SEAS Student Handbook

A voluntary medical leave of absence for a graduate student is granted by the Office of
Graduate Student Affairs, so please consult with this office for more information.
Documentation from a physician or counselor must be provided before such a leave is
granted. In order to apply for readmission following a voluntary medical leave, a student
must submit proof of recovery from a physician or counselor. Graduate students may also
be required to meet with a medical provider at Columbia. Doctoral students must have a
faculty advisor and funding from their faculty advisor and/or academic department prior
to and returning from an approved medical leave.
A voluntary medical leave is for a minimum of one year and cannot be longer than two
years. If the student does not return within the two-year time frame, he or she will be
permanently withdrawn from the School. Students may only return in the fall or spring
term, not in summer sessions.
When a voluntary medical leave of absence is granted during the course of the semester,
the fact that the student was enrolled for the semester and withdrew will be recorded on
the student's transcript. The date of withdrawal will also appear on the transcript. If the
leave begins prior to the drop deadline, then the specific course that the student is
enrolled in will be deleted from the student's record. If after the drop deadline, the course
grades will normally be W (official withdrawal) in all courses. In certain circumstances a
student may qualify for an incomplete, which would have to be completed by the first
week of the semester in which the student returns to Columbia. If the Incomplete is not
completed by that time, a W will be inserted as the final grade.
In exceptional cases, an undergraduate student may apply for readmission following a
one-term voluntary medical leave of absence. In addition to providing a personal
statement and supporting medical documentation for the medical leave readmission
committee to review, the student will also need to provide a well-developed academic
plan that has been approved by the departmental adviser and the Berick Center for
Student Advising as part of the readmission process. This plan must demonstrate that his
or her return to Columbia Engineering following a one-semester voluntary leave of
absence will allow the student to properly follow the sequence of courses as required for
the major and to meet all other graduation requirements by their eighth semester. The
final decision regarding whether or not a student will be allowed to be readmitted after a
one-semester leave will be made by the Medical Leave Readmission Committee.
The deadlines for petitioning a readmission are June 1 for the fall semester and
November 1 for the spring semester. The deadlines for petitioning a return from a
voluntary medical leave for graduate students after one semester are June 1 for the fall
semester and November 1 for the spring. Students are not eligible to return from a
voluntary medical leave during the summer. A return from a voluntary medical leave
request must be made before the start of the fall or spring semester. Graduate students
may apply for readmission following a one-term voluntary medical leave of absence. As
part of the readmission process, graduate students need to submit a personal statement
and supporting medical documentation. Graduate students should contact the Office of
Graduate Student Affairs for more information.
During the course of the leave, students are not permitted to take any courses for the
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