Leave of Absence Policies
Non-Academic Leaves – Graduate Students
Students who wish to take a leave of absence for reasons other than academic are subject to the following:
Non-academic leaves are granted with the approval of the student’s advisor and director/chair of program. A leave of absence may be granted for military duty, financial, medical or personal reasons. Students must be matriculated graduate students.
When a student obtains a leave from college after the start of a semester, the policy for grades assigned to courses for which s/he is registered is the same as the course withdrawal policy. On this leave application, students must indicate the last day of class attendance. The Office of the Registrar will then assign the grade appropriate for that point in the semester. A student taking a leave prior to the mid-semester date does so without penalty and is assigned a grade of “W”. If a student takes a leave after the deadline for individual course withdrawals and up to two weeks before the end of the semester, s/he will receive a “W” with an indication of the quality of his/her work up to the time of departure. No credit is issued for grades of “W”.
Incomplete (I) grades earned during the semester prior to leaving College are subject to the same college grading policies. Hence, even though students may not be enrolled for the full semester, previous semester incompletes must be made up by the specified dates. The date by which incomplete grades must be made up falls during the last week in November for incompletes received during the preceding spring semester or summer session, and the last week in April for incomplete grades received during the preceding fall semester, unless the instructor has formally extended the deadline through notification to student and registrar. Incompletes not made up by those dates will revert to a failure per college incomplete policy.
Students may request to be granted a leave of absence for up to one year. The statute of limitations clock will stop the semester they take the leave and begin again the semester in which they enroll in coursework.
If the reason for a leave of absence is medical, or psychological, the student will be (may be) required to provide a statement of clearance from attending physician to the Health Center prior to the student’s return to the College.
Student must notify the Graduate Office in writing of his/her intention to return.
Academic Leaves – Undergraduate Students
An undergraduate student may apply for an academic leave of absence in order to participate in an approved program of study or an academically related program away from the campus. Leaves of absence may be granted for one semester or for one year. A student who has been granted a leave for one semester may have it extended to a full academic year, but in no case will an academic leave of absence be granted for longer than one academic year.
A student wishing an academic leave of absence should apply through the Academic Advisement Center. Requests for leaves of absence should be completed prior to the beginning of the semester in which the leave is to commence. Students obtaining a leave of absence are responsible for instituting appropriate contacts with their academic department and student service offices listed on the Leave Form and will assume responsibility for forwarding transcripts of any course work taken while on leave to the Registrar.
Students who do not enroll at the College in the semester subsequent to the end of their approved leave may be administratively withdrawn and may not be guaranteed readmission.
A matriculated student is eligible for an academic leave of absence only if the following conditions are satisfied:
- Completion of at least one semester at State University College at Oneonta with a minimum cumulative Oneonta GPA of 2.00.
- Creation of an approved plan of study at another institution in the United States or through a non-SUNY Study Abroad Program.
A Prior Approval Form for coursework to be taken while on academic leave must accompany the Leave of Absence form.
Non-Academic Leaves – Undergraduate Students
- Non-academic leaves are granted with approval of the Office of Student Development. A leave of absence may be granted for military duty, financial, medical or personal reasons. Students must be matriculated and have completed at least one semester at Oneonta to be eligible for a leave of absence.
- Students must fill out an application to request a leave of absence. The application should include a statement explaining the way in which the leave will contribute to their education or why the leave is necessary. The leave will be rescinded if work subsequently reported is unsatisfactory unless the Committee on Student Progress approves an exception. Applications and information are available online at www.oneonta.edu/development/Leaves_Withdrawals.asp
- When a student obtains a leave from the College after the start of a semester, the policy for grades assigned to courses for which s/he is registered is the same as the course withdrawal policy. On the leave application, students must indicate the last day of class attendance. The date may be verified to support eligibility and/or applicable refunds. The Office of the Registrar will then assign the grade appropriate for that point in the semester. A student taking a leave prior to the mid-semester date does so without penalty and is assigned a grade of W. If a student takes a leave after the deadline for individual course withdrawals and up to two weeks before the end of the semester, s/he will receive a “W” with an indication of the quality of his/her work up to the time of departure. No credit is issued for grades of “W”.
Incomplete (I) grades earned during the semester prior to leaving the College are subject to the same college grading policies. Hence, even though students may not be enrolled for the full semester, previous semester incompletes must be made up by the specified dates. The date by which incomplete grades must be made up falls during the last week in November for incompletes received during the preceding spring semester or summer session, and the last week in April for incomplete grades received during the preceding fall semester. Incompletes not made up by those dates will revert to a failure per the College incomplete policy.
- If a student is not earning credit for courses at Oneonta, that student’s residence hall contract is not in effect for that semester. Students are expected to vacate their residence hall room within 48 hours of approval of their leave application.
- Students obtaining a non-academic leave of absence are responsible for contacting those offices listed on the front of the application form prior to having the leave of absence approved. In addition, education majors scheduled to enter student teaching must contact the Office of Education Advisement and Field Experience, Fitzelle Room 211.
- During the last semester of a student leave of absence, the student will have the opportunity to register for the following semester via the world wide web. The schedule of classes and student appointment time will be available online at www.registration.oneonta.edu The student should contact the Registrar’s Office at (607) 436-2531 for a printed copy of the schedule or to have a PIN reset.
- If the student does not intend to return from a leave of absence, the student must contact the Student Development Office in writing to withdraw from the College. Students who do not withdraw from the College will be administratively withdrawn. All students who have withdrawn or have been administratively withdrawn must apply for readmission. Readmission cannot be guaranteed.
- Students wishing to be considered for on-campus housing or financial aid must initiate contacts with the appropriate office as soon as possible. Neither housing nor financial aid can be guaranteed.
- As part of the leave procedure students must visit the Financial Aid Office. Students are encouraged to discuss future applications for financial aid, loan repayment obligations, notification of the Higher Education Services Corporation and any other financial aid considerations.
- Students who have been granted a leave for one semester may have it extended for a second semester, but in no case will a non-academic leave be granted for longer than one academic year. A written request for extension of a leave of absence must be filed with the Student Development Office prior to the beginning of the semester of scheduled return.
- If the reason for the leave of absence is medical, students are required to have a statement of clearance from their attending physician. This statement must be sent to the Health Center prior to the student’s return to the College.
In addition to the above, students are encouraged to consult the Student Handbook, the Code of Student Conduct and College Catalog for other policies not covered here which may be appropriate to their situation.
Withdrawal From The College
Student-Initiated or Voluntary Withdrawal
All Students
Liability for certain College expenses begins on the first day of classes. Students who withdraw are entitled to refunds of personal funds paid according to set schedules determined by appropriate offices (e.g., Student Accounts for tuition liability; Housing for room liability, etc.). Specifics are available from the Student Accounts Office.
Graduate Students
Graduate students who find it necessary to withdraw from the College and who do not plan to complete their graduate program at Oneonta, must file a Graduate Withdrawal Form with the Graduate Office, Netzer 135.
Undergraduate Students
Voluntary withdrawals should be pursued if a student is transferring to another college, will be absent for more than one semester, or has decided not to continue his/her education at Oneonta. This does not prevent such student from applying for readmission to the College at Oneonta. Students who do withdraw and who subsequently wish to return to the College must follow the procedures for “Readmission.”
Undergraduate students leaving the College, who do intend to return after one semester, should check the criteria for Leaves of Absence (academic and non-academic), which do not require readmission.
Undergraduate students who find it necessary to withdraw from the College must do so by filing a “Voluntary Withdrawal” form with the Student Development Office, Netzer 119, or online at www.oneonta.edu/development/leaves_withdrawals.asp
Withdrawal Prior to Midterm
If a student officially withdraws from the College prior to the deadline for individual course withdrawals (one week past the midpoint of the semester), “W” grades will be assigned to all courses. Mini-courses and half-semester courses that end prior to withdrawal will be graded.
Withdrawal After the Midterm
If students officially withdraw from the College after the deadline for individual course withdrawals and up until two weeks prior to the beginning of final exams, they will receive a “W” with a parenthetical grade for each course, indicating the quality of their work up to the time of withdrawal. Mini-courses and half-semester courses that end prior to withdrawal will be graded.
Deadline for Withdrawal from College
Official withdrawals will be accepted until two weeks prior to the beginning of final examinations. Any student who files a Voluntary Withdrawal form after that point is academically liable for all course enrollments for the semester. The effective date of withdrawal will be the last day of final exams and final grades will be assigned.
Administrative Withdrawals
Full-time, undergraduate degree students who are eligible to be enrolled during a semester, have not done so, and have not notified the Registrar’s Office that they are pursuing their degree on a “part-time” basis (nor have they graduated, withdrawn, or taken a leave of absence) will be “Administratively Withdrawn” from the College by the Office of the Registrar. Students who are administratively withdrawn and who wish to return must follow the procedures for “Readmission” Note: Students in some majors, by virtue of program registration with the State Education Department, may be required to fulfill the most recent major requirements. Administrative Withdrawal may impact a student’s financial aid. Students should contact the Financial Aid Office (Netzer 123, x2532) if they have questions.
Disciplinary Suspension/Explusion
Students who are determined by the Vice President of Student Development to be a clear and present danger can be Interim Suspended. Faculty will receive from the Student Development office confidential notification informing them that the student’s status is being reviewed and that the student is not eligible to attend class at this time. It will tell them to hold the student’s seat in their class and that they will be notified of any resolution as soon as possible. If, after receiving this memorandum from Student Development the student attempts to attend the class, faculty should contact the Vice President immediately.
For students who are suspended from the College at Oneonta faculty will receive a similar memorandum from the Student Development office indicating that the student is not allowed on campus and his/her name has been removed from the class roster.
Disciplinary Transcript Notations
The following College policy regarding transcript notations was approved by the President’s Cabinet.
Because of the seriousness of Disciplinary Board cases, the College will record the outcome of certain disciplinary actions on a student’s transcript, in the form of a transcript comment. In disciplinary cases involving withdrawal prior to a disciplinary hearing, Interim Suspension, Suspension, or Expulsion, the student’s academic transcript shall be noted as follows:
Withdrawal. Student receives “W” or “W(grade)” grades according to established guidelines. Transcript comment reads: “Readmission subject to Student Development Hearing.” The comment is removed if a student is readmitted.
Disciplinary Interim Suspension (pending a Standing Disciplinary Board [SDB] hearing). Student receives “W” or “W(grade)” grades according to established guidelines. Transcript comment reads: “Disciplinarily suspended by the College on (date).”
Disciplinary Suspension. Student receives “W” or “W(grade)” grades according to established guidelines. Transcript comment reads: “Disciplinarily Suspended by the College until (date).” The comment is removed when the term of suspension expires.
Disciplinary Expulsion. Student receives “W” or “W(grade)” grades according to established guidelines. Transcript comment reads: “Disciplinarily expelled by the College on (date).”
After five years from the date of the student leaving the College for withdrawal pending disciplinary hearing, Disciplinary Interim Suspension, or Disciplinary Expulsion, the student may petition the Vice President for Student Development to have the transcript comment removed. It is the student’s responsibility to provide substantial evidence that supports the petition and provides documentation of activities (work, education, etc.) since departure from the College at Oneonta.
Readmission
Graduate Students
Graduate students are held to a six-year statute of limitations to complete their degree requirements. There is no withdrawal and readmission process for students in good standing. Academically dismissed graduate students should contact the Graduate Office regarding procedures for readmission.
Readmitted graduate students are subject to all policies, procedures and degree requirements in effect at the time of readmission.
Undergraduate Students
Undergraduate students who have voluntarily withdrawn or have been administratively withdrawn from the College and who wish to continue pursuit of their degree must apply for readmission to the College through the Academic Advisement Center (Netzer 100).
Academically Dismissed Undergraduate Students.
Students who have been academically dismissed will not be eligible to apply for readmission until one full year has elapsed since the dismissal. The student must also have successfully completed at least 12 semester hours of new academic course work with at least a 2.50 GPA at another institution.
Note: Conversion of credits from institutions not using semester hours are: 1 unit = 3.33 semester hours, 1 quarter hour = .667 semester hours.
To apply for readmission, students must submit a readmission application (available on the Academic Advisement Center (AAC) website by the following dates:
for Fall consideration: by July 1st
for Spring consideration: by November 1st
for Summer consideration: by May 1st
Readmission is not guaranteed. Decisions regarding readmission are made by the Student Progress and Status Committee. The criteria used in review an application include space availability at the College and within the major, all academic and discipline history, and a student’s plan for success.
Academically dismissed students who are subsequently readmitted to the College will be required to complete a minimum of 12 semester hours of course work in residence for a letter grade, post readmission, in order to graduate from the College at Oneonta. This course work may not include internships or physical education activity courses.
In addition, students must maintain a 2.00 GPA in all coursework taken post-readmission.
Academically dismissed students who choose to decline their readmission will have their Oneonta academic standing restored to academic dismissal.
Academic Forgiveness Policy
After meeting these conditions, academically dismissed student may seek readmission under one of two options:
Option I – Original Academic Record. The student’s GPA and credits earned remain.
Option II – Reinstatement Record. The student’s GPA is recomputed by removing previously earned “D” and “E” grades and credits from the GPA calculation until the overall GPA reaches a 2.00. The “removed” grades will still appear on the student’s academic record, preceded by a “Z” (e.g., “ZD”, “ZE”).
The decision regarding grades to be invalidated rests with the Academic Advisement Center. The grades will be invalidated in the following order:
- Low grades will be forgiven to bring the GPA to a 2.00 minimum. If it is impossible to get to the 2.00 minimum GPA, then all grades will be forgiven from the GPA.
- Once a 2.00 or the next highest GPA is achieved, no more grades will be forgiven.
- Grades will be forgiven in the following order: “E” in the major, “E” not in the major, “D-” in the major, “D-” not in the major, etc.
- If grades of “D-” to “C-” are forgiven, students will lose the credit earned for those courses.
Degree Requirements for Readmitted Undergraduate Students
If the student’s last attendance was no more than two years past and the student was no more than 6 semester hours short of graduation, the student may return under his/her old requirements.
Exception for students whose majors are outside of the Divisions of Education and Economics & Business. Undergraduates will be required to complete the degree requirements that are in place at the time of their readmission.
Note: Undergraduates who are pursuing their degrees on a stop-out basis (i.e., they attend non-consecutive semesters but they are continually pursuing a degree program) are flagged on the student records system as in part-time pursuit of degree and will not be withdrawn. Therefore they are not required to file for readmission. However, such students who are pursuing majors in the Divisions of Education and Economics & Business are responsible for completing program requirements in place at the time of their graduation.
Deadlines for Readmission
Applications for undergraduate readmission should be directed to the Academic Advisement Center (100 Netzer). The application fee is $20.00.
Deadlines for undergraduate readmission applications:
- July 15th for fall readmission
- November 15th for spring readmission
- May 1st for summer readmission.
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