Leave of Absence/Withdrawal

When personal or professional circumstances preclude enrollment in classes, matriculating students must apply for a leave of absence. An approved leave of absence extends the time allowed to complete one’s program of study and assures academic coherence of study. A leave of absence may be granted for one or more consecutive semesters or terms with the following stipulations:

• The student must plan to return to the university at the end of the specified period in order to complete his/her academic degree or C.A.G.S. program.
• The student must be in good academic standing at the time the leave is granted.
• The student must complete and submit the online Leave of Absence Form. You will need your Lesley username and password to log on to Dynamic Forms, to access and complete the form available at lesley.edu/forms/loa.

Students must confer with their academic advisor who will determine if the leave of absence will be approved and submitted to the Office of the University Registrar for processing. A student on a leave of absence will remain a degree or C.A.G.S. candidate but will not retain the privileges of a registered student, which includes utilization of the library, financial aid, and student funded activities.

Financial aid recipients who are on an official leave of absence are not eligible to receive federal financial aid during the period of their official leave. In addition, students who have borrowed a Federal Stafford Loan, Federal Perkins Loan, Federal Grad PLUS loan, and/or Massachusetts No Interest Loan may begin to utilize their grace period(s) while on their official leave and subsequently may be expected to begin repayment of their educational loan(s). The Financial Aid Office encourages students who are planning on taking an official leave of absence to meet with their Financial Aid Counselor to discuss educational loan repayment options and eligibility for grace period(s).

On-campus students who withdraw from a course after the second class meeting will receive a “W” grade on their transcript. Off-campus and online students who withdraw from a course after its first week will receive a "W" grade on their transcript. Refunds will be processed according to the published withdrawal refund schedule below.

Students may not withdraw from a standard 15-week course during the last five class meetings. Students may not withdraw from an 8-week term-based course during the last three weeks of the term. The policy regarding incomplete grades remains in effect regardless of the student’s leave of absence or withdrawal status.

Students should be aware that programs might change during a leave of absence or withdrawal period, which would require changes or additional course work in their program of study. If a student does not return within the time period approved and does not request an extension of the leave of absence, s/he may be officially withdrawn by the university.

A leave of absence or withdrawal will not be finalized until processed by the Office of the University Registrar. A leave of absence or withdrawal for any semester/term will be granted only through the last day to drop with a "W" grade for that semester/term. Requests after that date will be considered for the following semester/term. It is the student’s responsibility to notify the university in advance if s/he plans to apply for a withdrawal or leave of absence. Non-attendance does not constitute an official withdrawal/leave of absence; students will be held responsible for all related tuition and fees.

• Registration and course fees are non-refundable after the completion of the add/drop period.
• For actual refund percentages see tables below.
• Students who receive financial aid and withdraw or reduce credit load during the refund period will have an adjustment/reduction in their aid award.

The following schedules are used to determine the portion of tuition that will be refunded, depending upon the date that a student withdraws from a course or from the university. University policy does not allow retroactive withdrawals or refunds.

Refund Policies for On-Campus Courses

*Applies to courses in 14/15 week semester for fall and spring and 12/13 week semester in the summer.

For courses with six or fewer class meetings, travel study courses, conferences and intensive courses, there is a 100% refund if the course is dropped prior to the start of the course. Once the class has begun, there is no refund. Classes with six or fewer meetings typically include: weekend intensive classes, seminars, workshops, and conferences.

Refund Policy for Off-Campus Courses

*Applies to courses in eight-week terms.

Refund Policy for Online Courses

*Applies to all online course offerings.

Refund Policy for Maryland Students Enrolled in Online Courses

This schedule shows the portion of tuition that will be refunded for students who reside in Maryland and who are enrolled in any of our online courses

Refund Policy for PhD Low-Residencies 

This refund policy applies to students enrolled in one of our low-residency PhD Programs, including Educational Studies: Educational Leadership Specialization, Educational Studies: Adult Learning, and Expressive Therapies.

Refund Policy for Ecological Teaching and Learning

This refund policy applies to students in Ecological Teaching and Learning summer residency program.

Refund Policies for MFA Low-Residencies

This refund policy applies to students in low-residency and MFA programs in Creative Writing or Visual Arts.

Refund Policy for MTEL Courses