Take a Leave of Absence

To apply for a leave of absence:

1. Submit a withdrawal form.

2. Complete a leave of absence application, if necessary:

   • Undergraduate students are not required to complete an undergraduate leave of absence application; however, an application is required to maintain access to campus benefits.

   • Graduate students must apply for a graduate leave of absence if they do not enroll in classes for a fall or spring semester.

3. Scan and email a copy of the application to withdraw@colorado.edu. Mailed and hand-delivered applications are also accepted.

Note: If you're missing a required signature, we won't be able to process your application. It is your responsibility to obtain the required signatures from your department(s) and college(s).

By applying for a leave of absence, you may:

• Retain your CU Gold Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) for one additional semester. 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 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 1 to 3 terms (including summer; up to 4 with restrictions) from your last graded semester without reapplying through Admissions.
• 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.

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

• Business, education and music students must receive signatory permission from their 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.
• Graduate/MBA students 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 have questions or extenuating situations, contact the Graduate School for further guidance (303-492-8220, gradinfo@colorado.edu).

Required Approvals & Signatures

• International graduate, law and MBA students must receive approval from their international advisor before submitting a graduate leave of absence application.
• Law students must receive signatory permission from their Law School advisor and the dean of the Law School.
• MBA students must receive signatory permission from their student services advisor.
• Business, education and music students must receive signatory permission from their dean after receiving department approval.
• All other students must receive signatory permission from their graduate advisor and the dean of the Graduate School.

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 must obtain the dean's permission.
• Graduate, law and MBA students must first receive approval from their department, then contact their graduate, law or MBA program for further guidance.

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