Arranging a leave of absence or withdrawal for Fall 2025

For continuing undergraduate students (excluding Metropolitan College): If you are considering–or definitely need to arrange–a Fall 2025 leave of absence or withdrawal, please review the instructions below and proceed accordingly. Click the “+” sign to open the expandable links.

Suggested completion date: June 30, 2025. Not sure of your decision yet? That’s ok. Start the paperwork outlined below, meet with our team to discuss your situation, and together we’ll identify the best timeline to finalize your plans.

Reminder: If you are assigned to on-campus housing for Fall 2025, and wish to receive a 50% refund of your housing guarantee payment (the deposit you paid in February 2025) be sure to complete all the steps below with the USC team no later than 5pm Eastern time on June 30, 2025.

Step 1: Review important information for Fall 2025 leaves and withdrawals

Review the implications associated with a leave of absence or withdrawal, i.e. how this impacts your records, your account, and your access to BU resources:
- Arranging a leave or withdrawal (before the semester begins)
- Arranging a leave of absence or withdrawal (once the semester is underway)— this will apply only if you are arranging your leave on or after move-in weekend, August 30-September 1.
Medical review process (if your leave is due to medical/health reasons)
Planning your return from a leave of absence (as applicable)
Link to the tuition cancellation schedule (Fall 2025 information will be updated by mid-August)
Link to the housing cancellation/refund schedule for undergraduate students
- - If you are assigned to on-campus housing for Fall 2025, and wish to receive a 50% refund of your housing guarantee payment (the deposit you paid in February 2025) be sure to complete all the steps below with the USC team no later than 5pm Eastern time on June 30, 2025.
  - If you move into your fall on-campus residence and then arrange a leave or withdrawal, you must complete your residence checkout within 48 hours, following BU Housing’s detailed checkout instructions here
International students studying on an F-1/J-1 visa should view ISSO’s “Interruptions to your Program, Employment, or Affiliation” page and contact your ISSO advisor (www.bu.edu/isso/contact/appointment-scheduling-for-students/) with questions. It is generally expected that you will depart the U.S. immediately upon arranging your leave/withdrawal.

Jot down notes and questions as you review the information above, and bring these to your meeting with the USC team in step 2, below.

Step 2: Complete forms and appointment/discussion with the USC

To arrange your leave of absence or withdrawal, please complete the following survey. You’ll need to:

complete three forms linked in the survey (inquiry, student experience questionnaire, and official request)
arrange and attend a virtual meeting with our team; here, we’ll review your completed paperwork and go over any questions or concerns you jotted down in your notes as part of Step 1 above

Once you’ve completed all the steps from the survey and met with our team, move on to Steps 3 and 4 below

Step 3: International students on F-1 or J-1 visas complete this step

International students studying on F-1 or J-1 visas must also file a leave of absence through the ISSOPortal (https://issoportal.bu.edu/_portal/) in the “Request Center”, in addition to the Leave/Withdrawal Request form for BU. See image below, and email isso@bu.edu for assistance if you have questions about your ISSOPortal request.

Step 4. Confirm your request has been processed

Once you’ve completed all items in steps 1-3, we should be able to approve your request and update your records within a few business days. Note: the presence of any holds impacting enrollment/registration (for example: immunization, financial, advising) means it will take extra time for your request to be updated and to show in MyBU. Resolve any holds as promptly as possible.

You can view your approved leave of absence or discontinue (permanent withdrawal) status by taking the following steps:

log into MyBU Student
select the “My BU Student Dashboard” tile
from your dashboard view, select “Academics“
select “View Unofficial Transcript”
in this view, click the expandable button for “Programs”

The images below show a confirmed leave of absence for Fall 2024 (return semester Spring 2025), as well as a permanent withdrawal, which is “Discontinue” in the new records system.

Sample views of status screens in MyBU

Example: Leave of Absence for Fall 2024 (with Spring 2025 return)

Example: Discontinue (permanent withdrawal) for Fall 2024

“How can I tell in the new system, MyBU, whether I need to complete the medical review process prior to re-enrolling / resuming studies?”

Important Dates

We recommend students complete their leave of absence / withdrawal steps by the end of June. If your plans for fall are still uncertain (for example, you are waiting to hear about an internship or work opportunity) then start the leave of absence paperwork with us in June, and schedule a meeting to discuss your situation and the decision timing, in more detail.

Important dates to consider:

June 30, 2025: If you signed up to live in on-campus housing for Fall 2025 and are arranging a leave or withdrawal for Fall 2025, please complete all steps with the USC team (as listed above) by June 30. That way we can notify BU Housing of your change in enrollment and housing plans by the July 1 deadline to cancel housing for Fall 2025 with a 50% refund of your housing guarantee payment (the deposit you paid in February 2025).

August 7, 2025: This is the Fall 2025 registration/settlement deadline, so your semester tuition, fees, residence/dining, and other associated charges should be resolved by this date. Fall 2025 leave/withdrawal steps should all be completed with the USC team by this time. (Our availability will be a little more limited later in August, as we work with students who are reporting for orientation and fall semester move-in.)

Tuition cancellation schedules

2025-26 academic year (fall, spring): The following tuition and housing cancellation schedules apply for (non-Metropolitan College) undergraduate leaves and withdrawals.

Tuition cancellation schedule (select appropriate semester from the list of choices): Withdrawal and Tuition Refund Schedule | Student Accounting Services (bu.edu) — this will be updated for Fall 2025 by mid-August.
Housing cancellation/refund schedule for undergraduate students can be found within the Terms and Conditions of the 2025-26 Residence License Agreement.

Planning your return from leave / medical review

If you are arranging a leave of absence, don’t forget to look through our “Planning Your Return From Leave” pages.

If you are interrupting studies for health reasons, you must complete the medical review process as well; you can find details about the necessary steps on our “Medical Review” page.