Leave of Absence and Withdrawal

Information about the Spring 2027 leave of absence/discontinuation (permanent withdrawals) for undergraduate students will be linked here later in September.  

If you are a continuing undergraduate student (not in Metropolitan College), read on for assistance with the mid-semester Fall 2026 leave of absence or discontinuation (permanent withdrawal) process.

  • Incoming first-year or incoming transfer students for Fall 2026 who did not travel to campus or start their first-semester courses should contact admissions@bu.edu.
  • All Metropolitan College students, all graduate/professional students, and nondegree/visiting students should contact their academic program for guidance regarding leaves, discontinuations, or for assistance withdrawing from a class or multiple courses.

Important information about mid-semester Fall 2026 leave/discontinuation (permanent withdrawals)

Now that the Fall 2026 semester has begun, it is important to understand the following financial considerations:

  • Fall 2026 tuition is canceled according to the withdrawal and tuition refund schedule outlined at https://www.bu.edu/studentfinancials/resources/withdrawal-and-tuition-refund-schedule/.
  • Fall 2026 residence/dining charges are canceled according to the schedule in the Terms and Conditions of the Residence License Agreement for the Full 2026-2027 Academic Year (RLA-Terms-Conditions-for-2026-2027.pdf).  Students must complete the leave/discontinuation process and complete residence checkout steps as outlined at Withdrawals & Leaves of Absence | Boston University Housing within 48 hours of interrupting studies.
  • Financial aid–including BU grant, federal or state loans or grants, outside scholarships or sponsorships, and private, credit-based educational loans–are subject to reduction/cancellation when students change enrollment (reduce credits) or arrange leave/discontinuation mid-semester.
  • SHIP (student health insurance coverage):
    • if you arrange a leave/discontinuation within the first 30 days of the SHIP policy period, and you haven’t used SHIP coverage, the policy will be canceled and the SHIP fee removed from your account invoice.  Any financial aid used to defray the SHIP charge may be removed as well.
    • if you arrange a leave/discontinuation within the first 30 days of the SHIP policy period and you have used SHIP coverage, you will retain policy coverage and you are responsible for payment of the SHIP cost (even if financial aid funds are canceled/reduced).
    • If you arrange a leave/discontinuation after the first 30 days of the SHIP policy period, SHIP coverage is unchanged and you are responsible for payment of any costs.

Understand your options

Interrupting studies mid-semester has serious academic and financial implications, so a leave or discontinuation is usually considered once it’s clear students cannot remain enrolled/complete the term.   Students should thoroughly explore options–course/schedule adjustments, academic accommodations, approval for reduced courseload as an academic accommodation or dean’s certification for part-time status–and if those aren’t viable, can move ahead with a leave of absence/discontinuation request.  We do understand a mid-semester leave or discontinuation may be very necessary, usually for medical, family or other emergency reasons.

  • Review the FAQs page thoroughly for more information about options, implications, reasons, and timing for leaves and discontinuations/permanent withdrawals
  • Discuss your plans with your academic advisor and consult with ISSO, Athletics, family, healthcare providers, and other BU resources as appropriate before submitting a leave/discontinuation (permanent withdrawal) request
  • You can log into the Student Portal 24/7 and chat with  MyAcademic Guide to ask general questions while you are exploring options (don’t submit a request until you are sure you are ready to proceed)
    • you must log in with your Kerberos credentials to receive accurate information
    • if MyAcademic Guide doesn’t appear immediately, click the chatbot bubble in the browser window to expand/open
  • Read through the “Undergraduate student return checklist” and “Financial Aid Steps” at www.bu.edu/usc/leaveandwithdrawal/returning as you are considering a leave; this will allow you to select the most appropriate return-from-leave semester for your situation.
  •  Interrupting studies may adjust your path-to-degree.  Be sure to discuss this with your advisor and adjust your expected graduation term as needed in MyBU (your advising team can help with this) before submitting a leave of absence request.  If you are changing schools (intra University transfers), adjusting majors/minors/concentrations, or transferring in external credits, make sure those updates are reflected in MyBU before you submit your request–otherwise processing of these adjustments will need to wait until after you return from your leave.
  • If you are studying on an F-1/J-1 visa, you must discuss a possible leave or discontinuation with your ISSO advisor and there will be additional paperwork to complete through the ISSO portal, in addition to the steps outlined on this page.

Important notes about leaves/discontinuations and reasons

  • A leave of absence is a temporary interruption in studies, typically for at least one full semester.  
    • Tuition is cancelled in accordance with the published tuition refund schedule. 
    • A student on a leave of absence is holding a spot for return to their BU degree program in a semester or two, and may not enroll as a degree candidate at another institution.  (It is ok to take classes at another school, as a guest/visiting/non-matriculated student, while on leave status.  Discuss transfer credit eligibility with your advising team.) 
    • If you are absent for a semester without arranging for an approved leave, re-enrollment into your degree program cannot be guaranteed.
    • Carefully review the return-from-leave/re-enrollment information (expandable section “Undergraduate Student Return Checklists”, including “Financial Aid Guidance for Students Returning from Leave” if applicable) and use that information to determine your best return-from-leave semester.
  • A discontinuation involves a permanent departure from the BU degree program. 
    • Tuition is cancelled in accordance with the published tuition refund schedule. 
    • No spot is held for future return.  Students wishing to return after a discontinuation should reapply through the appropriate admissions process for their program of interest.
    • Students transferring to another institution for their degree studies must use this option.   
  • Reasons — You’ll need to share one primary reason for your leave/discontinuation request.  You may share multiple reasons for your request, but must note one primary reason.  See notes below:
    • Leaves and discontinuations can be arranged for medical reasons or for non-medical reasons.  A leave arranged for medical reasons will require that students complete the medical review process, prior to re-enrolling/returning/resuming studies.  If you share multiple reasons for your leave, and any one of the reasons is medical, the leave will be categorized as medical and you will need to complete the medical review process.
    • Non-medical reasons for leave:  academic; academic difficulty; Church mission; family; financial; military service; safety/security; visa; and work-career-internship.
  • If you are arranging mid-semester leave due to a personal medical emergency or due to the loss of an immediate family member, email usc@bu.edu after your leave is in place and you’ll be sent instructions for requesting an exception to the published tuition refund schedule.   (You’ll need to submit a formal request and supporting documentation.  Review and response time is 2-4 weeks.  Exceptions, if approved, are in the form of a tuition credit towards future enrollment at BU.) 

Ready to submit a Fall 2026 leave or discontinuation request?

This should be your last step in the process, after you’ve reviewed information, asked questions, and confirmed your plans with advisors and other resources.

  • Submit a leave or discontinuation request using MyAcademic Guide.  (Remember to click the chatbot bubble in the browser window if you aren’t greeted by MyAcademic Guide right away.)
  • MyAcademic Guide will create a case for your request.  You can refer to this case number if you need to ask MyAcademic Guide a follow up question.
  • Once your request is submitted you will be sent email updates as your request is processed (“in progress”, “pending resolution”, “case closed/completed as requested”).  Allow 1-2 business days for acknowledgement of your case, and another 1-2 business days for processing after that.
    • If additional information/action is needed, or if your request can’t be processed, you will be alerted via BU email.  Check regularly, including your junk/spam/clutter folders.
  • International students studying on F-1 or J-1 visas must also fill out required information on the ISSOPortal: https://issoportal.bu.edu/_portal/, “Request Center”.  Be sure to consult with your ISSO advisor for any additional steps needed.

Verifying your records update

Once you receive a notification your case is closed/completed as requested, verify your records update directly in MyBU (use a computer to view your records; viewing on a mobile device often truncates/cuts off important details so the display is incomplete):

  • MyBU Student Dashboard → Academics → View Unofficial Transcript → Programs (displays leave, return-from-leave and discontinuation details with associated dates) 
    MyBU Student Dashboard → Academics → Programs (displays your current program status and your expected graduation term)

Email usc@bu.edu if you have questions after verifying your records–be sure to attach screenshots of the paths above for reference.

Following up on your completed request

Once your leave/discontinuation status is reflected in MyBU, the following adjustments will take place:

  • Fall 2026 tuition is canceled according to the withdrawal and tuition refund schedule outlined at https://www.bu.edu/studentfinancials/resources/withdrawal-and-tuition-refund-schedule/.  Allow 5 business days.
  • Provided residence checkout is completed as outlined at Withdrawals & Leaves of Absence | Boston University Housing within 48 of arranging the leave/discontinuation, Fall 2026 residence/dining charges are canceled according to the schedule in the Terms and Conditions of the Residence License Agreement for the Full 2026-2027 Academic Year (RLA-Terms-Conditions-for-2026-2027.pdf).  Direct any questions to housing@bu.edu.
  • Financial aid (BU grant, federal and state loans and grants, outside scholarships, sponsorships, and private, credit-based educational loans) is adjusted per the respective terms of each item in the award.  Allow 30 business days for this to be reflected in MyBU.
  • If you arranged your mid-semester leave/discontinuation request for Fall 2026 for personal medical emergency or due to loss of an immediate family member, please follow up with an email to usc@bu.edu requesting an exception to the tuition refund schedule.  We recommend you complete your exception request within the six months immediately following your leave, and at least 8-10 weeks before your desired re-enrollment semester.

Re-enrollment/returning from leave information: www.bu.edu/usc/leaveandwithdrawal/returning.

  • Carefully review expandable sections “Undergraduate Student Return Checklists” and “Financial Aid Guidance for Students Returning from Leave”, working through all items step by step (direct questions to the respective functional areas)

Medical review: www.bu.edu/usc/leaveandwithdrawal/returning/medical-review

  • must be completed before students can re-enroll/resume studies if studies were interrupted / leave was arranged due to medical reasons
  • this requirement is displayed in MyBU as “medical clearance required” (see FAQs) — the “medical clearance required” hold will be removed once the medical review process is complete

    Enrollment verification – proof of enrollment

    • available self-service in MyBU: MyBU – Enrollment – Enrollment Verification – print

    Transcript Request: https://www.bu.edu/reg/academics/transcripts/

    • Transcripts will display leaves/discontinuation notations once the status is effective — for most students the effective date for Fall 2026 requests is 9/1/2026 (unless otherwise listed in your MyBU records)