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Student Leave of Absence, Leave Extension, Withdraw from the College

Students considering a Leave of Absence, or who will Withdraw from the College, or who are already on an approved Leave of Absence and needing to request a Leave of Absence Extension MUST complete the applicable eform request to initiate one of the processes below. When initiating one of the eforms below, students should use their Mac email address and their first and last name when initiating an eform. All students must use their legal name for these documents in order to process accurately. Please note that once you initiate the eform it does begin processing immediately, so please consider when you are initiating your request. We encourage students requesting a Leave of Absence or Withdraw from the College for a future semester to hold off until the end of the current semester (example: if requesting a Leave for the Fall, the request should be completed at the end of Spring semester and prior to the first day of Fall classes; if requesting a Leave for the Spring, the request should be completed at the end of Fall semester and prior to the first day of Spring classes). If you are participating in a Macalester College Internship for credits, be sure to mark that field appropriately when completing your request, along with the date that the Internship will be completed. We encourage you to complete a request after the completion of your Internship. Once all fields are completed and the form has been signed and dated, click the yellow Finish button in the upper right corner of the eform to begin the process. If you are an international student, we encourage you to connect with International Student Programs to ensure processes, forms and any other items that may be needed are taken care of accurately and timely.

Please email [email protected] with any questions you have and if you’d like to share comments, or if you need assistance completing any eform. The Dean of Students office is happy to meet with you as well, to chat further about any of these processes.

Leave of Absence Request

Macalester Request for Leave of Absence (eform)

Students who need to be away from campus temporarily due to a variety of reasons (medical, mental health, financial, family, etc.), should complete and submit a Leave of Absence Request eform. To initiate the Leave of Absence Request process, students should click the eform link above, enter their information, sign/date the eform, click the yellow Finish button. If you are participating in a Macalester College Internship for credits, be sure to mark that field appropriately when completing your request, along with the date that the Internship will be completed. We encourage you to complete the Leave of Absence request eform after the completion of your Internship. Once the request is submitted it will route to necessary offices for their review and sign off. Students will receive an email once processing has completed. NOTE: We encourage students requesting a Leave of Absence for a future semester to hold off until the end of the current semester (example: if requesting a Leave for the Fall, the request should be completed at the end of Spring semester and prior to the first day of Fall classes; if requesting a Leave for the Spring, the request should be completed at the end of Fall semester and prior to the first day of Spring classes). If you are an international student, we encourage you to connect with International Student Programs to ensure processes, forms and any other items that may be needed are taken care of accurately and timely.

Leave of Absence Extension Request

Macalester Request to Extend Leave of Absence (eform)

Students who have already been approved for a Leave of Absence, whose plans have changed and will not return for the originally intended term, should submit the Leave of Absence Extension Request. To initiate the Leave of Absence Extension Request process, students should click the eform link above, enter their information, sign/date the eform, click the yellow Finish button. Once the request is submitted it will route to necessary offices for their review and sign off. Students will receive an email once processing has completed. If you are an international student, we encourage you to connect with International Student Programs to ensure processes, forms and any other items that may be needed are taken care of accurately and timely.

Withdraw from the College

Macalester Request to Withdraw from the College (eform)

Students who do not plan to return to Macalester, whether it be after an approved Leave of Absence, or plans to transfer away from Macalester, should complete the Withdraw from the College Request. To initiate the Withdraw from the College Request process, students should click the eform link above, enter their information, sign the eform, click the yellow Finish button. If you are participating in a Macalester College Internship for credits, be sure to mark that field appropriately when completing your request, along with the date that the Internship will be completed. We encourage you to complete the Withdraw from the College request eform after the completion of your Internship. Once the request is submitted it will route to necessary offices for their review and sign off. Students will receive an email once processing has completed. NOTE: We encourage students requesting to Withdraw from the College for a future semester to hold off until the end of the current semester (example: if requesting to Withdraw for the Fall, the request should be completed at the end of Spring semester and prior to the first day of Fall classes; if requesting to Withdraw for the Spring, the request should be completed at the end of Fall semester and prior to the first day of Spring classes). If you are an international student, we encourage you to connect with International Student Programs to ensure processes, forms and any other items that may be needed are taken care of accurately and timely.

Request a Meeting

Although not required, staff in the Dean of Students office can meet to discuss any of the above processes and questions associated with taking a Leave of Absence, deciding to extend a Leave of Absence, or planning to Withdraw from the College. Please email [email protected] to request a meeting.

Email Notifications

Macalester College has selected PandaDocs as our system for electronic forms and secure e-signatures.  When one of the above eform requests has been initiated, students should use their legal first and last name and their Mac email; complete all the required information in the request; sign/date the request and click the yellow Finish button in the upper right corner of the request in order to move the request forward for automated processing. If a request is received and has not been signed and the yellow finish button not clicked, the request will not move forward. NOTE: We encourage students requesting a Leave of Absence for a future semester to hold off until the end of the current semester (example: if requesting a Leave for the Fall, the request should be completed at the end of Spring semester and prior to the first day of Fall classes; if requesting a Leave for the Spring, the request should be completed at the end of Fall semester and prior to the first day of Spring classes). Once a request has been initiated, the initiator may receive several emails as the request moves through reviewers/signers and the automated process. These email notifications will come from [email protected]…don’t be alarmed, this is a legitimate email address for a Macalester process, it is not spam. The timeline for processing an eform request will depend on the time of year received, and how quickly campus partner offices are able to review and sign off on incoming requests. Please plan for at least 7-10 days for processing. If you are an international student, we encourage you to connect with International Student Programs to ensure processes, forms and any other items that may be needed are taken care of accurately and timely.

Process for Leave of Absence, Leave Extension, Withdraw from the College

Leave of Absence – A student may request a leave of absence for a future semester or for a semester in progress. The Dean of Students may grant a leave of absence for a duration of up to two consecutive semesters. A leave of absence may be extended beyond two consecutive semesters with the approval of the Office of Student Affairs. If the student does not apply for an extension, by completing the Macalester Request to Extend a Leave of Absence, prior to the end of the add/drop period associated with the anticipated return semester, the student will be considered withdrawn from the College and must apply for readmission to the College to return.

Although it is preferred that new students complete their first term and be in good academic standing when requesting a leave of absence, all requests received will be reviewed and considered, based on individual circumstances.  Questions about the leave of absence request and process should be addressed to the Dean of Students office at [email protected].

International students are generally not allowed to take a leave of absence and remain in the U.S. during the semesters of the academic year according to VISA regulations. If an international student is considering taking a leave of absence, we strongly encourage the student to contact the International Student Programs Office for further clarification of their status and process for re-entry to the U.S., as well as for regulations and special exceptions for the leave of absence.

Students who request a leave of absence for a semester in progress may be required to remain on leave for the following semester.

Students are typically not permitted to take a leave of absence for a semester in progress after the last day of class for the semester. Any student who wishes to leave Macalester for the purpose of entering military service or fulfilling mandatory religious obligations shall be granted a leave of absence by the Dean of Students.

Extending a leave of absence – A leave of absence may be extended beyond two consecutive semesters with the approval of the Dean of Students.  If the student does not apply for an extension by completing the Macalester Request to Extend a Leave of Absence eform, prior to the first day of classes associated with the initially anticipated return semester, the student will be withdrawn from the College. Once withdrawn from the College, a student must apply for readmission to the College to return.

Returning from a Leave of Absence – Prior to returning from leave of absence, the student will receive communication from the Registrar’s office with information regarding registration for classes for the anticipated semester they plan to return from their leave of absence. The Dean of Students office is available to meet with any student prior to their return from Leave of Absence; however, a meeting is not required and there is no formal paperwork needed from the Dean of Students office. The Dean of Students office encourages all students to connect with the Registrar’s office, Residential Life (if on-campus housing and a meal plan are desired) and Financial Aid (if applicable) regarding their return from leave of absence, as well as the Student Accounts office to make arrangements for tuition payment. There is no paperwork to complete to return from a leave of absence. Prior to returning from a Leave of Absence, students will connect with their academic advisor and the Dean of Students to ensure all resources are in place for a successful return.

Students who do not return from a leave of absence by the anticipated return semester or approved extension will be withdrawn from the College. Once withdrawn from the College, a student must apply for readmission to the College to return.

Students who are on leave of absence may not:

  • Participate in any student activity fee supported activity, intramurals, club or intercollegiate activities, forensics or performance activities, physical education activity courses, College sponsored volunteer activities or any activity in which they are representing the College.
  • Use art, computing or science facilities.
  • Use medical or counseling services at the Hamre Center.
  • Live in College housing.
  • Have a campus mailbox.
  • Be employed in a student employment position. Questions regarding student employment should be directed to [email protected].

Students on a leave of absence may use the Library, MAX Center, Career Exploration and academic advising. Email accounts for students on leave of absence will remain active.

Withdraw from the College – Students who decide not to return to the College (i.e. transfer to another institution) should submit a Macalester Request to Withdraw from the College for review and approval of the Dean of Students.  Once withdrawn from the college, a student must apply for readmission to the College to return. Questions about withdrawing from the College should be addressed to the Dean of Students office at [email protected].

Students who do not return from a leave of absence by the anticipated return semester or approved extension will be withdrawn from the College. Once withdrawn from the College, a student must apply for readmission to the College to return. Readmission forms are available from the Registrar’s Office. The college is not obliged to approve student readmissions.