Other Student Policies

Any student who has a disability and requires accommodations related to course registration at any point in the registration process should contact the assistant dean of access and disability services at disabilityservices@sarahlawrence.edu or 914.395.2235. Examples of registration-related accommodation support include:

• Students with mobility impairments requiring accessible classrooms choosing their classes without regard to location
• Assistance with online interviews
• Support in navigating the course-registration process

The registrar works with the assistant dean of access and disability services to arrange a location for the class in an accessible classroom space. Any student who has a disability and requires accommodations should contact the assistant dean of access and disability services, who determines the appropriate accommodations.

Consistent attendance for and engagement in academic obligations is expected. Students are expected to notify faculty in advance when they must miss a class or conference appointment. Missed conferences may be rescheduled at the faculty member’s discretion. Faculty members are not required to reschedule missed conferences. The instructor must notify the program director/student’s adviser if a student has missed two classes or conferences in succession without prior notice or explanation. Illness does not excuse a student from academic work. Regardless of the reason for an absence, missed coursework must be made up.

Students may not leave early for or return late from College breaks. Academic requirements must be met, including attendance and engagement in class and conference meetings, as well as in fieldwork, internship, clinical, and teaching placements for the duration of the commitment.

A student may need to take a short-term absence from campus in the case of serious illness or family emergency. The program director should be consulted and faculty contacted before the student leaves campus, if timing allows. Missed coursework should be made up either during the time away or immediately upon return. Students should also notify the associate dean of graduate students or the dean of graduate and professional studies, who are available for assistance as needed. When the absence is illness-related, students should work with the Health & Wellness Center to receive necessary support.

Although the College does not close officially for religious holidays, the right of any member of the community to observe these holidays is respected. Students who miss class are asked to inform their instructor(s) in advance. Faculty are asked to help students make up the work missed because of such observance and to avoid scheduling special activities for those days.

A personal leave of absence may be granted one semester at a time, upon student request, up until the end of the 10th week of the semester. Ideally, students should request a leave of absence prior to the start of the semester. The student should first discuss the leave with their program director, then complete the Change of Status form available on MySLC. Students on leave of absence are charged a semesterly matriculation fee. International students should consult with their DSO (designated school official) before their leave of absence begins.

Each subsequent semester of leave of absence may be requested via the Change of Status form on MySLC after conferring with the program director. Leaves of absence may be requested for up to four consecutive semesters, after which time the student is withdrawn from the College. Students are contacted by the Registrar’s Office prior to their expected return; those who do not return from leave of absence for the expected semester are withdrawn from the College for failure to return and must follow the policy as outlined in the Withdrawal from the College portion of this handbook.

Students who request a leave of absence but are subsequently suspended for academic reasons must apply for reinstatement as outlined in their suspension letter.

Students who are ready to return to the College from a leave of absence must submit the Change of Status form on MySLC after conferring with the program director. Deadlines are November 1 for a spring-semester return and April 1 for a fall-semester return.

Students with loans or grants who are planning a leave of absence should consult with the Office of Financial Aid about any financial implications of their leave. While on leave, students may engage in public events on campus; they may not attend programming intended for currently enrolled and attending students.

A medical leave may be requested by a student for health/medical reasons that interfere with the student’s ability to function academically. The deadline to request a medical leave of absence is the end of the 10th week of the semester. Students should first discuss all potential leave requests with their program director, associate dean of graduate students, and/or dean of graduate and professional studies to review their leave options and receive academic advising. It is important to stress that students are not required, nor is there an expectation, for students to discuss any health or mental-health information with anyone outside of Sarah Lawrence’s Health & Wellness Center. Following this discussion, students should then submit a Change of Status request form, available on MySLC (MySLC login required), and then schedule a meeting with one of the Health & Wellness Center directors at healthservices@sarahlawrence.edu. A medical leave may also be required by the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies if the student has a health condition that cannot be reasonably accommodated by the College.

During the medical leave, the student is expected to obtain treatment for the condition that warranted the leave and subsequently demonstrate that the issue has been sufficiently resolved to allow resumption of studies.

Request to return from a medical leave is reviewed by the Health & Wellness Center in consultation with the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies. Students initiate the request to return using the Change of Status form available on MySLC (MySLC login required). For spring-semester returns, requests are due by November 1, with clinical documentation submitted to the Health & Wellness Center by December 1. Fall-semester requests to return are due by April 1, with clinical documentation submitted to the Health & Wellness Center by May 1.

In circumstances due to health-related issues, F-1 international students may be permitted to be enrolled part time if approved by Health & Wellness and the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies. International students should consult with their DSO (designated school official) when considering any type of leave.

A medical leave may be requested for up to four consecutive semesters, after which time the student is withdrawn from the College. Students are contacted either by the Registrar’s Office or the Health & Wellness Center prior to their expected return; those who do not return from medical leave of absence for the expected semester are withdrawn from the College for failure to return and must follow the policy outlined in the Withdrawal from the College portion of this handbook.

While on medical leave, students are expected to absent themselves from participating in or organizing on campus, as well as in or on off-campus College-sponsored/affiliated activities, and to visit only with permission, given in advance, by the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies. Failure to abide by this expectation may adversely affect the decision to return. Students who are on a medical leave but are subsequently independently suspended for academic reasons must first apply for reinstatement.

Sarah Lawrence graduate programs emphasize a combination of student evaluations and final grades as key indicators of a student’s progress in their program. A grade of B or higher is expected in every academic course. A pass is expected in pass/fail courses and fieldwork practicums. A "Fail" in a pass/fail course or a grade lower than a B indicates that the quality of work is below graduate standards and thus academic difficulty. The student should discuss areas of weakness that need improvement with their program director. For a grade of B-, the student may be asked to repeat the course and must meet with the program director to discuss plans for improvement. For a grade of C+ or lower, the student is asked to repeat the course and must meet with the program director to discuss plans for improvement. Course repeats are billed at the same rate as initial course enrollment.

If a student receives another grade lower than a B in the course of their graduate studies, a second conversation with the program director and a conversation with the associate dean of graduate students or the dean of graduate and professional studies is indicated. The program director, in consultation with the faculty, discusses the student’s ability to complete the course of study. Consequences of inadequate progress toward the completion of the degree, including one or more grades lower than a B, might include academic probation, suspension, or potential dismissal from the program.

Any student with at least one grade of C+ or lower or more than one grade lower than a B in a given semester is placed on academic probation for at least two semesters. Students who are required to repeat a graduate-level course are also placed on academic probation for at least two semesters. Those students are notified in writing and must meet with their program director and the associate dean of graduate students or the dean of graduate and professional studies to discuss plans for improvement. Students on academic probation must adhere to the following terms for a full academic year:

1. Timely submission of work that meets course expectations
2. Consistent attendance and engagement in class, conference meetings, and other academic obligations
3. On-time completion of courses (permission to request an incomplete must be approved by the dean of graduate and professional studies)
4. No violations of the College’s academic integrity policy, whether resolved formally or informally

Probationary students are reviewed at the end of each semester and, if the terms are met, are permitted to return the next semester but remain on probation. If the terms are not met, the student is academically suspended and notified in writing.

The College reserves the right to suspend students who are not making satisfactory progress toward their degree. This includes successful completion of fieldwork, internship, clinical, and teaching placements, as well as consistent progress on the thesis project. Students who have been suspended are eligible to apply for reinstatement after two academic semesters and must apply to the Committee on Graduate and Professional Studies to be reinstated. Students are notified of the reinstatement procedures in the letter of suspension. Students who have been suspended for academic reasons may not receive their degree until they have been reinstated and have successfully completed degree requirements.

A student wishing to be reinstated from academic suspension must apply in writing and may be asked to meet with the Committee on Graduate and Professional Studies. To initiate an application for return, the student should first consult with and receive approval from their program director to submit an application. The student should then email the request to the dean of graduate and professional studies at gradstudies@sarahlawrence.edu by November 1 for spring return or April 1 for fall return. Applications should be accompanied by a letter from the student’s program director. The request for reinstatement should address the following:

1. The issues that led to suspension from the College and measures taken to address them
2. The reasons the student feels ready to resume study at this time
3. The plans made to support the student’s progress if reinstated

Students may choose to consult with their program director and/or with the associate dean of graduate students before submitting their application for return. The decision to reinstate a student relies on evidence that the student has identified and addressed the issues that impeded academic work in the past and has demonstrated a readiness to reengage with the academic demands of the College. As such, it is strongly recommended that, if possible, students engage in meaningful activity (e.g., working, volunteering, or successfully completing non-Sarah Lawrence classes) in preparation for a return to Sarah Lawrence College.

Students who are reinstated return to the College on academic probation. A student who is suspended after having been reinstated may request reinstatement after two academic years.

Students may request a complete withdrawal from the College up until the end of the 10th week of the semester. Students not withdrawn by this date for the current semester receive grades and evaluations for courses in which they are enrolled. Students may request, at any time, to withdraw from the College for future semesters. For a temporary departure, view the Leave of Absence portions of this handbook.

Withdrawn students lose access to their Sarah Lawrence email and MySLC portal within a semester of withdrawal. To ensure that their email records are transferred appropriately, students considering a withdrawal should contact the Help Desk prior to the withdrawal.

All students considering a withdrawal should initiate this process with a conversation with the Graduate Studies Office.

Students who have withdrawn from the College and seek to return must complete a readmission application available through the Office of Admission. Students seeking to return are asked to provide official transcripts for coursework completed during their time away from the College. Standard readmission procedures apply.