Once a student decides to resume study, staff in the Office of the Dean of Students are here to welcome them back to the UChicago community and provide support as they readjust to academic courses and life on campus. What follows is more information about the resumption process, as well as resources and guidance for students during this transition period.
Whether you are returning from a leave of absence or an academic or disciplinary suspension, your first step is to submit a Request to Resume Study at least 4 weeks in advance of the start of the quarter in which you hope to resume.
The Request to Resume will ask you to provide an account of your activities while on leave and your plan for resumption. In the following cases, you may be asked to provide some additional information.
If a student has taken a leave for medical reasons, resumption of study may be contingent upon the condition being resolved or managed successfully. In such cases, the Dean of Students in the College may request information from a medical professional attesting to the readiness of the student to successfully resume studies. The student may be asked to sign a medical records release form to authorize direct communication between their health care provider(s) and the appropriate clinician at UChicago Student Wellness, and for their clinician to speak to our Dean of Students and the appropriate person in the Office of College Community Standards regarding the request to resume. If a student declines to provide this authorization, the Dean of Students will make the decision after considering all of the available information and will do so without the benefit of information that may be directly germane to the decision.
Upon resumption, additional conditions may be required of the student, depending on the student’s medical condition (e.g., requirements for continued treatment, professional monitoring of the student’s condition by a local treatment team, etc.). In such cases the student will be notified of the additional requirements prior to the student’s return. Students who need a reasonable accommodation for a disability in conjunction with their return to enrollment should promptly contact Student Disability Services (SDS) and follow the required protocols.
Please submit your request to resume study at least 4 weeks prior to the start of the quarter. Because this process can take additional time, we welcome early submissions.
Students returning from an academic or disciplinary suspension are held to the conditions outlined in their suspension notification letter. For example, a suspension requires students to work full-time for six months in a non-family-owned business. Upon submitting a resumption request, please include documentation of any requirements outlined in your suspension notification letter. You can upload these documents as part of your Request to Resume Study or you can email them directly to collegestandards@uchicago.edu.
Students who need a reasonable accommodation for a disability in conjunction with their return to enrollment should promptly contact Student Disability Services (SDS) and follow the required protocols.
Because this process takes additional time, please submit your request to resume study at least 6 weeks prior to the start of the quarter.
Students who have exceeded their eight quarters of approved leave are required to submit a Petition to Resume Study along with their Request to Resume Study and any materials outlined in the leave approval letter or suspension notification letter. The petition will be reviewed by the Academic Standing Committee, which will exercise reasoned judgment in deciding whether the resumption of study is appropriate. The College is not obliged to approve a student to resume the student’s studies. The decision of the Academic Standing Committee is final and unreviewable.
In order to protect the student’s privacy, the Dean of Students (or designee) will consider germane medical and other information available, including information provided in a timely manner by the student, before the petition is forwarded to the Academic Standing Committee.
Students who need a reasonable accommodation for a disability in conjunction with their return to enrollment should promptly contact Student Disability Services (SDS) and follow the required protocols.
Because this process takes additional time, please submit your request to resume study at least 6 weeks prior to the start of the quarter.
Any change to a student status will be communicated (if permissible) to relevant family contact.
Note: Students in the College who have graduated from another college or university will be administratively withdrawn from the College and are ineligible to return.
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