Take a Leave of Absence

By applying for a leave of absence, you may:

• Retain your CU Gold Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) for one semester only. Insurance enrollment deadlines apply regardless of when your leave of absence application is approved. You must contact the Student Health Insurance Office to discuss what's required to remain enrolled.
• Secure your financial aid package for the spring semester if you're going on a leave of absence for fall. Contact the Office of Financial Aid to see if you qualify.
• Purchase a CollegePass through the Buff OneCard Office.
• Stay for one additional semester in Graduate and Family Housing.
• Remain employed in a non-work-study position on campus. Contact the Student Employment Office with questions.
  • International students may not remain employed.
• Continue to use pre-purchased athletic tickets for the first semester of inactivity. Contact the Student Ticket Information Center with questions.
  • Tickets cannot be purchased unless the student was registered for at least four credit hours.
• Retain your student affiliation, granting you continued access to campus technology and applications (e.g., Adobe, Canvas, email, VPN and Zoom).
• Retain access to:
  • The Recreation Center, for a fee
  • CU Libraries, including book checkout
  • The Center for Inclusion & Social Change
  • Career Services

Many of the benefits available while on a leave of absence may require additional fees and approval. Please speak to the department that is offering the benefit for more information. A copy of the application from the Office of the Registrar may be required as proof to access benefits with certain departments.

A leave of absence does not:

• Defer your loan status. If your loan status changes to repayment, please contact your loan provider to find out more about their policies and withdrawing.
• Allow students who are withdrawn to retain their work-study award.

Degree-Seeking Undergraduate Students

Eligibility

• You're automatically eligible to return to the university within two semesters plus summer from your last graded semester at CU Boulder without reapplying for admission.
• Any student ordered to active duty or to state/national emergency relief is eligible.
• You don't have to apply for a leave of absence in order to register for your return semester; however, in order to maintain access to optional benefits, a leave of absence application is required. Please refer to the return chart.

Restrictions

• If you're a new, readmitted or transfer student and you drop all classes by the first drop deadline, you're not eligible to take a leave of absence.
• You must be in good academic standing.

Required Approvals & Signatures

• If you're a business, education or music student, you must must receive signatory permission for your dean after receiving department approval.

Degree-Seeking ​Graduate Students

Eligibility

• You must receive a grade every fall and spring semester (W grades count) or apply for a leave of absence in order to return to CU Boulder in the future without reapplying.
• A leave of absence is not required for summer semester; graduate students not taking summer classes are considered active students.
• Any student ordered to active duty or to state/national emergency relief is eligible.

Restrictions

• You must be in good academic standing.
• You must have a GPA of 3.0 or above.
• If you're a doctoral candidate and you've passed your comprehensive examination, you're only eligible if you're taking parental leave.
• If you're a new, readmitted or transfer student and you drop all classes by the first drop deadline, you're not eligible to take a leave of absence.

If you have questions or extenuating situations, contact the Graduate School for further guidance (303-492-8220, gradinfo@colorado.edu).

Law Students

Law students should review the Rules of the Law School to determine their eligibility for a leave of absence.  Students may contact the Law School at 303-492-8047 with further questions.

Required Approvals & Signatures

• International students will have their leave of absence form sent to ISSS and must receive form approval.
• Law, MBA and graduate students will have their leave of absence form sent to their department and college for approval. Approval must be granted electronically before the Office of the Registrar can process your request.

You may complete a leave of absence application through the last day of classes for the term from which you're withdrawing; however, you're asked to file by the second week of school for CU Gold Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) purposes.

To avoid withdrawal fees, you must be withdrawn at least 10 days prior to the start of the term. After that, withdrawal fees are assessed based on the refund/assessment schedule for that term; refer to the applicable withdrawal calendar in the "Resources" sidebar.

Depending on when you withdraw from the term (not when you submit the application) and whether you owe money to the university, you may be entitled to a confirmation deposit refund. If the confirmation deposit is refunded, the refund will be sent about 6 to 8 weeks after the start of the fall or spring term from which you withdrew.

You must pay back your confirmation deposit if you return to the university and register for Main Campus classes.

Contact the Bursar's Office at bursar@colorado.edu or 303-492-5381 for information regarding a financial account.

The Office of the Registrar will automatically assign enrollment dates for your returning term and will send email reminder to your official colorado.edu email account in March for fall term, October for spring term, or February for summer term.

Holds may prevent you from registering, so check your account before your enrollment dates begin.

If you're unable to return by the deadline, you will be discontinued from the university. If you're discontinued and want to return to CU Boulder, you must reapply through the Office of Admissions (admissions@colorado.edu, 303-492-6301).

If you need to extend your return date (graduate students only):

• Graduate, law, and MBA students who wish to extend their return date should submit a new Leave of Absence form. Graduate students should work with their department first to determine if a petition is required for the request.
• When completing the form, be sure to indicate in the comment section that you are requesting an extension. If required, attach your documentation in the Petition section. The department and graduate school will then review your request. If approved, your request will be sent to the Office of the Registrar for processing.

In some cases, returning late may affect your residency classification for tuition purposes.