August 25, 2023

Dear students,

It is such a pleasure to welcome you to campus to start the new year. Before it gets underway, I want to share some information with you that you may use later in the semester. I hope that your semester goes as planned, but if you face challenges, you have options. You might want to file this information away in case you need it later, remembering that also you have many expanding sources of support that include the Yale College Community Care (YC3) team, Mental Health and Counseling clinicians, the Office of Student Accessibility Services, the Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning, the Office of Educational Opportunity, and your residential college dean.

For the past few years, Yale College has been reviewing its policies for accommodations, time away, and return, making revisions in stages to address changing student needs as well as to respond to students and alumni who have voiced concerns both to the university and through litigation. The most notable change was last year’s creation of a medical leave of absence -- formerly a medical withdrawal -- that gives students more flexibility with health insurance, campus jobs, class registration, and other elements of student life. This summer, other policies have now been adapted to provide more flexibility in the minimum courseload for students in urgent medical circumstances. More details about medical leaves of absence follow, below, and are available online.

Other avenues are available to address the many different situations in which students take time off and return, and the policies for each are detailed. If you would like to read about them on your own, you can find them in the "Time Away and Return" section of the Academic Regulations; you can also write to time.away@yale.edu with questions. And again, your own residential college dean is available for in-person guidance.

What follows are summaries of options available to you if you are considering taking time off.

Leave of Absence

Any student in academic good standing may request a leave of absence before the 15th day of the term, which will ordinarily be granted. Students may take up to four semesters of leave of absence. They are automatically reinstated at the end of their leave of absence (Yale College students in their first semester take postponements, rather than leaves of absence.)

Medical Leave of Absence

With support from Yale Health, Student Accessibility Services, and their residential college dean, many students continue their coursework even as they manage various medical conditions. In rare circumstances, students with urgent medical needs may be approved to take as few as two credits while still remaining in academic good standing.

Often, though, students decide to take time away from coursework in order to focus on their health. Students may work with Yale Health to request a medical leave of absence at any point in the term, regardless of their academic standing. Students beginning a medical leave of absence who are already enrolled in the Yale Health Hospitalization/Specialty Coverage have the option to enroll in the Yale Health Undergraduate Affiliate Coverage for Students for one year; if financial aid paid their YHHSC premium, there will be financial support for the affiliate coverage.

There is no limit to the number of terms a student may remain on a medical leave of absence. When they wish to return, they write to reinstatement@yale.edu and participate in a medical clearance process as part of reinstatement.

Personal Withdrawal

Any student may request a personal withdrawal at any time by writing to their residential college dean; these requests are ordinarily granted. These students usually must remain away for a full academic year, not counting the semester in which they withdrew. When they are ready to return, they write to reinstatement@yale.edu to initiate the reinstatement process.
 
Again, there are many more details in the "Time Away and Return" section of the Undergraduate Regulations, including links to important financial and academic information. If you are considering any of these options, it will also be helpful to talk about your own particular circumstances with your residential college dean or with the Associate Dean of Residential College Life.
 
Best wishes for the semester ahead,
 
Melanie Boyd 
Dean of Students 
Senior Associate Dean, Yale College 
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