Withdrawing from a Semester/Taking a Leave of Absence

Once the semester is underway, and you have gone through clearance, and declared yourself an enrolled student for that semester, you can withdraw from the semester, and not finish your classes for the semester. This is a withdrawal from that semester. Your enrollment for that semester goes on your academic record, and you receive Ws for the classes you were enrolled in that semester. A grade of W is not punitive, it just means that you were enrolled for the semester but left without completing your courses.

You can take a Personal Leave of Absence from the College at any time. You can request that during a semester for the following semester (you can do that whether or not you have decided to withdraw from the semester), or between semesters up until the date you go through clearance for the following semester. In this case you are disenrolled for any courses you may have registered for that semester and your academic record does not show any courses for that semester.

If you withdraw from the semester after the semester is underway and after you have completed clearance for that semester, you are dropped from all of the courses you are enrolled in for that semester, and you receive the grade of W for all of those courses.

Whether there is any refund for tuition and room and board depends on the date you withdraw, the refund calendar and whether payment has been made for tuition and fees. If eligible for a  reversal, tuition and room and board are reduced on a pro-rated basis according to the Tuition Refund Policy available on Oxy’s website. If payment has been made you may then have a credit balance and be able to request a refund. If you have any questions about your particular circumstances you can contact the Bursar’s Office may also be reached by calling (323) 259-259-2610, or by email at stuaccts@oxy.edu.

Withdrawing from a semester will impact your financial aid, including student loan repayment. If you have received loans as part of your financial aid you must contact the Occidental College Office of Financial Aid regarding loan repayment requirements, contact loan servicers about the change in enrollment, and review any benefits and responsibilities when you are no longer attending Oxy. Each student’s situation is unique; to discuss your situation email Financial Aid at finaid@oxy.edu or call the Office of Financial Aid at (323) 259-2548 for assistance.

If you  receive financial aid you should contact a financial aid counselor by calling or emailing Financial Aid at finaid@oxy.edu or at (323) 259-2548 for assistance. Oxy funds are prorated based on the percentage of tuition that you are charged while federal financial aid is based on a percentage “earned” that changes each day of the semester until the 60% point (at which time you are assumed to have earned 100% of the aid).

You and your parents or legal guardians should check the terms of the health insurance covering you. Some carriers will not cover a dependent child over eighteen years of age unless they are a full time student. Some carriers will maintain coverage if Occidental attests to the student’s status as matriculated, and on a medical leave of absence (see below for the health insurance FAQ for medical leaves/withdrawals.

If you are an international student attending Oxy on a student visa, taking a leave of absence or withdrawing from the semester may have implications for your student visa. It is important that you meet with staff in the International Programs Office PRIOR to completing the leave or withdrawal process to ensure that proper action is taken on your immigration record. Contact Marisa Mofford at mofford@oxy.edu, or email IPO at IPO@oxy.edu

The Health Services fee is not refunded if a student leaves the College at any time after the start of the semester.

The Student Activity fee is not refunded if a student withdraws from the College at any time after the start of the semester.

If you are approved to withdraw from the semester, once you are affirmed your intention to withdraw you will have 24 hours to vacate your housing assignment. You can email resed@oxy.edu for any questions about this timeline. If you are approved to return to the college in a future semester and are interested in housing, you must email resed@oxy.edu, and a member from the team will discuss what housing options are available for you. REHS is not able to hold or reserve a specific room for a student.

The last step of the withdrawal form requires you to reaffirm your request to withdraw from the semester. Only after you submit this are you officially withdrawn, and that decision is final.  If you decide, after consulting with any of the offices you have connected with, that you don’t want to withdraw, you should not complete this last step and you will stay enrolled in the semester.

When you withdraw from a semester you will indicate whether and/or when you plan to return to Oxy in the future. This decision is not binding, but it can help to make the return process smoother for you if you have told us whether and when you plan to return. 

You can decide to return anytime after the semester you have withdrawn is over, whether in 6 months, in a year, or more (we very occasionally have had students return 10 or even 20 years later to finish their degree). If you withdraw from a semester and plan, or  later decide, to return in the future you need to submit a returning student application prior to the semester you plan to return. You can find out more about the process to return here.

To withdraw from a semester you need to submit a leave withdrawal form, which you can find on the registrar’s forms site. Only current Oxy students or members of the Dean of Students Office can initiate a withdrawal from a semester, and the Dean of Students Office only initiates the form when a student is incapacitated. Once initiated, you need to meet with various offices on campus to discuss your decision and each office needs to sign off on the withdrawal form. When you start the form you will receive an automated email with instructions on your next steps. These will include:

1. Meeting with someone in the Dean of Students Office
2. If you are an international student on a visa, meeting with staff in IPO 
3. Meeting with your Academic Advisor or the Advising Center
4. Meeting  with Student Accounts

After you have consulted with the required offices, the final step for your request is to confirm your intention to withdraw from the current semester in the form. If you do not complete this final step you will receive letter grades in your courses for that semester. 

If you had already registered for courses for the upcoming semester you are disenrolled from those courses. Your transcript will not show any enrollment for that semester, nor will your transcript show any notation about your personal leave of absence. The fact that you took a personal leave of absence will be noted in your student file.

Yes, if you take a personal leave of absence, but had already paid some of your tuition, room and board, and fees you will be issued a full refund.

You will not receive financial aid for a semester during which you are on a leave of absence. The last day of the prior semester will be reported to any student loan servicers and your grace period will begin on that date. Please consult with the Office of Financial Aid at finaid@oxy.edu or (323) 259-2548 for impacts on student loan repayment.

You will be released from your housing once your leave of absence is approved. REHS does not hold or reserve a room assignment when you take a leave of absence, and your space will  be offered and/or occupied by another student. If you wish to live in campus housing after being approved to return to campus, you should email resed@oxy.edu and discuss what options are available with a staff member from REHS.

If you are approved to take a leave of absence between fall and spring semester, you must return to campus within 24 hours of the absence being approved to vacate your room. Students can email resed@oxy.edu with any questions about this process.

If you are an international student attending Oxy on a student visa, taking a leave of absence or withdrawing from the semester may have implications for your student visa. It is important that you meet with staff in the International Programs Office PRIOR to completing the leave or withdrawal process to ensure that proper action is taken on your immigration record. Contact Marisa Mofford at mofford@oxy.edu, or email IPO at IPO@oxy.edu

The last step of the personal leave of absence form requires you to reaffirm your request to take a leave. Only after you submit this are you officially taking a leave. So we encourage you to hold off reaffirming your request until you are sure you want to take the personal leave of absence.

When you take a personal leave of absence you tell us whether or when you plan to return to Oxy in the future. This decision is not binding, but it can help to make the return process smoother for you if you have told us whether and when you plan to return. 

You can decide you want to return anytime after the semester you have withdrawn is over, whether in 6 months, in a year, or more (we very occasionally have had students return 10 or even 20 years later to finish their degree). If you take a personal leave of absence and plan, or  later decide, to return in the future you need to submit a returning student application at least 30 days prior to the start of the semester you plan to return. You can find out more about the process to return here.

To take a personal leave of absence from Oxy you need to submit a leave withdrawal form, which you can find here. Only current Oxy students or members of the Dean of Students Office can initiate a personal leave of absence, and the Dean of Students Office only initiates the form when a student is incapacitated. Once you initiate the form you need to meet with various campus offices to discuss your decision and each office needs to sign off on the leave. When you start the form you will receive an automated email with instructions on your next steps. These will include meeting with someone in the Dean of Students Office, with your Academic Advisor, with Student Accounts, and, if you are attending Oxy on a visa, with the International Programs Office. After you have consulted with the required offices, the final step for your request is to confirm your intention to withdraw from the current semester in the form. If you do not complete this final step you will receive letter grades in your courses for that semester.

Oxy has a Medical Leave of Absence/Medical Withdrawal process for students who need to halt their studies due to a medical issue they are experiencing. When making a decision about whether to request a medical withdrawal or medical leave of absence you must meet with someone in the Dean of Students Office as soon as possible so that you understand all of the consequences of making that decision and can come to an informed decision about whether a medical leave of absence or medical withdrawal is the best choice for you. You can review the policy. 

In order to be approved for a medical leave of absence or Medical Withdrawal, you must submit appropriate documentation from a clinician before this leave is formally approved. Please review the Medical Leave of Absence Policy to be fully informed.

We cannot emphasize enough that you should review the medical leave and withdrawal policy carefully to be sure that you understand the implications of a medical leave on your transcript, your Financial Aid and your Health Insurance. 

For any medical withdrawal students should consult with Emmons Student Benefits & Insurance Specialist. If Oxy Student Health Insurance is refunded, students may be removed from insurance coverage depending on the date of refund. To ensure continued coverage, students need to reapply and contact JCB Insurance/Gallagher's Customer Service Team immediately via phone at (323) 603-2007 or email at GGB.JCB.StudentServices@ajg.com to request a Special Enrollment link to enroll and pay Aetna Student Health directly for their MLOA insurance coverage. Failure to do so will result in their insurance being terminated for the entire semester, regardless of when their MLOA was processed. (Please note that this coverage is only available once in a lifetime).

While students are on a leave they often ask in what ways they might stay connected with the Oxy community. Below are answers to some common questions about what resources remain available while on leave, particular for students who may stay in the Los Angeles area. There is also information below for students who wish to take coursework elsewhere while on leave.

Your email account will work for one year after the last time you were enrolled. Once you return to Oxy your email account will be turned back on. If you plan to take more than a one year break from Oxy, and you have an essential academic related reason that you need to have access to your Oxy email, you can contact the Associate Dean for Student Academic Affairs to explain your situation and request access.

You will have access to these for one year since you were last enrolled at Oxy. If you have an essential academic reason (such as working on comps or an incomplete grade) you can contact the Associate Dean for Student Academic Affairs to explain your situation and request access.

Students do not maintain access to the dining facilities, residence halls, or other Oxy-owned buildings requiring a swipe to enter when they are on a leave of absence or have withdrawn from the semester.

Many events on campus are open to the public or open to anyone who is the guest of a current Oxy student. Students who have withdrawn from the semester or who are on leave of absence can participate in any Oxy activities or meetings that would normally be open to the public or as a guest of an Oxy student at events that permit guests unless being on campus poses a threat to their safety or the safety of others. However, students who have withdrawn from the semester or who are on leave of absence are not permitted to hold a student leadership position on campus during the time of their leave and are not allowed to reserve space on campus.

You may apply for a job that is advertised to the wider public, however jobs classified as "student employment" are only available to active students.

Students on leave do not retain automatic access to athletic facilities. However, they may purchase a pass to utilize the facilities under Athletics alumnus membership policy. More information on this policy can be found on the Athletics website.

Like other building access on campus, you do not maintain student access to the library once your leave becomes effective. You can visit the library building during the hours it is open for the general public. As long as your student email is active you will be able to use electronic resources. If you need access to print materials because you are working on a project associated with your comprehensives, an incomplete, or other course related work you can request access by contacting the Associate Dean for Student Academic Affairs. 

The short answer is yes, but the details on which courses and what they may count toward depends on the details. Students wishing to take coursework at another institution while on leave should make sure to review the policy on Transfer Credits, the Transfer Credit FAQs, and to connect with the Registrar’s Office with any questions. The Transfer Credit form can be found online.