Leave of Absence (LOA)

A student who does not intend to enroll in a semester may apply for a leave of absence (LOA). This also applies to a student currently enrolled and who intends to withdraw his/her enrollment for the rest of the semester. A student on leave of absence does not sever his/her ties with the University.

A request for a leave of absence should be made in writing to the Dean. The request should state the reason for the leave and should specify the period. The leave may be approved for a period of one (1) year but may be renewed for at most another year.

If a student withdraws after of the total number of hours prescribed for the subject has already elapsed, the faculty member may submit a grade of “5” for the subject if the class standing up to the time of the withdrawal is below “3”.

A student who withdraws from a college without formal leave of absence [considered on absence without-leave status or AWOL] shall have his/her registration privileges curtailed or entirely withdrawn.

The following are the guidelines on filing leave of absence:

1) The College, through the Dean or the duly authorized representative, shall inform the University Registrar and the parents/guardian of every student granted leave of absence, indicating the reasons for the leave and the amount of money refunded to the student, if any.

2) For a leave of absence to be availed of during the second half of the semester, faculty members concerned shall be required to indicate the class standing of the student (“Passing” or “Failing”) at the time of the application for the leave. No application for leave of absence shall be approved without the class standing being indicated by the instructors concerned. This, however, should not be entered in the official Report of Grades.

3) No leave of absence shall be granted during the semester within two (2) weeks before the last day of classes. If the inability of the student to continue classes is for reasons of health or similar justifiable causes, the absence during this period shall be considered excused. In such cases, the students shall be required to apply for excuse from the absences. It shall be the responsibility of the student to present an excuse slip to the faculty members concerned.

A student returning from a leave of absence shall declare his/her intention to enroll by writing to the University Registrar through his/her College Secretary. The latter shall write the remarks “From LOA” on the student’s Form 5.