Students should review the Medical Student Leave, Withdrawal, and Readmission Policy for all details related to administrative and voluntary leave of absences (LOAs).
Request for Voluntary LOA
To request a voluntary leave of absence, complete Request a Voluntary LOA form.
Request to Return from Administrative and Voluntary LOA
To request a return from a leave of absence, complete Request to Return from LOA form.
Students must initiate their return at least 90 days before their desired date. In most cases, return dates will be the start of the next term (View MD Calendars for term start dates) that is at least 90 days out.
Review the Return Following a Voluntary or Administrative Leave of Absence section of the policy.
Information Related to LOAs
The following information relates to both voluntary and administrative (required) leaves of absence (LOA).
Financial Aid and Tuition
- Students may not receive financial aid (e.g., scholarships, loans) from the college while on leave as they are not a registered MD student during the leave period.
- The college charges tuition for a full academic year. If the student begins leave prior to the end of an academic year, their outstanding tuition balance for the year remains on their myWSU account, though they will not be expected to pay towards the balance while on leave. When returning from an LOA, past outstanding tuition will be removed, and new tuition charges will be added to their myWSU account. Additional information can be found in the Tuition Refund Policy.
- Number of days attended are divided by number of days in the term to determine the percentage of financial aid that is earned. Earned aid is not returned, while the unearned aid is. Also, if a student withdraws after the 60 percent point of the term, students do not have to return any of the funds. While on a leave of absence, students may be able to postpone repayment by obtaining a deferment or forbearance from their loan servicer as a result of unemployment or economic hardship. Otherwise, payment is required after a 6-month grace period. Note that only one grace period is allowed per loan, so the student would not receive another grace period after graduation.
- Students are encouraged to schedule a meeting with the college Financial Aid Educator to discuss any financial or budgeting needs.
Loan Repayment Timing
- When leaves are less than 6-months, students will likely not enter the loan repayment period; however, they may use some or all of the 6-month deferral period
- When leaves are longer than 6 months, students may be required to begin paying back their loans. There is a process to request an extension based on income but an extension may use 6-month deferral period.
USMLE Step Exams
Students may take Step 1 during an LOA between Years 2 and 3 if they make the LOA request by April 30th of Year 2. Requests after this time for an LOA between Years 2 and 3 are not guaranteed approval to take Step 1 while on LOA.
Students make take Step 1 while on a voluntary LOA after Year 3.
Review the USMLE Step Examination Policy for more information.
Curriculum (Assignments and Research Hours)
- Students may not engage in any academic activities to meet curricular or programmatic requirements while on a leave of absence.
- Research or scholarly activity hours students complete while on a leave of absence may not be applied toward meeting MEDSCHLR or other program requirements.
Curriculum and Timing
- When leave timings do not fall between full academic years, there may be limited options for the timing of the return.
- Years 1 – 3 have set courses that build on each other each term. Therefore, a leave in the middle of these years will most likely necessitate returning at the start of the next academic year to begin with the term not yet completed.
- In Year 4, there is more flexibility for returning; however, the LMH and MEDSCHLR courses are offered at set times in the academic calendar, which may necessitate an extended Year 4.
- Enrollment that extends beyond four years enacts a 10% tuition rate once four full years are complete (see Medical Student Leave, Withdrawal, and Readmission Policy section Fifth Year Option)
Precepting
Students may not engage in precepting or shadowing while on leave unless it is part of an official program offered by a clinical organization. The college does not cover students’ malpractice insurance while on leave.
Scholarly (Research) Leave
- Per the Medical Student Leave, Withdrawal, and Readmission Policy, students must have been accepted to a position in a program or have confirmed an opportunity outside of a formal program.
- Student research mentor/advisors must provide a written attestation of their oversight and the student’s research involvement.
- Students will be required to present their scholarly work completed on leave in a manner determined by the college.
Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE)
All breaks in education must be reported on the MSPE, a required document in the residency application process. The details indicated on the MSPE will include the type of leave and the start and end dates of the leave.
Other Requirements While on Leave
- Students on leave during Year 3 or between Year 3 and Year 4 will have Career Advising Program requirements, namely:
- Complete the Specialty Surveys in October and April.
- Career Advising 1:1 meeting with the specialty faculty to discuss Year 4 requirements for that specialty. During that meeting, the Year 4 Schedule Preference Worksheet will be completed and submitted to the student’s Campus Year 4 Coordinator.
- Required meeting with the applicable Regional Dean and Clinical Coordinator to discuss the student’s clinical schedule.
- Complete all required onboarding documents for return to the clinical environment.
Access to Resources
Students will have access to the following college resources while on leave:
- WSU email.
- More information about technology resources is available online, along with guidance on how to prepare your tech for a leave of absence.
- Visiting Student Learning Opportunities (VSLO) and other assistance provided by Student Affairs to apply for Year 4 away application.
- Texas STAR.
- Early access to ERAS for LoRs.
Students will not have access to the following College and campus-based resources while on leave:
- Cougar Card access to MD Student Lounges.
- Student Counseling and Health Services provided by WSU S&A fees.
- Some University-provided technology resources.
Frequently Asked Questions
A voluntary LOA is initiated by the student. There are six types of voluntary LOAs:
- Academic
- Financial
- Medical
- Military
- Personal
- Scholarly
An administrative LOA is a required leave initiated by the college’s Student Evaluation, Progression, and Awards Committee(SEPAC)
By nature of the status of being on leave, students are not registered for coursework during the LOA. This also means they are not eligible to receive financial aid while on LOA.
- The way in which LOAs are interpreted are determined by each program.
- Programs may inquire about the reasons for an LOA during an interview so students should be prepared to answer those questions.
- Every medical school has students who have voluntary and/or required LOAs.
Yes, students can retake Step 1 following a failure on a voluntary or administrative LOA.
Per the Medical Student Leave, Withdrawal, and Readmission Policy, students must initiate a request to return at least 90 days from their return date.
Due to tuition and financial aid impacts, students re-enter at the start of the next term following the 90-day request to re-enter.
- Term start dates.
- NOTE: Year 4 always begins on Memorial Day
Students should review the Eligibility Requirements for USMLE Examinations and Participation in the NRMP Match for information on the interface of Step exams and applying to residency.
- See Access to Resources.
- Student Learning Center: Students may continue to work with the SLC during an LOA for Step Coaching and learning skills development. Students may also continue to work with the Disability Resource Professional during LOA as needed. Students will not have access to their Pre-Clerkship or Clerkship Coaches during LOA.
- Student Affairs: Students may continue to engage with any staff in Student Affairs as needed.