Are you considering taking some time away from CUA? Students have to leave CUA either temporarily or permanently for a variety of reasons.
If you are thinking you might need to take some time away from CUA, come visit one of the deans in the Office of the Dean of Students. We want to be able to talk to you about why you are thinking time away might be right for you and help you through the process if you decide to leave for any period of time. There is also some important paperwork that needs to be done so that all the necessary offices on campus know your intentions. Call 202-319-5619 to schedule an appointment to talk about your situation and read below to find out more information.
Download Academic Leave / Permanent Withdrawal Form
Undergraduate Academic Leave
Students in good standing who must interrupt their studies for adequate reason, such as sustained ill health or military service, may be granted a academic leave for a stated period, usually not to exceed one year.
An academic leave allows the student the opportunity to return to the University after a specified period of time. Students that request a leave for the current semester will be granted a term withdrawal for the current semester only. An additional request will need to be made if the student wishes to extend a leave into a future semester.
Students may apply for an academic leave for a semester if they are not enrolled in courses for that semester up until administrative withdrawals are processed for that term (usually the last date to enroll in any class offered for that semester (including modular, i.e. dynamically dated, classes)).
The dean of students notifies the students' academic dean, Enrollment Services,Financial Aid, Housing Services and Residence Life of this action. A residential student granted an academic leave or term withdrawal must also cancel their housing agreement with the Office of Housing Services. The Housing Cancellation Request form can be found here.
The University's Academic Leave policy for undergraduate students can be found on the CUA Policies website.
Students will be asked to provide the following information:
- Name (First, Middle, Last)
- CUA ID number
- Permanent address and telephone numbers (home and cell numbers)
- Campus Address
- Reason for requesting the Academic Leave
- Semester in which the Academic Leave will begin
- Semester the student intends to return to the University. A student may request to take an Academic Leave for up to two semesters. Any requests for extended durations will need to be approved by the student's academic dean.
Mail, deliver, fax or email the completed form to the Office of the Dean of Students at the following address:
The Catholic University of America
Office of the Dean of Students
620 Michigan Ave., NE
Pryzbyla Center, Suite 353
Washington, DC 20064
Fax: (202) 238-2043
Email: cua-deanofstudents@cua.edu
A student's academic leave or term withdrawal is not official until the student has received a formal confirmation from the dean of students.
Undergraduate Permanent Withdrawal
A permanent withdrawal is a permanent separation from the university. If a student subsequently decides to return to the university, he or she must re-apply for admittance to the university for the first time. If a student who has withdrawn from the university without receiving a degree applies for re-admittance to a degree program, no credits earned by the student more than seven years before the time of re-admittance will be applied toward a degree unless they have been evaluated and approved by the school to which the student is applying.
The dean of students notifies the students' academic dean, Enrollment Services, Financial Aid, Housing Services and Residence Life of this action. A residential student granted a permanent withdrawal must also cancel their housing agreement with the Office of Housing Services.
The University's Permanent Withdrawal policy for undergraduate students can be found on the CUA Policies website.
Students will be asked to provide the following information:
- Name (First, Middle, Last)
- CUA ID number
- Permanent address and telephone numbers (home and cell numbers)
- Campus Address
- Reason for requesting the Withdrawal
Mail, deliver, fax or email the completed form to the Office of the Dean of Students at the following address:
The Catholic University of America
Office of the Dean of Students
620 Michigan Ave., NE
Pryzbyla Center, Suite 353
Washington, DC 20064
Fax: (202) 238-2043
Email: cua-deanofstudents@cua.edu
A student's withdrawal is not official until the student has received a formal confirmation from the dean of students.
Undergraduate Term Withdrawal
A Term Withdrawal, much like an Academic Leave, allows the student the opportunity to return to the University after a specified time away.
During Drop/Add Period
Students enrolled in classes who subsequently drop all their classes within the drop/add period will be considered to be on a term withdrawal, effective as of the date they notify the University or the date they drop from the last class in which they are enrolled if they do not notify the University. They will receive a notation on their transcript that they dropped every class in which they were enrolled, and are subject to the tuition refund schedule policy.
If the separation from the University is intended to be for the duration of the current semester only, no further action is required, and the student will be eligible to enroll for the next future semester. If the separation is expected to go beyond the start of the next semester, they must apply for an Academic Leave (see above).
After End of Drop/Add Period
Students who decide to withdraw from all their classes after the last day of drop/add and on or before the published W date will be considered to be on a term withdrawal, effective as of the date they notify the University or the date they withdraw from the last class in which they are enrolled if they do not notify the University. They will receive a grade of "W" in every class in which they were enrolled, and are subject to the tuition refund schedule policy.
NOTE: Students on Term Withdrawal (Official or Unofficial) or Academic Leave will be reported to the National Student Clearinghouse as 'not enrolled' with an effective date as noted above. Recipients of Federal Student Loans will enter their loan grace period, and if they have previously used up their loan grace period, will immediately enter into loan repayment. "Official" means that the student notified the University; "unofficial" means that the student did not notify the University, but stopped attending all the courses in which they were enrolled.
The University's Term Withdrawal policy can be found on the CUA Policies website
Graduate Students
Graduate students should contact their academic department in order to process an academic leave or withdrawal from the University. The University's policies for graduate students regarding academic leaves and/or withdrawals from the University are
"A student in good standing who must interrupt his/her studies for adequate reason, such as prolonged ill health or military service, may be granted an Academic Leave for a stated period, usually not to exceed one year...Graduate students should apply to the Dean of Graduate Studies, with a copy to the academic dean stating the specific reasons for requiring the leave."
For more information please see the University's policy website:
Change of Enrollment: Undergraduate and Graduate