2021 - 2022 COM Student Handbook

Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine (KPCOM)—Department of Public Health 2021–2022 202 • A student withdrawing from a course after the drop/add period has ended will receive a notation of withdrawn ( W ) on his or her transcript. Withdrawals will be allowed once there are only three weeks left in a course. A student failing to complete a course at that point will receive the grade earned at the end of the course. 17. Leave of Absence (LOA) a. Administrative Leave of Absence An administrative leave of absence is a mandatory leave of absence imposed by the dean. During the leave, the student will be given the opportunity to rectify or seek rehabilitation or treatment for the problem that precipitated the necessity for the leave. To be accepted back into the program after the required leave of absence, the student must be able to demonstrate to the dean’s satisfaction that the preestablished requirements have been met and that the student shows reasonable likelihood that previous problems will not recur. b. Voluntary Leave of Absence While it is expected that all students will maintain continuous enrollment in the program, some students may encounter extenuating circumstances that prevent them from maintaining continuous academic progress. In such instances, students may take a voluntary leave of absence from the program. In making such a decision, the student must recognize that he or she may not be eligible to return to school before the next academic term/semester and that the length of the absence will not extend the period of five years (15 semesters) allowed for completion of all academic requirements. Students should notify the program office in writing to inform them of this decision. A student who does not register for more than two consecutive semesters may be inactive from the program. To return to the program, the student needs to contact the program office. • If a student has completed less than 50 percent of one or more courses at the time of the LOA, the student will be withdrawn from those courses (see Withdrawal from a Course section in this handbook) and a W will be noted on the student’s transcript. • If a student has completed 50 percent or more of one or more courses at the time of the LOA, the program director and the KPCOM administration will determine, based on the individual’s circumstances (e.g., expected length of leave), whether to withdraw the student from these courses or assign a grade of in progress ( IP ) and allow the student to continue the course(s) upon his or her return. c. Leave of Absence Records Leave of absence records and the date of each determination shall be placed in the student’s permanent record.