Returning to Oxy After Taking Time Off

Cal Grant Promise Program Makes Oxy Even More Affordable for California Students

Every student who withdraws from a semester or is on a leave of absence for any reason may apply to return.

While most students return after one or two semesters, others come back after longer breaks—even years later. We welcome every student to return to complete their degree, even if they are returning to complete their degree many years after they took a leave. 

When you are ready to return to Oxy after withdrawing from a semester or being on a leave of absence of any kind you must submit a Returning Student Application and all required supporting documentation. While the Returning Student Application is a simple and short form, there are several offices that need to review  your application before you are officially cleared to come back to Oxy. Given this, we recommend that you submit your Returning Student Applications as soon as possible after deciding you wish to return. You can find the form on the registrar’s website.

Enrollment Deadlines

If you wish to be considered for housing, participate in room draw, participate in registration during the regular registration time for enrolled students, be considered for Financial Aid, or be considered for housing accommodations you are required to submit their Returning Student Application by the deadlines below. 

If you are an international student requesting to return you must consult with an IPO staff member before applying to return to Occidental in order to understand the requirements, process, and deadlines for renewing a student visa.

Final deadline to submit your returning student application:

To return in the

FALL SEMESTER

To return in the

SPRING SEMESTER

To return and be guaranteed consideration for Financial  Aid and, if needed, request for an extra semester of aid.To be considered for financial aid for any semester, you must have submitted your FAFSA, your CSS Profile, your Student Supplemental Application and have uploaded your family's income tax documents by March 2nd of the prior academic year  (see Office of Financial Aid website)

May 1st

November 1st

To be fully considered for Disability Services housing accommodations, if applicable 

March 1st

November 1st

To participate in course registration with your Class

February 25th

September 25th

To return and be guaranteed for housing

June 1st 

November 1st

To return and participate in room draw for housing

February 1st

N/A

You must send all required documents by 11:59pm PST on the deadline dates. 

The final cut off date for you to submit your Returning Student Application is 30 days prior to the start of the semester during which you wish to enroll. If you leave it to this date we cannot guarantee that you will be considered for Financial Aid, choose your preferred housing options, or enroll in your preferred courses. 

Returning to Oxy FAQs

Every student needs to submit a Returning Student Application.  The materials you must submit in addition to the Returning Student Application depend on the kind of leave you have been on and are outlined in the answers to the FAQs below

The Returning Student Application has 5 questions, each of which needs a separate and complete answer. Among the questions we ask on the form are why you left Oxy, what you have been doing while you were away, and what is your academic plan to complete your degree? When you submit the form we expect you to answer the questions fully on a separate document.

Submit your Returning Student Application to Oxy’s registrar (registrar@oxy.edu). You do not need to submit any additional materials. Please allow two weeks for your application to be processed. If you are approved to return you will need to follow up with Financial Aid and Housing.

In addition to submitting your Returning Student Application you must submit a brief Student Letter and Treatment Provider Letter(s). Students may submit more than one letter from treatment providers (e.g., a therapist and psychiatrist, or a primary care and specialist health provider).  These letters are expected to address your readiness to return and are considered very carefully by a medical clearance committee when making the decision about your return. You should review the medical leave policy here very carefully for guidance on what information your letters should contain.

When returning from a medical leave, given the sensitive nature of the materials you are submitting, it is very important for you to send all of your materials directly to the Dean of Students Office via a single email to(deanofstudents@oxy.edu). 

In addition to submitting your Returning Student Application to the registrar (registrar@oxy.edu) you need to make sure that you have done, or are in the process of doing, what was asked of you by the Student Progress Committee when you were placed on a required leave. Before your Returning Student Application is reviewed the registrar must have received a completed Transfer Credit and Course Substitution form, with all the necessary approvals, for any courses you took while away. You may submit your Returning Student Application prior to completing any courses you are taking on your required leave to be considered for conditional approval to return. As soon as you have completed any courses you must request that transcripts for any courses you completed while you were away be sent directly to Oxy’s registrar. If you are approved to return you will need to follow up with Financial Aid and Housing.

If you left the college because of a suspension due to conduct before submitting your Returning Student Application you should make sure that you have completed all of the required sanctions. If you are not sure what these are you can contact the Office of Student Conduct. Once you are sure that you have done everything you need to do for conduct you can submit your Returning Student Application to the registrar.

Reach out to Student Accounts before you apply to return to discuss how your balance might affect the approval process for returning.

Yes, there is no time limit on when you can return after a leave of absence. You should first contact the registrar, explaining when you were last at Occidental, and they will be able to advise you on what additional materials you should submit with your Returning Student Application. The registrar will be able to determine the degree requirements that were in effect when you were last at Oxy, and will be able to work with you and your academic advisor (or a suitable academic advisor if your advisor is no longer working at Oxy) on a plan to complete your degree.

Yes, you can return to Oxy, and the courses you have taken while away will be evaluated for transfer. Up to 64 units toward the Oxy degree may be accepted in transfer.

Most likely the answer is “yes”. Up to 64 units toward the Oxy degree may be accepted in transfer. Those courses that transfer in for units, elective credit, or for major, minor or core requirements, will count toward your Oxy degree.  Courses taken abroad during a fall or spring semester or a winter quarter will not transfer to Oxy. To start the process of determining which courses you took while away will transfer in you should have your transcripts sent directly to the registrar, and submit a completed Transfer Credit and Course Substitution form to the registrar. If you have questions about the process for transferring courses, or if you want more information about what might be accepted in transfer you can review these FAQs or contact the Advising Center, the registrar, or the Associate Dean for Student Academic Affairs.

We have the deadlines above to make sure that students who apply to return are best set up for success when they resume their studies. We recognise that there are circumstances beyond a student’s control that prevent them from being able to make the deadline for starting the process to request to return. If you miss the 30 day deadline to return for a semester you may reach out to the Dean of Students Office  to see if you will be allowed to start the process for returning for that semester.

Contact the Registrar’s Office
AGC 101

View the College Catalog

Drop-in hours: Mon-Fri, 9am-4pm

Phone: (323) 259-2686
Fax: (323) 341-4886
registrar@oxy.edu

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