End of Term Academic Review: Responding to Required Academic Leave

Here is advice on how to respond constructively if the Committee on Academic Performance imposes a Required Academic Leave on you at its End of Term Review. See the main End of Term Review page for general information on how the Committee reached this decision.

While a Required Academic Leave takes effect immediately, you are given a reasonable amount of time to prepare to leave campus. During that time, you should:

• Contact a dean in Student Support Services (S3) immediately
• Contact your advisor.

Contact an S3 Dean

If you have already been working with a particular dean, that dean will continue to work with you on the processes of taking leave and requesting return.

If you have not yet contacted Student Support Services, staff there will assign you to a dean who will follow you through the processes of taking leave and requesting return.

Your S3 dean will help you work through the steps needed to take leave from the Institute. These include contact with Student Financial Services (term bill and financial aid), Housing, Student Health Insurance, and, if applicable, the International Students Office. For details, see the S3 website.

The CAP's letter reporting the Required Academic Leave will also explain the actions you need to take while away in order to qualify for return to MIT. It is important to understand these before you leave campus so that you will spend your time away constructively and resolve the issues that prevented your academic success. You may ask your advisor and S3 dean to help you understand the CAP's expectations. See the S3 website for more on the process of requesting return.

Contact your advisor

Discuss with your advisor:

• What you've learned from the process of CAP review
  
• How you plan to spend your time away, including coursework at another institution. What courses should you take in your major field or to prepare for other requirements? Should you seek transfer credit? Would an internship be helpful?
  
• How you hope to solve the problems that led to your Required Academic Leave.
  

Staying involved

You may continue to consult your advisor, S3 dean, and other MIT staff while on Required Academic Leave, as well as participate in some aspects of the MIT community. See the statement on Community Involvement While On Leave.