CON Leave of Absence and Deferral of Admission for PhD in Nursing Graduate Students

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UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER COLLEGE OF NURSING
Leave of Absence and Deferral of Admission for PhD in Nursing Graduate Students	Subsection: 5.4.4
Section 5.0 - Student Policies	Originating Date: September 2012
Responsible Reviewing Agency: PhD Affairs Council Related Documents: UNMC Student Handbook	Reviewed: September 2015 Reviewed: May 2018 Revised: October 2023 (changes)

Purpose

Establishes criteria for the granting of a Leave of Absence (LOA) and deferral of admission.

Scope

This policy applies to PhD students.

Leave of Absence

PhD in nursing students may, under exceptional circumstances, be granted a Leave of Absence (LOA) from the College of Nursing, as noted in the UNMC Student Handbook.

An LOA is defined as non-enrollment during a fall or spring semester or a withdrawal from all courses at any point during a semester.

The granting of any such LOA shall be solely within the discretion of the College of Nursing PhD in Nursing Program and UNMC Office of Graduate Studies, based upon the merits of the request and evaluated on a case-by-case basis. The student who is considering a request for LOA must first discuss the request with his or her faculty advisor. In addition, if the student is receiving financial aid, the student must contact the UNMC Office of Financial Aid before formally requesting the LOA.

The following guidelines apply to all requests for LOA:

1. Student must request the LOA in writing.
2. Request should describe, in detail, the rationale for requesting LOA.
3. Request is to be addressed to the student’s faculty advisor and the Student Services Coordinator.

The student may be granted an LOA for a total of two semesters throughout the duration of his or her program, consecutive or non-consecutive.

The student will be responsible for working with his/her advisor to identify an eligible time to return. A student who has been granted an LOA is responsible for notifying the Student Service Coordinator of the intention to return to classes six weeks prior to the start of classes or as soon as possible. Re-enrollment is dependent upon available slots in the class or cohort. In the event no room is available in the class or cohort during the semester in which the student plans to re-enroll, an extension of the LOA past two semesters may be granted.

A student who does not notify the Student Services Coordinator or his/her advisor, and does not return within two semesters, may be administratively withdrawn from the program. Re-entry into the College of Nursing will require re-application to the program. A student who withdraws from the College of Nursing without an official LOA, and would later like to continue his/her education, will be required to reapply through the regular admissions/applications process and meet the established admissions criteria in place at that time.

Upon re-enrollment following an LOA, the student will be subject to all rules and regulations which pertain to the class he or she is joining. Those rules and regulations may differ from those applying to the class into which the student initially matriculated.

A student who is the subject of an involuntary dismissal from the College of Nursing, for any reason including, but not limited to, academic performance or disciplinary action is not eligible to invoke the procedures contained in this policy.

Financial Aid Consequences of LOA

The student is responsible for contacting the UNMC Office of Financial Aid to determine the financial consequences of taking an LOA. For example, financial obligations regarding tuition payment and/or loan repayment, as well as scholarships and grants, need to be reviewed with the UNMC Office of Financial Aid prior to approval of the LOA. Significant financial consequences may result if courses are dropped during a semester. Further information can be found in the UNMC Student Handbook.

Deferral of Admission

A student may defer admission for one or two semesters. Requests must be received in writing and addressed to the student’s faculty advisor and/or the Student Services Coordinator. The request must indicate to which semester the student would like to defer admission and include a detailed description of the rationale for requesting the deferral. The student is responsible for contacting the UNMC Office of Financial Aid to determine the financial consequences of deferring admission. After one year (two semesters, not including summer sessions) of deferral, a student must withdraw and re-apply.

A student who has been granted a deferral is responsible for notifying the Student Services Coordinator of the intention to begin classes six weeks prior to the start of classes or as soon as possible.

Future enrollment is dependent upon available slots in the class or cohort. In the event no room is available in the class or cohort during the semester in which the student plans to enroll, an extension of the deferral past two semesters may be granted. Upon enrollment following a deferral of admission, the student will be subject to all rules and regulations which pertain to the class he or she is joining. Those rules and regulations may differ from those applying to the class into which the student initially was accepted.