Leave of Absence Policy

Course

If a student needs a temporary leave of absence from a course, the student should reach out to his or her student services advisor and instructor. In some cases, the student may be able to make arrangements to submit coursework ahead of schedule or receive modified due dates to cover the leave period. Students are required to participate in substantive interaction each week, so generally the approved leave of absence will not exceed one to two weeks. In addition, the student should refer to the section in this catalog and in his or her course syllabus titled, Required Assessments, for more information about managing course assignments.

If a student is not able to continue in a course in the current semester, the student will be directed to drop the course and register for the course in the next semester. The ACHS Refund Policy applies to the course drop and tuition is pro- rated accordingly.

Students wishing to drop a course may do so in any manner and may want to also discuss options with their student services advisor at 800.487.8839 or emailstuserv@achs.edu. A student may be required to purchase updated materials when the course is rescheduled if materials have been updated for the next intake. A student’s financial account must be in good standing to schedule the course for the next semester. Students will be charged for the current tuition and fees at the time of re-registration. ACHS cannot guarantee that space will be available in the next intake. In this case, an alternate course in the student’s program may be recommended.

Program

Under special circumstances, students may apply for leave of absence for a specific period of up to one year. Assuming appropriate documentation is provided, the circumstances justifying a leave include but are not limited to personal or family medical conditions, call to active military duty, maternity or paternity leave, or death in immediate family. The applicant may be asked to provide documentation. A student’s financial account must be in good standing to be eligible to request a leave of absence.

An approved leave of absence preserves the student’s status in his or her degree program, and the time off will not be counted against the time limits for awarding degrees. Registration is not required during the leave period. A leave may be renewed for up to one additional year if the student applies for a leave extension at least one month before the end of his or her initial leave. Renewal of a leave is subject to the approval of the College. In no case may any student be granted a leave for more than two years.

Students must use the Academic Standards Committee Petition Form (availableonline here) to apply for a leave of absence from a program. The ASC considers all academic petitions. Student services will notify the student of the approval or denial of the request. The ASC may approve the petition, approve the petition with condition, or deny the petition and recommend the student withdraw from the program and re-apply when the student has the ability to commit to his or her studies.

Note: Students with student loans should confer with the loan provider before requesting a leave of absence to ascertain the consequences of a leave on their loan status.

Please click here to complete the Academic Petition form online.  Please contact Student Services, with additional questions, at stuserv@achs.edu

Last revised 11/13/18 EY