Leave of Absence
If a student wishes to stop attending Bastyr University for a period of up to one year and intends to return to their current program of study, they must submit a leave of absence request form to the registrar. A student who stops attending classes and fails to apply for a leave of absence will be considered withdrawn from the University.
All students are required to complete an exit interview with their deans or department/ program chairs prior to taking a leave of absence. Deans or department/program chairs may set conditions to which a student must comply before they are allowed to return to the University. All financial aid recipients are encouraged to schedule an exit interview with a financial aid advisor to be informed of their rights and responsibilities during the leave period. A student on leave is still required to meet any grade remediation (e.g., PC and I grades) deadlines during their leave of absence.
An additional year of leave may be approved by the department chair, dean or dean’s designee. The student must submit, within the initial leave period, a letter indicating reasons why a one-year extension is necessary. If a student’s leave is extended beyond one year, they may be required to complete the graduation requirements in the catalog for the year they plan to return. After more than two academic years of absence, a student will be considered withdrawn and must reapply for admission to the University. Upon re-admittance, the student will be required to complete the graduation requirements for the re-entry year.
A student who does not return after their initial one-year absence and has not requested an extension will be considered as having withdrawn from the University. If that student wishes to return at a later date, they will be required to reapply for admission and may need to meet subsequent degree completion requirements. If reapplication is made, previous course content will be evaluated and may be considered incomplete or outdated according to current standards.
A student who wishes to return must submit a letter to the Office of the Registrar within the approved leave period confirming their intent at least 60 days prior to the start of the quarter in which a student intends to enroll. All returns from leaves of absence are contingent on obtaining approval from the student’s department chair, dean or dean’s designee, whose decision is final.