The Harvard Medical School's Office of the Registrar

LEAVE OF ABSENCE

A leave of absence (LOA) is a period of non-enrollment. Students on a leave of absence are not considered to be working toward the M.D. degree. LOA status is granted for one year at a time with the possibility for a second year's renewal if the application is resubmitted before the first year of leave ends. Students who do not return to full-time status at the end of the leave and who have not reapplied for renewal of the leave are considered to have withdrawn from Harvard Medical School and need to reapply to HMS through the Council of Student Affairs, if they wish to return at some future date.

Medical Leave: A leave of absence may be granted on medical grounds at any time if approved by University Health Services (UHS) via a form letter. Students must be cleared by a physician at UHS to be eligible to return to studies. If reasons for the leave are psychiatric, the student must be evaluated by Dr. Richard Kadison, head of Psychiatric Services at UHS, in order to resume studies.

Personal Leave: Application for a personal leave must be made by May 31 for a leave to begin July 1 or September 1, and by November 30 to begin February 1. In consultation with their advisor, students must outline a plan for their leave in writing and submit it to the Associate Master of their Society, who will present the request for approval to the Council on Student Affairs (CSA). A copy of this letter must be sent to the HMS Registrar's Office. The Registrar will notify students approved for leaves of absence by letter. Students on personal leaves must meet with their Associate Master or advisor prior to resuming studies.

Returning from a Leave of Absence: Any conditions set for a return from leave, such as a letter of clearance from the student's physician for medical leave of absence, that are specified in the letter of approval from the CSA or the Registrar, must be met before the student may resume studies.

Financial Aid and Loan Repayment: Eligibility: Students on leave of absence are not eligible for financial aid.

Loan Repayment: Students on leave are not considered to be working toward their degree and hence use up their loan repayment deferral time during the leave. For the usual six or nine-month "grace" period for loans, this means repayment will begin after six or nine months of leave and continue throughout the rest of the leave. After graduation, repayment will begin immediately rather than six or nine months into the first post-graduate year.

Exit Interview: Students taking a leave of absence are required to have an exit interview regarding their loan with their financial aid officer 30 days prior to the beginning of their leave of absence.

Resuming Resident Student Status - Applying for Financial Aid: Students resuming resident student status who wish to apply for financial aid must contact the Office of Financial Aid at HMS for application materials. Applications are available every January for the following academic year and should be submitted as usual to the Financial Aid Office by the end of April. Students returning at a time other than the beginning of a semester can petition to have their financial aid budgets revised to reflect actual tuition and expenses for their periods of resident status.

Health, Disability and Malpractice Insurance: Students on leave are eligible to buy health insurance through University Health Service. Students on leave are not covered by Harvard Medical School for malpractice insurance if they do any clinical work during their leave. Students on leave are not eligible to purchase disability insurance during the leave period.