Students taking time away from Denison can align their personal and academic paths, pursue volunteer or other work opportunities, or take care of medical or health needs for themselves or loved ones.

Denison’s goal is to support students, enable time away to be constructive, and set students up for a successful path forward.

Deciding to take time away can be a difficult decision and involve multiple consideration factors. If you are a student who may be exploring taking some time away from your course work, we encourage you to reach out to our student support team so we offer assistance both through the leave/withdrawal process and in the decision-making leading up to a possible leave/withdrawal to help ensure you are connected to the right resources and campus partners in order to fully understand what this may look like for your continued well-being and success.

To achieve these goals, the DU Cares team works closely with colleagues in offices across Denison, including the Provost’s Office, the Office of Student Life, the health center and counseling services, and the Academic Resource Center among several others to ensure students have the wrap around support they need to be well and successful.

We strongly recommend that all students considering a leave or withdrawal should schedule an appointment with a DU Cares team member to review their situation and discuss these policies. However, this is not a required step in the process because we recognize that situations may develop quickly.

All time away will fall under specific categories and is subject to review and approval by Denison.

Students who are considering taking time away from Denison should review this information and the applicable policies to understand the different categories of leaves and withdrawals, return parameters, and deadlines.

Some Important Items

Financial aid

It is important to be aware that there may be financial implications for taking a withdrawal. The Office of Financial Services is required by federal statute to recalculate federal financial aid eligibility for students taking a leave of absence prior to completing 60 percent of a payment period or term. We encourage you to meet with the Office of Financial Aid to understand the potential implications of a withdrawal on your financial aid. Students can reach out to the Office of Financial Aid by emailing finaid@denison.edu.

Student loans

Students placed on any type of leave are considered not enrolled and are reported to the National Student Clearinghouse as withdrawn from Denison. Federal loans will go into repayment after a 6-month grace period (unless the 6-month grace period has been used previously, in which case there is no grace period.)

Timeline to graduation

Taking a medical withdrawal may affect your planned graduation date. Please contact your academic advisor to discuss your remaining courses required for graduation and potential timelines. If you are not sure who your faculty academic advisor is, and/or if more advising support might be helpful, students are also encouraged to contact advising@denison.edu.

Tuition refund

Depending on when the leave is put in place, students will be refunded between 0 and 100% of tuition, in accordance with the university’s refund policy. Housing and dining fees will also be adjusted based on when the student vacates the room and terminates a dining contract.

Housing refund

A pro-rata refund of housing and meal charges will be made following official withdrawal or dismissal from Denison as of the date the student vacates university premises, discontinues use of university facilities and services, and returns their key. DU Cares will determine this date in consultation with other appropriate university stakeholders as needed.

For international students

Per the Office of International Services, all international students on F-1 or J-1 visas must see a staff member in the Center for Global Programs to avoid potentially serious immigration issues, both concerning departure from the U.S. and return. Global Programs can be reached at 740-587-6532 or schedule an appointment.