Withdrawal or Leave of Absence from the College

Undergraduate students who decide to terminate or interrupt their studies at SUNY Potsdam because of illness or injury, a personal or family emergency, a decision to pursue a different curriculum at another school, or some other reason may be eligible for either a Withdrawal and/or Leave of Absence from the College. Academically dismissed students are not eligible for either Leaves or Withdrawals from the College. Students who leave without notifying the College or without completing the necessary forms may encounter unexpected complications with their enrollment and financial aid statuses.

A Withdrawal from the College should be requested by students who do not plan to return to SUNY Potsdam or who are uncertain of their future plans.

A Leave of Absence should be requested by students who expect to return to the College within one year; students must indicate the semester they plan to return on the application. Any student who is eligible to register for the next semester is eligible to apply for a Leave of Absence for a period of one semester or one year. Students granted a Leave of Absence must also complete an Application for Readmission form with the Registrar’s Office the semester before they plan to return to the College.

The academic consequences of a Withdrawal or Leave of Absence depend upon the point in the semester that the student leaves the College:

1. If a student’s last day of attendance is before the deadline to Add and Drop (the fifth day of classes), their classes will all be dropped and will not appear on the official transcript.
2. If the last day a student attends classes is after the last day to Add and Drop but before the last day to Withdraw (two-thirds point or the end of the tenth week of classes), their grades will be reported as all W’s (withdrawals), and his/her academic standing will be carried forward from the previous semester. These withdrawals do not count as part of the 14 credit hour limit on withdrawals from individual courses.
3. If the last day of class attendance is after the last day to Withdraw in that semester, the student will receive the grades reported by his/her instructors-most likely 0.0s if the student has not been attending classes regularly. Note: If a student applies for either of these options after the last day to Withdraw, their Leave or Withdrawal will not be approved until after grades are processed at the end of the semester.
4. Regardless of the last day of attendance, students may apply for Emergency Withdrawals (W*s) if they have documentable emergency reasons for leaving the College.

Those with interest in or questions regarding Withdrawal or a Leave of Absence should contact the Student Success Center, Sisson 128 at (315) 267-2580, to discuss their options and complete all required paperwork. Students enrolled in The Crane School of Music should notify the Office of the Associate Dean.

Refund Policy

Note: The above information pertains to the academic consequences of withdrawal. For financial implications see the sections “Refund Policy ” and “Federal Title IV Withdrawals .”