Leave of Absence
All students who will not attend a semester at San Diego State University during a fall or spring academic term must submit a request for a Leave of Absence (LOA) in order to preserve their eligibility and admission for a future term.
Requesting a Leave of Absence
To request a leave of absence, please complete and submit the Leave of Absence Request form. You will be notified via your SDSU email once the request has been processed. Please allow 5-7 business days for processing.
If you would like to cancel your request, please complete the Leave of Absence Request form and select Cancel Leave of Absence.
You Are Eligible to File a Leave of Absence Petition if You
- Have completed at least one semester at San Diego State University.
- Have not been academically disqualified. Students on academic probation are permitted to request a leave of absence.
- Are not currently enrolled in any courses in the semester you wish to take a leave of absence.
- Have not exceeded four leaves of absence.
How Your Leave of Absence is Reflected in my.SDSU
If you have a leave of absence on file, you will see a hold assigned to you under the Tasks tile.
When you select the Tasks tile, the Leave of Absence Hold will be displayed on the page.
For detailed information, select the hold. This hold will be removed after the end date indicated in the hold details. The Leave of Absence Hold will prevent registration only in the term specified in the hold details.
Frequently Asked Questions
A Leave of Absence is a request the student submits through the Leave of Absence Form when they are already aware that they do not wish to attend an upcoming term before it begins or before they are enrolled in classes for any of the following reasons:
- Medical
- Educational
- Financial
- Military
- Personal
A withdrawal means that that student is dropping their class(es) that they are already enrolled in for a specified term. Withdrawal procedures are dependent on the period in which the withdrawal is requested.
No. Students cannot be enrolled in SDSU courses and request a Leave of Absence. The student must decide whether to be enrolled in courses at SDSU or be on a Leave of Absence. Students must drop all SDSU courses prior to requesting the LOA.
No, students cannot take a Leave of Absence in their first semester at SDSU. Students who cannot attend for the term in which they are admitted, should contact the Office of Admissions to discuss their situation and available options.
Please allow 5-7 business days for processing.
Students are allowed a maximum total of four Leave of Absences during their time as a student at San Diego State University. Each Leave of Absence is valid for one semester. Leave of Absences can be taken consecutively.
If the student submitted a petition to withdraw from all of their classes after the add/drop deadline but before the census date and that petition was approved, then they will need to request a Leave of Absence, because all of their classes will be dropped from the schedule and removed from their transcripts.
If the student submitted a petition to withdraw from all of their classes after the add/drop deadline and after the census date and that petition was approved, then they will not need to request a Leave of Absence, because all of their classes will remain on their transcript as a "W".
For more information on important dates and deadlines, including the Census date, please refer to the Academic Calendar.
San Diego State University does not have any policies preventing current students from taking courses at other institutions, whether they are on a Leave of Absence or currently enrolled in classes at San Diego State University. It is up to the student to contact the other institution about their policies and procedures regarding enrollment at that school.
To request an exception to the maximum allowed leave of absence policy, please submit a Leave of Absence Request form.