Continuing Enrollment Policy and Leaves of Absence
After admission to candidacy, students must be enrolled each semester (excluding summer session) for course work, or thesis research credit, unless the student is on an officially approved leave-of-absence.
WARNING: Students who are not enrolled and not on approved leaves of absence (see below) will be regarded as withdrawn from their degree programs. They will be required to apply for readmission if they wish to resume their studies.
Students still in the main, coursework part of their studies, must register each semester for at least one hour of credit; students “not on campus”, that is, who have completed all regular coursework and are only conducting the research component of their degree, register, as a minimum, for one credit of 500, 699, or thesis/dissertation (700/800).
For Plan A students who have completed all course work, the continuing enrollment policy means that a student must continue to register for at least 1 credit of SLS 700 each semester (including the semester in which the degree is awarded).
For Plan B students who have completed all course work but still have some requirements outstanding (for example, the Scholarly Paper), the continuous registration policy means that a student must either apply for a leave of absence or register each term for one credit of SLS 500 (“Directed Studies”) until all degree requirements are met. Note: SLS 500 does not carry credit toward meeting total credit hours requirements, but payment of one credit work of tuition is necessary. SLS 500 is mandatorily graded S(atisfactory)/U(nsatisfactory).
WARNING: When maintaining enrollment while completing Plan A thesis and Plan B scholarly paper work, only the SLS 700 thesis credits count towards “full-time” enrollment, whereas SLS 500 credits do not. This may influence eligibility for employment, visas, and student loan qualifications.
Leaves of absence
A student who wishes a leave of absence (LOA) obtains a Leave of Absence Request form from the Graduate Division (see Graduate Division background information).
Important conditions include:
LOAs are not granted for more than one year.
LOAs are granted only to students who have been advanced to candidacy.
Students on LOAs do not pay tuition or fees.
The time spent on a LOA is not counted against the seven-year limit for completion of degree programs.
NOTE: Students returning from leave on time should request the bio-info and residency forms from the Graduate Division Records Office, Spalding 352, so that a registration packet will be prepared.
WARNING: The date for return from a LOA must be set at the time the leave is requested. Students not returning from LOAs on time will be required to apply for readmissionto the University in accordance with established regulations.
