Students may take a temporary leave of absence from the College during the semester when medical or personal emergency circumstances require that they be away from campus and/or unable to participate in classes for more than five days.

Medical Leave of Absence

Typically granted when a student needs to be off campus and/or unable to participate in classes for more than five consecutive days in order to deal with a significant medical condition.

A. The student must consult with Health Services or Counseling Services about the problem that necessitates the leave.

B. Health or Counseling Services will recommend whether a student qualifies for medical leave.

i. If the leave is approved by the Dean of Student Achievement and Success, Health or Counseling Services will advise the student, the Dean of Student Achievement and Success and the Office of Student Affairs about the requirements for the student’s return to campus.

ii. The Dean of Student Achievement and Success maintains the approved leave documentation and communicates its details to Student Affairs, the student's faculty members, and the student’s advisor(s).

iii. A student on a medical leave of absence may not return to classes, reside on campus, participate in student social life or other campus activities or use Washington College facilities, until Health or Counseling Services has approved their return.

iv. The student is still expected to contact their professors as soon as possible to discuss making up missed work aligned with professors' course policies as articulated in their syllabi. When discussing missing work and deadlines, faculty members should make a good-faith effort to allow students to reasonably make up work whenever possible or complete alternative assignments.

v. The Dean of Student Achievement and Success will notify the faculty once Health or Counseling Services has determined that a student has been cleared to resume course work.

C. Illnesses or other health problems that require less than five consecutive days off campus/away from classes do not qualify as a medical leave of absence and in those cases, the student is expected to notify their faculty members that they will be missing class and to discuss making up missed work. 

Other Leaves of Absence

Leaves for other than medical reasons, e.g., personal emergency circumstances or bereavement.

A. The student must contact the Dean of Student Achievement and Success to discuss the leave request.

i. If approved, the Dean of Student Achievement and Success will advise the student and the Office of Student Affairs about the student’s leave and will advise all parties about when the student is expected to return to campus and classes.

ii. The Dean of Student Achievement and Success maintains the approved leave documentation and communicates its details to Student Affairs, the student's faculty members, and the student’s advisor(s).

iii. The student is still expected to contact their professors as soon as possible to discuss making up missed work aligned with professors' course policies as articulated in their syllabi. When discussing missing work and deadlines, faculty members should make a good-faith effort to allow students to reasonably make up work whenever possible or complete alternative assignments.

Title IX-Related Absence

An absence as a result of a Title IX supportive measure or to participate in a Title IX investigation or hearing.

A. If a student must be absent from class as a result of involvement in a Title IX case, this will be confirmed by the Title IX Coordinator and then sent to the Dean of Student Achievement and Success, who will notify faculty about the student’s absence.

B. As with other absences, the student involved should also contact their professors to discuss making up any missed work aligned with the professors’ course policies.

Length of Leave of Absence

A leave of absence is usually granted for up to two weeks (14 calendar days). If Health and Counseling Services has not recommended to the Dean of Student Achievement and Success that the student return by 14 days OR if the student requests an extension of the leave of absence OR if the student requests an additional leave at another time during the semester, the Dean of Student Achievement and Success reviews the student’s situation, consulting with Health Services or Counseling Services when appropriate, to determine whether the student’s leave should be extended or an additional leave approved. Depending upon the situation, students who are not ready to return after 14 days may be advised to withdraw from the College for that semester. In these cases, the withdrawal is retroactive to the last day the student attended classes and is indicated on the student’s transcript by grades of “W” in all courses in which the student was enrolled that semester.

Honor Code and Leave of Absence

If a student is not in good social or academic standing when they take a leave of absence or withdraw for any reason, their reinstatement of enrollment or readmission may be conditional, pending the resolution of any alleged academic or social violations of the Honor Code.