1. Learners may request a planned medical leave of absence for circumstances protected under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA).
2. Learners must be registered in a course(s) when requesting a medical leave of absence.
3. A medical leave of absence status cannot be granted retroactively.
B. requesting a Medical Leave of Absence
1. to request a medical leave of absence, learners
must complete and submit the Leave of Absence
request Form located on iGuide. Learners must indicate the beginning date of the leave of absence and the anticipated date of return. Learners must
submit the Leave of Absence request Form by the
close of course registration for the quarter in which they are requesting the leave. the start and end dates of the request must coincide with the start and end dates of the quarter.
2. Learners must also submit documentation from a medical provider certifying the need for the leave. the request will not be considered until documentation is submitted.
3. Learners may not request a medical leave of absence for more than a total of 180 calendar days in any 12-month period.
C. Approving a Medical Leave of Absence
Upon receipt of the request, the Learner services and Operations department will review the request, issue a decision, and notify the learner via email. Learners
granted a medical leave of absence will be dropped from any courses and/or residencies in which they were registered during the leave of absence, and Capella will report their leave status to the National student Clearinghouse.
D. Medical Leave of Absence and incomplete Grades Learners who have been issued incomplete (“i”)
grades in their courses must contact their course instructors prior to the start of a medical leave of absence. When deemed appropriate by the instructors, Capella will accommodate an incomplete grade extension for learners who are granted a medical leave of absence. Documentation for the incomplete grade extension must be completed and submitted prior to the start of the leave. if an incomplete grade extension is not requested and granted, the “i” grade will be converted to either a Failing (“F”) or Not satisfactory (“Ns”) grade (depending on the learner’s grading option) after the end of the following academic quarter.
E. returning from a Medical Leave of Absence Learners returning from a medical leave of absence
may resume courses only at the beginning of a quarter. III. FlexPath Medical Leave of Absence
A. Access to services
During a leave of absence, learners have access to Academic Advising services. However, learners will not have access to other academic services, including academic or mentoring support and the Capella University Library.
B. Academic standing and Financial Aid satisfactory Academic Progress status
Learners on academic probation per university policy
3.01.04 Academic Standing or financial aid probation
per university policy 3.01.05 Financial Aid Satisfactory
Academic Progress at the time a leave of absence was
granted will remain at the same status upon returning from the leave of absence.
C. Criteria
1. Learners may request a planned FlexPath medical leave of absence for circumstances protected under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA).
2. A FlexPath medical leave of absence status cannot be granted retroactively.
D. requesting a FlexPath Medical Leave of Absence 1. to request a FlexPath medical leave of absence,
learners must complete and submit the FlexPath
Leave of Absence request Form located on iGuide. Return to Table of Contents
U n Iv ER sIT y
Learners must indicate the beginning date of the leave of absence and the anticipated date of return. Learners must also submit documentation from a medical provider certifying the need for the leave. the request will not be considered until documentation is submitted.
2. Learners may not request a FlexPath medical leave of absence for more than a total of 180 calendar days in any 12-month period.
E. FlexPath Medical Leave of Absence Approval
1. Upon receipt of the request, the Learner services and Operations department will review the request, issue a decision, and notify the learner via email. 2. Learners granted a FlexPath medical leave of
absence will be dropped from any courses in which they were registered during the leave of absence, and Capella will report their leave status to the National student Clearinghouse.
3. Billing dates will be adjusted for an approved FlexPath leave of absence.
F. returning from a FlexPath Medical Leave of Absence 1. Learners may resume courses upon return from a
FlexPath medical leave of absence. 2. Catalog
Upon returning from a leave of absence, learners will remain under the same catalog that was in effect at the time the leave of absence was granted. 3. Last Day of Attendance
if learners do not resume registration at the end of an approved leave of absence, the learner’s withdrawal date is the date the student began the leave of absence.
4. Failure to return from a Leave of Absence
it is the learner’s responsibility to contact his or her financial aid lender when taking a leave of absence, as it may affect their federal loan grace period. Learners who fail to return from a leave of absence will be reported to their financial aid lender. IV. Military Leave of Absence
A. Members of the United states military, including reserve forces, may be eligible for a military leave of absence. this policy follows the guidelines established in the HErOEs Act of 2003 in
determining appropriate accommodations for military servicemembers who are responding to a war, national emergency, or other military operation.
B. in accordance with the HErOEs Act, Capella University provides the following accommodations to learners who experience a disruption in their program due to active military service:
1. Learners who are granted a military leave of absence will be given the option of withdrawing from all their courses, resulting in a grade of Military Withdrawal (“MW”)for each course, or requesting an incomplete (“i”) grade for any courses in which they were registered when granted the leave. Learners who withdraw from their courses as a result of active military service will be given the option of a tuition credit or appropriate refund for the courses they were unable to complete.
2. Learners requesting an incomplete grade through the military leave process must be eligible for an incomplete grade per university policy 3.04.08
Incomplete Grades. Learners who request an
incomplete grade must get approval from all their course instructors and be able to complete the required assignments independently, outside of the courseroom. Discussion posts may not be made up for incomplete courses. Learners who request an incomplete grade are not issued a tuition credit. 3. “MW” grades do not impact a learner’s GPA or
course completion ratio.
4. Learners must coordinate the military leave of absence process through Military support. a. Learners who are granted a military leave of
absence are not required to meet financial obligations to Capella while on leave.
b. time spent on a military leave of absence does not count toward the learner’s maximum time to degree completion.
c. Faculty will be flexible and offer
accommodations for academic deadlines for learners on a military leave of absence. d. Capella will provide flexibility and
accommodations for administrative deadlines for learners on a military leave of absence. e. “MW” grades do not impact a learner’s GPA or
course completion ratio.
f. Courses graded as incomplete through the military leave process may be converted to MW grades at the request of the learner upon return from leave.
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University Policies, continued
C. requesting a Military Leave of Absence
1. to request a formal military leave of absence,
learners must complete and submit the Military
Leave of Absence request Form located on iGuide and the required documentation prior to the start of their military leave. Learners must indicate the beginning date of the leave of absence and the anticipated date of return. Learners can also request a military leave of absence by calling Military support.
2. Learners must also submit one of the following pieces of documentation to Military support at their earliest convenience:
a. Deployment or mobilization orders, including dates the learner will be affected.
b. An official letter from a commanding officer, including dates the learner will be affected. 3. Upon receipt of the request, Military support will
review the request, issue a decision, and notify the learner via email.
4. if the learner is granted a military leave of absence, Capella will report their leave status to the National student Clearinghouse.
D. returning from a Military Leave of Absence 1. Military support will track learners’ anticipated
dates of return and contact them before they resume their program.
2. Upon returning from a military leave of absence, learners are responsible for completing and
submitting the returning from a Military Leave
of Absence Form located on iGuide. Learners can also request their return from a military leave of absence by calling Military support.
3. Military support will work with learners to determine the next steps for resuming their program.
4. Learners returning from a military leave of absence may resume courses the quarter after their leave of absence has ended.
V. Military Spouse Leave of Absence