Leave of Absence

Leave of Absence

In addition to the options listed under Interruption of Study (which are open to all students), there is an option for an official leave of absence. 

Leaves of absence allow graduate and diploma students in the Jacobs School of Music to deal with unforeseen events that interfere with their academic progress. During a leave, time limits for degree completion and milestones are suspended, and you are not expected to make progress toward your degree. Although you may complete coursework from previous terms during a leave, you may not attend class or use the leave to catch up on current coursework, prepare for exams, write your dissertation, perform recitals or prepare your final project.

After a leave of absence, you are expected to return to your program of study and resume progress toward your degree. Leaves of absence may not be requested retroactively.

Questions about leaves of absence? Contact the Music Graduate Office at musgrad@iu.edu.

General guidelines

The information provided here is intended to serve as a general guide to graduate and diploma student leaves of absence in the Jacobs School. All leave requests are reviewed and granted on a case-by-case basis.

Eligibility

To be eligible for a leave, you must be currently enrolled full time in a Jacobs graduate or diploma program and have completed at least one successful semester as a full-time student in that program. You also must be in good academic standing—if you are on academic probation, you are not eligible for a leave.

Leaves of absence may be granted under the following circumstances:

• For medical hardship (physical or mental illness, chronic conditions, conditions requiring multiple treatments, overnight hospitalizations)
• Parental leave
• Due to a death in the family
• To provide primary caregiving for a family member
• For other personal reasons, in exceptional circumstances

Note: US military service leaves are handled via a separate process under IU policy

Timeframe

Requesting a leave before the term begins

You may request a leave of absence as early as six months prior to the leave start date. You can request up to 12 consecutive months of relief from coursework and academic requirements. The maximum period that you may be on leave is 24 (nonconsecutive) months or four regular academic terms. Leaves can be taken for extended or intermittent periods of time provided that the total length of the leaves is 24 months or less.

Requesting a leave after the term has begun

If you wish to take a leave of absence after the term has begun, you are encouraged to first contact the Graduate Office to discuss whether you should remain registered (e.g., by taking incompletes).

To request a leave after the semester has begun, you must submit your request through the Graduate Office and contact the Student Advocates Office to arrange a full withdrawal. A full withdrawal can impact international student visas, tuition payments, student loans, fellowships, and health insurance. Registrar deadlines will determine the amount of tuition that can be refunded. International students should check with the Office of International Services to understand if there is any impact to their status as a result of taking a leave of absence.

Academic Accommodations

If you are approved for a leave of absence, your academic accommodations will be determined by the Director of Graduate Studies. You will receive documentation of your leave that can be used to support requests to professors for extensions of incompletes; documentation for loan deferments; or, for students in the MA or PhD, requests to the University Graduate School for extensions of degree milestones.

Although the approval of a leave does not guarantee these accommodations, it provides supporting documentation for such requests.

Extensions of incompletes and degree milestones

If you wish to receive extensions of incompletes, you should contact the professors of courses in which you received incompletes to make the request. The Director of Graduate Studies will assist with such requests.

For students in the MA and the PhD, extensions of degree milestones and time limits are handled by the University Graduate School, and such requests should be made directly to the Graduate School.

Student academic appointments and other funding

If you have a Jacobs School of Music student academic appointment (SAA—typically an Associate Instructor or a Graduate Assistant appointment) and you take a leave of absence after the semester has begun, your remaining stipend will be canceled, and any unused fee remission will be cancelled. The SAA leave is a leave from academic duties and course enrollment. It means the SAA is withdrawing from classes and relieved from academic responsibilities assigned as an SAA. The SAA is not being paid during a leave. SAAs on a university-approved medical or parental leave of absence can remain enrolled in IU-sponsored SAA health insurance for up to 6 months, or the end of their contract, whichever comes first.

The Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs has SAA Leave of Absence information located with the appropriate documents at this link (under “SAA Hiring Resources”).

If you are receiving scholarship or fellowship funds from the Jacobs School of Music, and you take a leave of absence after the semester has begun, any undisbursed funds or payments will be cancelled.

If class withdrawal associated with a leave of absence results in a refund of tuition or fees which was covered by Jacobs School of Music financial aid, then those refunded monies must be returned to the Jacobs School of Music.

Cash stipends awarded as financial aid are posted to student bursar accounts at the beginning of each semester, but are intended to be used over the course of the semester. If a student begins an approved leave of absence after the start of the semester, then the date of the start of the leave will be used to prorate a calculation of the unused portion of a cash stipend. If this unused amount is not refunded to the Jacobs School of Music, then such amount will be deducted from any future Jacobs School of Music financial aid which might otherwise be available upon the student’s resumption of study.

If an approved leave of absence commences after a semester has begun, that semester will not count against Jacobs School of Music graduate time limits for financial aid eligibility. Eligibility for financial aid upon return will be described in an individually-approved Leave Return Plan.

If you receive funding from external sources (e.g., research positions on external grants, foundation fellowships), you are subject to the leave of absence policies of those funders.

University Services

While on leave, access to student services that require ongoing enrollment may be discontinued.

If you do not enroll for two consecutive terms (fall, spring, and summer are each considered one term), your university computing accounts will be disabled. The Graduate Office can petition for affiliate status to restore limited access to services. You must contact the Graduate Office to request that petition.

Alternatives to Leaves

We encourage you to communicate closely with your department to determine whether a leave of absence meets your needs and will address your specific circumstances before contacting the Graduate Office.

In some circumstances, a leave might not be necessary. You can expect faculty to reasonably accommodate brief illnesses or medical hardship during a term, even if you do not take a leave of absence. It may be possible for you to schedule medical appointments around your normal work and class schedules and arrange informally for department accommodations of foreseeable absences. If you experience extended absences from your courses due to illness, you may be able to remain registered by taking incompletes, or by reducing coursework or other academic requirements.

International students should consult with the Office of International Services to understand the implications of a leave of absence on their studies and presence in the United States.

Applying for a leave of absence

Before requesting a leave of absence, you should first discuss the leave and possible alternatives with your department. If you decide to proceed with your leave request, you must follow these steps:

Fill out the leave of absence request form, available from VPFAA under “SAA Hiring Resources”, here https://vpfaa.indiana.edu/recruitment-hiring/hiring-guidelines/ , and submit to the Music Graduate Office, together with documentation.

If the leave is for medical reasons, please provide the supplementary documentation (PDF only) to musicdgs@iu.edu by uploading to https://secureshare.iu.edu (share the password with musicdgs@iu.edu by email). If supplementary documentation is not provided in 30 days, that request may be cancelled at the Graduate Office's discretion. Leaves for medical reasons cannot be processed or approved until the medical certification is received by the Graduate Office.

Meet with the Director of Graduate Studies to create the required leave of absence return plan.

The Jacobs School of Music Administrative Committee will review your request and make a formal decision. You and your department will receive official notification of the decision by email.