Arranging a leave of absence or withdrawal for Fall 2025

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.  Choose the link below that best fits your situation timing:

• Arranging a leave or withdrawal before September 1 (or after September 1, if you are not enrolled for fall classes)
• Arranging a leave of absence or withdrawal after September 1 if you are enrolled for fall classes (if you are not enrolled for fall classes see bullet above)

Other links you might find helpful to look through:

• 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 for Fall 2025
• Link to the housing cancellation/refund schedule for undergraduate students.  NOTE: If you move into your fall on-campus residence and then arrange a fall 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.

Now that you’ve reviewed the helpful information move on to Step 2, below.

To arrange your leave of absence or withdrawal, complete the following:

• leave/withdrawal inquiry form
• student experience questionnaire
• official leave-withdrawal request form
• form to arrange or waive the required appointment with our team

Once you submit all four forms, our team will review and proceed accordingly:

• If you waived the appointment (and meet eligibility criteria) we will approve your request and update your records, typically within 2-3 business days.  You can verify the records update, refer to the instructions under Step 4, below.
• If you do not waive the appointment, it is your responsibility to schedule and complete the meeting with our team promptly.
• Note:  any incomplete requests may be deleted after 15 days.

Next, move on to Steps 3 and 4 below.

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.

Once you’ve completed all items in steps 1-3, following any specific instructions from our team, we should be able to approve your request and update your records.  This generally takes 2-3 business days.  Note: the presence of any holds impacting enrollment/registration (for example: immunization, financial, advising) may delay our processing.  Please 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

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:

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.)

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)
• Housing cancellation/refund schedule for undergraduate students can be found within the Terms and Conditions of the 2025-26 Residence License Agreement.

If you are arranging a leave of absence, be sure to read through our “Planning Your Return From Leave” pages so you know what steps you need to take and when, in order to resume studies for your return semester.

If you are interrupting studies for health reasons, you must complete the medical review process.  You should complete medical review before you move onto the general return-from-leave/re-enrollment steps.  Find comprehensive details on our “Medical Review” page.