Aggie Parents and Family

Leave of Absence


At some point in your student's career at Utah State University, he or she may need to take some time away from his or her studies; your student may need to take a Leave of Absence from school. Common reasons students take leaves include: serving a humanitarian or religious mission, medical problems, financial and employment related issues, military service, or family responsibilities.

If your student find a need to take a leave of absence for one or more semesters (other than a summer term,) then the student must file a Leave of Absence. Filing is easy! Go to www.usu.edu/loa. Completing this form will hold a student's scholarship, as well as maintain the student's admission status (generally, students do NOT need to reapply if on a leave of absence.)

The standard leave period is one year. However, allowances will be made for military activation, church or humanitarian service, and those with extenuating circumstances.

Upon a student's return to USU, the student will not be required to apply for readmission. Instead, the Registrar's Office will send a reminder of the scheduled return date, and the student will simply need to verify that he or she is returning.

We recommend that your student meets with his or her academic advisor before leaving to obtain a list of recommended courses to take upon return. This will ensure your student will have everything needed to register online prior to returning to USU.


Parents Assisting a Return from Leave of Absence


If your student does not have internet access, you may need to assist in your son's or daughter's return to USU. Ideally, your student will file a Release of Information form, which allows university officials to share information with you about that student's record. Please know that without this form, by federal privacy laws, we cannot share anything other than "directory information" (name, address, major, class rank). However, if you claim your son or daughter as a dependent on your federal income taxes, then you may file a Release of Information form, which would grant you access to complete information. Please see this site for more details: http://www.usu.edu/registrar/ferpa/.