Leave of Absence and Withdrawal
Absent for one semester
Students who have completed at least one semester (as defined as Spring and Fall Terms) at SJSU are eligible for a One Semester Leave, which means you can skip one semester without notifying the university. You will receive a registration appointment in MySJSU for the semester following your One Semester Leave and you must enroll.
Absent for two or more consecutive semesters
If a student needs two or more consecutive semesters off, the student must submit a Leave Request prior to the start of the semester after a One Semester Leave. The maximum leave is four semesters.
Note: You will not have access to your MySJSU after being out for longer than 12 months.
Types of Eligible Leaves
View SJSU Catalog for Leaves of Absence and Withdrawal policy. The following types of leaves are listed:
- One Semester Leaves: for continuing students only; petition is not required, but enrollment is required the following term
- First-Semester Leaves
- Medical Leaves
- Primary Caregiver Leaves
- Personal Hardship Leaves
- Military Leaves
- Planned Student Educational Leaves
- International Student Leaves
- Withdrawal from the University
Process:
- Complete and submit the Leave of Absence Request, follow instructions in the link.
Returning from Leave of Absence
- Students must enroll after the last semester of their leave
- To return early, the student must notify the Office of the Registrar in writing
- Students granted a leave are guaranteed a return to their department
Maintaining Student status
You are considered an active continuing student if you are enrolled in at least one class per semester. There is no minimum unit required.
Students who miss two consecutive semesters (as defined as Spring and Fall Terms) must reapply for admission through the Cal State Apply site as a Returning student. If you have any questions about re-applying, contact the Admissions office.
If a new student does not attend in the first term of admission, the student must reapply for admission to the next available term through the Cal State Apply site.
Withdrawal
Students do not need to submit any forms to formally withdraw from SJSU. We automatically
cancel your student status if you do not enroll for two or more consecutive semesters†. However, if you are currently enrolled, you should formally drop all classes by the drop deadline(see calendar for deadline date) to avoid academic penalty.
If the drop deadline has passed:
- Undergraduate students will need to submit the Withdrawal from Semester Request which is available on Undergraduate Education's Petitions page.
- Graduate students need to file Graduate Petition for Course Drop/Semester Withdrawal. Go to GAPE Forms page and look under Special Petitions.
