Special Arrangements for Graduate Students

Requests for leaves of absence are discussed with and approved by an individual student’s program director, and notification is given to the dean of graduate and professional studies. Leaves are granted for only one year at a time and rarely for more than two years in total. An unapproved leave is a withdrawal. Students with loans should consult the Office of Financial Aid regarding loan obligations during the leave. International students should also meet with Shirley Be, the International Student Adviser, in the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies before taking a leave of absence. Students on leave from the College or on an off-campus year, who wish to maintain their matriculation status, are charged a fee.

Students who must leave the College for academic, medical, or psychological reasons will need to be reviewed before being given permission to resume their studies. These students are placed on a leave with review rather than a leave of absence. If the student left the College while experiencing serious academic difficulties, the review is conducted by the dean of graduate and professional studies and the student’s program director. If the student left the College for medical or psychological reasons, the review will include an assessment by the director of medical services or the director of psychological services. Students on leave with review who wish to return to the College should begin the review process by writing to the dean of graduate and professional studies at gradadministration@sarahlawrence.edu, explaining what they have been doing in the interim and describing their reasons for feeling ready to resume graduate school.

Students withdraw from the College either voluntarily or involuntarily. A student who initiates a withdrawal at any time of the year is expected to confer with the program director and complete a withdrawal request form to be submitted to the dean of graduate and professional studies before leaving campus. A student who wishes to resume study at the College after having initiated a withdrawal should write to the dean of graduate and professional studies requesting readmission. Typically, the student should expect to reapply to their program.

Graduate students whose progress or performance fails to meet the standards of the program may be required to withdraw from the program and the College.

A medical leave may be requested by a student for medical reasons that interfere with the student’s ability to function academically. Students must consult with one of the Health & Wellness directors to begin the process of applying for a medical leave. The student will then be asked to submit a Medical Leave Request Form to the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies to make an official request.

During the medical leave, the student will be expected to obtain treatment for the condition that warranted the leave. Documentation of such treatment from the medical providers involved will need to be submitted to the directors of Health & Wellness, who will review the materials. Once the documentation is reviewed, the student will have an interview with one of the directors of Health & Wellness, who will make a recommendation to the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies. Once the review is completed, the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies will notify the student of the final decision.

When requesting to return from a medical leave for the spring semester, requests are to be made by November 1 with clinical documentation submitted to Health & Wellness by December 1. When requesting to return from a medical leave for the fall semester, requests are to be made by June 1 with clinical documentation submitted to Health & Wellness by July 1.

While on medical leave, students are expected to absent themselves from participating in or organizing on-campus as well as 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 readmit.

For those students who require additional semesters beyond the standard two to complete their final projects/capstone projects/theses, a thesis completion fee is assessed during each subsequent semester the student is enrolled. Typically, students are not granted more than one additional semester for thesis completion. Students should apply to their program director and to the dean of graduate and professional studies for permission to enroll in an additional semester of study in order to complete their thesis work.

A full-time student is expected to complete the degree in two years. A part-time student is expected to complete the degree in four years. Exceptions may be made by the program director, who will grant extensions as needed and ensure that a plan of action for completion has been developed, signed, and copied to the Office of Graduate Studies. If an extension is not requested and/or granted, the student will be withdrawn from the program.