To leave in good standing, you must request a LOA from Student Success, by emailing success@rpi.edu. We will schedule an appointment with you to discuss the reason for the leave, the plan for activity while away, and the readmission process. Please visit our website for more information on requesting a LOA.

While taking a leave is a personal choice, Rensselaer is making every effort to ensure effective course instruction for the summer term. Accommodations remain accessible to students as well as support resources like tutoring, Student Success Labs, and TA and faculty office hours. The goal is to provide a remote learning environment as rigorous and engaging as the on-campus experience. The Office of Disability Services is also an available resource to students regarding identified learning disabilities, accommodations, and advisement. Please contact dss@rpi.edu for more information.

When you take a leave, you are not a registered student, therefore all your accounts are deactivated. Your course registration will be dropped and your housing assignment may be reassigned to another student. You will not be able to use campus resources and it is expected you will remain off the physical campus until you are readmitted. You would not be able to register for classes or select housing, nor have access to accounts until after you are readmitted (generally July 1 for Fall readmission or December 1 for Spring).

Part of the readmission process requires you to create an updated plan of study with your faculty advisor. Because you are missing a semester of 12-20 credits, those credits will need to be made up in future semesters or a summer semester, unless you enroll in courses while away. You will also be out of sequence, meaning courses you need may not be available in the semester you return. It is important to consult with your academic advising Hub/academic advisor prior to reapplying to determine the best semester for return.

All students are required to complete an away experience. Unless your semester away term has been updated by The Arch office, students will be required to keep the away semester they selected before their LOA. If you take a leave for the summer semester and were scheduled to be away in the fall, it is expected that you will be away for the fall semester. If you take a leave for the summer semester and were scheduled to be away in the spring, it is expected you will be away for the spring semester.

Yes, you can apply for readmission to complete your required away experience as your first semester back. If a semester away experience is secured, it should be registered into SIS under semester away work plan, once readmission into the term is completed.

The ILE-Self Design opportunity is a viable semester away option based on a comprehensive plan that must be reviewed and approved by the Office of Undergraduate Education. Contact the Office of Undergraduate Education with questions (oue@rpi.edu). Note, this does not automatically exempt you from the away semester you were previously designated.

Rensselaer is committed to working with you to facilitate your timely return to study. Please visit our website for detailed instructions on the readmission process; however, readmission is at the sole discretion of Rensselaer. If you do not complete the readmission process, nor demonstrate you are ready to resume full-time study, we cannot readmit you.

A leave of absence implies that you plan to, or may someday, return to Rensselaer. A withdrawal implies that you have no intentions of returning in the future. When in doubt, take a leave of absence.

Generally, students take a leave for a semester or year. There is no set limit however.

It depends on the effective date of your leave. Details on refunds can be found on the Bursar’s Web site.

If your leave is effective before the end of the 8th week of classes, your classes will be removed from your record, no grades will be given, and no credit will be received. If your leave is after the 8th week of classes, your classes will remain on your record, you will receive “W” (withdrawn) grades, and no credit will be received.

Leaves are noted as “leave of absence” or “withdrawn” (depending on the reason) under the semester the leave was taken.

A leave of absence will cancel your on-campus housing and meal plan contracts. The specific date of cancellation and the amount of a potential refund will depend on the effective date of the leave and your usage of facilities. Students are generally given 72 hours to clear their rooms of their belongings, move out, and return keys. For details contact Residence Life at (518) 276-6284.

Merit-based awards are generally valid for eight semesters of study. A leave of absence will not count towards the eight semesters. Need-based aid is based on your FAFSA. For details, please contact Financial Aid at (518) 276-6813.

Your RCS ID and RPI email will be de-activated following the approval of your separation from Rensselaer. Please refer to the ITSSC article "Graduating or Leaving RPI? Account information for Students" for more information.

Those on a leave of absence are considered inactive students, and are not permitted to utilize campus resources including, but not limited to, classrooms, labs, recreational spaces, athletic facilities, campus housing, dining halls, and Institute services (ex. Student Health Center) and are expected to remain off the campus.

Purchased laptops stay with the student. For questions, contact the Mobile Computing Program at (518) 276-3838 or mobile-l@rpi.edu.

To leave in good standing you must request a leave of absence from our office. To request a LOA, students should email success@rpi.edu. We will schedule an appointment with you to discuss the reason for leave, the plan for activity while away, and the readmission process. It is important to note that students who are on an approved LOA are required to complete an away experience. Please contact The Arch office for more details on how to complete your away experience.

Yes. We categorize and track when/why students leave Rensselaer — please be specific. A leave will not be processed if this information is missing.

No — you will automatically be placed on a leave and notification will be emailed to an address on file.

No — academic withdrawals, also known as an academic dismissal, are issued when students do not meet the standards for good standing. You will be contacted by the Advising and Learning Assistance Center regarding your academic dismissal. For the purposes of policies and procedures, they are treated similarly to a leave of absence in that you are eligible to return provided certain requirements have been met.

No — assuming you are working with the staff in the Student Health Center/Counseling Center, they will notify us automatically. You will be placed on a leave and notification will be emailed to your address on file. If you are working with your own doctor off-campus, please connect with the Student Health Center to arrange for a medical leave. They can be reached at (518) 276-6287.

Yes, please send it to success@rpi.edu.

All students, regardless of the type of leave taken, need to request to return. Details on the process can be found in the returning section of this Web site.