Academic Leave of Absence (LOA) Policy

The Academic Leave of Absence policy is applicable to all officially admitted and enrolled students in degree programs at Northcentral University. If a student is not actively enrolled in a program, the student is not eligible to apply for a leave of absence (LOA). Students provisionally admitted are not eligible for an LOA until the University receives official transcripts and the basis for admission is met. Students may be approved by the University for multiple LOAs in a 12-month period. Students also may be approved for consecutive LOAs, but each LOA must be independently submitted by the student and approved by the University. The minimum duration of an approved LOA is 14 days; the maximum duration is 60 days per LOA request. The total of all LOAs may not exceed 180 calendar days in a rolling 12-month period.

The University will approve students for an LOA when they are between courses without additional documentation. For students who require an LOA while they are active in a course, the University will only approve LOAs where the student meets all of the following criteria: 

• The student provides evidence of an extenuating circumstance 
• The student is in good standing within their current course
• The University has a reasonable expectation the student will return to school

LOAs aren’t granted during an active course except in extenuating circumstances. If the student can show extenuating circumstance they will not be charged for the class they take upon return. Students should contact their advisor with questions.

When unforeseen circumstances prevent a student from submitting an LOA request for a subsequent LOA, the University may grant a requested LOA if the reason and decision has been documented by the University. The University must receive the official LOA request from the student before the end of the LOA, and the request must be approved by the University. Unforeseen circumstances may include, but are not limited to, medical and family emergencies, military, jury duty, business travel, inclement weather and natural disasters. Any LOA granted by the University without a student request must be approved by an associate director or above.

During an LOA, the student is not considered withdrawn and no Return to Title IV (R2T4) calculation is required for financial aid recipients. The University will not impose additional charges when the LOA ends and students’ return to their program of study. During an approved LOA there will be limited access to the NCUOne Learning Management System.

When a student requests an LOA start date in the future and is officially or administratively withdrawn from the University prior to the start date of the LOA, the LOA is null and void and the student will be considered withdrawn effective their last date of attendance.

When a student withdraws from a course and is approved for an LOA, upon return from that LOA, the student will not be re-charged for the course they previously withdrew from. Additionally, if a student returns to a different course, they will not be charged.

NOTE: Time spent on an LOA counts toward program length and is included when determining if a student can complete their degree program within the maximum time limits.

Required Documentation

An LOA is a temporary interruption in a student’s program of study and may be approved if the University determines there is a reasonable expectation the student will return. The University will not grant a student an LOA merely to delay the return of unearned Title IV funds or to avoid failing grades. Students must request the LOA, by proactively providing the academic and finance advisor (on or before the start of the LOA) a request, including the reason for the LOA.

A student’s initial request for an LOA will be reviewed, and if applicable, approved and processed by an academic and finance advisor. A student’s subsequent request for an LOA in a 12-month period will be reviewed, and if applicable, approved and processed by an associate director. A third request for an LOA in a 12-month period will be reviewed, and if applicable, approved and processed by a director or senior director.

When unforeseen circumstances prevent a student from proactively providing a request on or before the start of the LOA, the University may grant the LOA if it has documented the reason and decision. Unforeseen circumstances may include, but are not limited to, medical and family emergencies, military, jury duty, business travel, University course unavailability, inclement weather and natural disasters.

Access to University Resources During Leave

Students on leave do not maintain access to faculty, the online courseroom, or the Academic Success Center coaching service. Access to other university resources such as the NCU Library may also be limited while a student is on leave.

When doctoral candidates are not actively enrolled in a course, they have limited communication with NCU support staff and may not engage in certain activities related to their research. Specifically, doctoral candidates must be actively enrolled in a course to have contact with their dissertation chair. Doctoral candidates must also be actively enrolled in a dissertation course with NCU in order to recruit, obtain informed consent, have any contact with participants, or perform data collection f their Institutional Review Board (IRB) application has been approved.

Return from Leave

Students returning from ALOA remain in the degree program in which they were enrolled at the time the ALOA was approved.

If a student does not return to the University by the end of an approved LOA, the student is administratively withdrawn and an R2T4 calculation will be performed. To avoid being dismissed, the student must accept and vest in a course upon their LOA return date. The return course will be scheduled at the time of the LOA request and approval. It is the responsibility of the student to work with their Academic and Finance Advisor to begin a course on or before the date specified as the date of return from leave. The student’s withdrawal date is retroactive to the student’s last day of attendance (LDA).

Military students exceeding 180 days will be Administratively Withdrawn from the University. Students can submit their military orders to qualify for compassionate re-entry see