Leave of Absence (LOA)

Mount Carmel College acknowledges circumstances that may result in an interruption during a student’s educational journey outside of their control. In these situations, it may be deemed necessary to interrupt their enrollment at the College. Mount Carmel College, at its discretion, may permit a student to take a Leave of Absence. A Leave of Absence must be approved by the Records and Registration Office and requested through their Academic Advisor. All requests for Leave of Absence must be submitted in writing (i.e. Leave of Absence Form) with applicable documentation before approval.

A Leave of Absence (LOA) from the College may be granted to a student in good academic standing. Good academic standing is defined as a minimum 2.00 cumulative GPA for Undergraduate Programs and a minimum 3.00 cumulative GPA for Graduate Programs. Requests for LOA’s may not be within the first semester, session, or term at Mount Carmel College. If a student requests a Leave of Absence during active course(s), the student will receive a ‘W’ grade for the course regardless of percentage completed.

General Reasons for LOA with documentation:

• Medical situation that impacts the student or the student’s immediate family

• Military Service

• Jury Duty

• Family Tragedy (i.e. death of immediate family)

• Mitigating circumstances approved by the Faculty Program Leader, Director of Compliance, and/or the Registrar 

Students may be granted multiple Leave of Absences; however, the combined amount of time MUST NOT exceed 180 days within a rolling 12 month period. The 12-month period begins on the initial day of a student’s LOA. In order to request an extension, the student must submit the extension and have it approved before the end of their initial scheduled LOA. Students may request an extension of their LOA as long as their cumulative time does not exceed 180 calendar days.

Any extension to this timeline for extenuating circumstances outside of the student’s control must be approved by the appropriate Faculty Program Leader. If a student on LOA does not return after one year and has not received an approved extension from the appropriate Faculty Program Leader, MCCN will consider the student to have withdrawn from the College. A withdrawn student who wants to return must reapply for admission.

Returning After a Leave of Absence

It is the student’s responsibility to notify their Academic Advisor prior to their anticipated return date. Failure to notify by the designated date will result in administrative withdrawal from the College. Returning students that do not actively participate in their next scheduled courses will be subject to the College’s administrative withdrawal policies.

If a student was placed on a required leave of absence by the College, the student may petition to return to the College at any time. The student must submit a signed release to return to class and/or the clinical unit if they are admitted as an inpatient to a hospital or are seen for treatment in a hospital Emergency Department or Behavioral Health facility. In addition, any student who receives written documentation from a healthcare provider (even if the student was not hospitalized or seen as an inpatient) stating that they have any restrictions related to class or clinical participation must submit a signed release to return to class and/or clinical. This signed release must be submitted by the student to the Director of Compliance and Community Affairs prior to the student’s return to class and/or clinical. See the Medical Release to Return to MCCN policy.

The student should always email the Director of Compliance and Community Affairs notification of their circumstances prior to returning to the clinical and/or class setting. Information should not be shared directly with the faculty member(s). The release must clearly identify all restrictions. Additionally, the length of time the restrictions classification apply must be clearly stated. If the documentation provided by the student indicates that they are not safe to return to the class and/or clinical setting, or the stated restrictions may require the student to request reasonable accommodations, the Director of Compliance and Community Affairs will work with the student to determine the best next steps and connect the student to any other necessary campus resources. This policy applies to students on-campus and online platforms. If approved, it is the student’s responsibility to notify their Academic Advisor prior to their anticipated return date. Failure to notify by the designated date will result in administrative withdrawal from the College. Returning students that do not actively participate in their next scheduled courses will be subject to the College’s administrative withdrawal policies.

Student Skills Review

Students that have progressed into courses with clinical components with a non-active status over 90 days, are responsible for contacting their Academic Advisor two months prior to the expected return date from their LOA. All returning students must pay any outstanding account balance in full before being permitted to return to the College. Enrollment in a student’s returning course will be on a first come, first serve basis for a student returning from LOA.

The student’s skill level classification and course placement will be determined by the Academic Advisor. The Academic Advisor will notify the specific course coordinator if Clinical Skills Competency Evaluation is required. It is the responsibility of the student to contact the course coordinator to complete all competency requirements successfully, if applicable. Students who fail to successfully complete the Skills Remediation/Competency Evaluation by the Friday before classes begin will not be permitted to attend clinical. (Please refer to the Attendance Policy).

The College reserves the right to enhance/revise the curriculum at any time. If this occurs during the student’s LOA, the student may be required to progress in the revised program with different requirements than the original program of study.