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Leaves of Absence

There are two kinds of leaves:

  • personal leaves, when you don’t expect to transfer credit back to your Smith record (class year will change)
  • approved off-campus study leave for full-time study elsewhere (class year remains the same)

You can only be on a personal leave, off campus study in the U.S., and/or off campus study abroad for two consecutive semesters:  if you wish to stay away for a third semester, speak with your dean.  

Requests

A personal leave can be requested via the following (for fall by June 1, for academic year by June 1, for spring by Dec 1):

An approved off campus study in the U.S. can be requested via the following (for fall by June 1, for academic year by June 1, for spring by Dec 1):

Students in good academic standing can consult with their class dean for exceptions to these deadlines by emailing classdeans@smith.edu. Please note, if approved, these exceptions are subject to a $500 administrative processing fee.  Students may not request a leave of absence on or after the first day of classes.


Consult with the Office for International Study for deadlines and for study abroad off-campus study forms.

Consult with the Registrar’s Office to submit your transfer credit application for full-time study elsewhere in the U.S. and to have your credits pre-approved.

Returning to Smith

Registration

The Office of the Registrar and the Office of Residence Life will email you materials about registration and housing during the semester immediately preceding your scheduled return.

Remember to check your Smith email even if you are away!

Rescinding a Personal Leave

If you decide to rescind your leave of absence and return to Smith, you must notify your class dean in writing (email is fine). You should do so as soon as possible. Include your ID number and specify the semester you intend to return. Students who rescind a leave can register for courses once registration opens during add/drop. A meeting with your adviser will be required in order to remove your registration hold in Workday, where you will register for classes. You cannot rescind a leave after the start of classes.

Housing

Students who rescind a leave of absence are housed on a space-available basis. Contact the housing coordinator in residential life for more information.

If you wish to leave/withdraw while on a yearlong study abroad program, you must consult with the Office for International Study. You may be required to withdraw, depending on the program.