threatens to harm, the health or safety of anyone within the Union College community, including the student;
• causes, or threatens to cause, significant property damage; or
• is significantly or consistently disruptive to the educational, residential, and other activities of the Union College community.

There may also be times when a student will be administratively withdrawn for administrative reasons, due to lack of registration for the current term or failure to clear the balance on a student account before the posted deadline. Administrative withdrawals are temporary and may be initiated by the Bursar or the Registrar’s Office and communication will be sent by these offices.

Other processes of separation from the College due to academic or conduct issues are initiated by the Dean of Studies, the Dean of Students, and the Office of Community Standards and communication in each instance will be sent by the appropriate office.

For further information regarding involuntary leaves and other separation processes, see the following:

• Involuntary Health Leave
• Academic Dismissal
• Conduct Dismissals

While we want every student to enjoy their Union experience, we understand that there may be circumstances in which a student makes the decision not to return to Union College. This includes those who decide to transfer to other institutions. As a result, the student will be permanently withdrawn from the College. The intent to permanently withdraw must be received by posted deadlines, even if the student intends to finish the remainder of the currently enrolled term. Failure to submit a leave request will result in a transcript hold until the process is complete.

A student may also be permanently withdrawn if there has been no communication with the College for a period of two years while on leave.

A student in good standing who has voluntarily permanently withdrawn may contact the Class Deans office to request to return. Students requesting to return after permanently withdrawing may be required to reapply to the College.

Refunds (if any) of the comprehensive fee (specifically tuition, room and board fees) for a student who takes a leave or withdraws from the College are subject to the refund policy and schedule that can be found on the Bursar’s website.

Last day of classes, each term

*A student requesting a leave during the winter term will not be permitted to return in the spring term due to the short turnaround between winter and spring terms, depending upon the circumstances for taking a leave. Thus, it is imperative to talk to your Class Dean to ensure you make the decision that is best for you.

**If a student who is requesting a leave is involved in any conduct/academic integrity issues, the request will not be processed until the matter is resolved. If a student takes a leave without resolving any pending conduct/academic integrity issues, this will impact any information requested for students seeking to transfer.