Students who are actively enrolled or in an inactive term status and determine that it is not possible or in their best interest to complete the coursework in which they are currently registered can request to take a leave of absence from the program. This includes students who are taking a leave of absence due to compelling personal circumstances. To initiate a leave of absence, students should first discuss their intentions with their school leader and their advisor to determine how and when to take a leave of absence and discuss a plan to return. Students may reach out to [email protected] for additional information. Students who wish to remain enrolled and are struggling should reach out to their advisor for possible alternatives/supports before requesting a leave of absence. Students are still enrolled students at Relay, with corresponding academic, financial, and administrative responsibilities, until the leave of absence is processed and they receive email verification of the leave of absence from the Registrar’s Office.

 

Students select the effective date for their leave of absence as either “today’s date” or “the end of the term” when submitting the Leave of Absence Form. Students submitting a general leave of absence with an effective date on or before the census date will have no courses appear on their transcript for the term. Requests that include an effective date after the term census date and before the end of the term will not earn grades and/or credit for courses taken that term. In this case, students’ transcripts will demonstrate a “W” to indicate a course withdrawal in lieu of a course grade. Students’ general leave of absence or leave of absence due to compelling circumstances requests that include an effective date on or after the last date of the term will earn the grades for the term they just completed.

 

If a student requests a leave of absence while a program transfer Application is under review, the leave of absence request will be denied. Students must first withdraw their program transfer Application. Students at risk of administrative withdrawal due to financial obligations may not request a general leave of absence between terms. However, students may request a general leave of absence up until the last day of the current term. Any requests submitted after the end of term, but prior to the start of the subsequent term, will be reviewed for a Registration Hold due to an outstanding balance. If a student has a Registration Hold due to financial obligations that results in an administrative withdrawal, the requested leave of absence will be superseded by the administrative withdrawal.

 

A leave of absence is valid for up to one year (three consecutive terms). Please refer to the Reenrolling or Transferring Programs policy for details on when to apply to return from a leave of absence. Students may voluntarily withdraw prior to the end of their leave of absence; Relay will administratively withdraw students who have taken a leave of absence from the program if they do not return within one year (i.e., three terms). For students enrolled in an educator preparation program, a leave of absence and/or withdrawal may result in immediate suspension or revocation of a teaching certificate/license in most states. A leave of absence while completing qualifying clinical experience will delay the timeline to program completion and certification/licensure. Additional details can be found in the appropriate EPP Handbook, and students may sign up for office hours here. 

Please note, if applicable: 

• If a student takes a leave of absence and has an active Incomplete, the Incomplete will remain on hold for the duration of the student's leave of absence. Incompletes will turn to the standing grade in the course if the student does not reenroll prior to the student’s leave of absence expiring. Students who return from their leave of absence with an Incomplete on hold will have an updated due date for Incomplete submissions set by the Provost of Teacher Preparation. 
• Students may not be exempt from student loan repayments under this policy. Relay encourages students to contact their loan providers to understand the implications associated with taking a leave. Additionally, students should note that a leave of absence will be treated as a withdrawal for the purposes of Title IV federal financial aid. This may require students who have taken a leave of absence to return a portion of unearned federal loans or grants. For more information about the return of Title IV funds, please see Return of Federal Financial Aid (Title IV).

 

Leave of Absence if Enrolled in AmeriCorps

If a student is enrolled in Relay’s AmeriCorps program, taking a leave of absence will impact the student’s membership status. Students may be temporarily suspended from the AmeriCorps program if they plan to return to Relay that same academic year. However, students must be early exited entirely from the AmeriCorps program if they will not return that same academic year. If supporting documentation is provided and a compelling personal circumstances leave is approved, students will be able to earn a portion of their Segal AmeriCorps Education Award (if eligible) upon early exit. Click here to view the Relay AmeriCorps Early Exit Decision Tree. Students should mention their AmeriCorps membership when connecting with their advisor and reach out to [email protected] with any AmeriCorps-specific questions. 

 

Procedure for Leave of Absence

To initiate a request for a leave of absence, students should first talk with their advisor to determine if a leave is the right next step for them. The advisor will work with the student to determine how and when to take the leave of absence. Students must discuss the implications of a leave of absence with their school leaders, applicable sponsoring or partnering organization (such as Teach For America or New York City Teaching Fellows), and Student Financial Services. There may be significant professional, academic, financial, and when appropriate, certification/licensure-related consequences to suspending enrollment in a Relay program. For details, see Financial Obligations Upon Changes to Enrollment.

 

Once students have confirmed that a leave of absence is their final decision, they must formally submit a Leave of Absence Application to Relay. The effective date will be either the date the student submitted the Leave of Absence Application or the end of the term, depending on what the student indicates on their application. Relay will notify students via email upon approval of their leaves of absence and inform the students of leave and reenrollment procedures. Student Financial Services will follow up with students about how to pay any outstanding Relay tuition and fees, including any tuition balances from pending unearned awards that must be immediately paid back due to the leave and prior to reenrollment. Please see Billing Due Dates and Refunds for more information. Students who return from leaves of absence may also have to pay for coursework they are required to repeat.

Extending A Leave of Absence Due to Compelling Personal Circumstance

Students may request a one-time extension to a leave of absence due to a compelling personal circumstance. To be eligible for an extension, students must:
 

• Be on an active leave of absence
• Have a documented compelling personal circumstance
• Not have an outstanding balance owed to Relay
• Receive approval for the extended leave of absence by the Student Financial Services team, Certification team, and the Registrar’s Office
   

Examples of compelling personal circumstances that would qualify a student for an extended leave of absence include (but are not limited to): 

• documented personal or family emergency
• documented act of nature (e.g., hurricane, wildfires, etc.)
• documented death in the family
   

An extension due to a compelling personal circumstance is not designed to accommodate issues such as (but not limited to) time management concerns, job demands, or IT or technology-related issues.

Approvals for an extended leave of absence are not guaranteed. If an extension is granted, students will be notified via email. The extension will be for no more than three additional, consecutive terms, and students may return at any time within the period of extended leave of absence, unless otherwise specified due to certification requirements. Students are encouraged to speak with their advisor to understand the impact of an extension on their academic plan. 

 

If the extension is not approved, students will be notified via email. Students who do not receive an approved extended leave of absence may still apply to return to Relay at any time; however, reenrollment is not guaranteed.