Forms & Petitions

If you will only be missing one semester and will return for the following semester, no Leave of Absence form is required. Instead, please make sure to submit a Temporary Leave.

Please note: Temporary Leave does not withdrawal you from courses. You are responsible for dropping courses by the drop deadline.

International Students should file a leave of absence if missing only one semester. See "Missing more than one semester" for further information. 

If you would like to take more than one semester off a Leave of Absence (LOA) is required to remain active at CSUSB. The LOA covers both emergent and planned interruptions or situations. With an approved LOA, you can maintain enrollment eligibility and current degree requirements.

LOA should be submitted before the expected term of absence. The LOA starts with the first semester of absence indicated on the form. Retroactive requests for medical and military LOA may be considered if supported by documented extenuating circumstances. Personal and planned educational leaves cannot be retroactive. The maximum duration for any leave of absence is two calendar years, although exceptions may be granted due to documented extenuating circumstances.

Please review the University Bulletin for the complete Leave of Absence policy. Contact the Office of Academic Advising in University Hall, Room 329 (UH-329) for more information.

The Leave of Absence petition can now be submitted through your MyCoyote Student Center. Please review the instructions below. 

Leave of Absence "How-To" Guide

How to Request an Extension

Please allow 5 - 7 working days for processing. If you have any questions, please contact Oluwaseyi Adeoye at oluwaseyi.adeoye@csusb.edu. 

Contact the Office of the Registrar if you plan to return earlier than your approved Leave of Absence.

Have you decided to no longer attend CSUSB? We highly suggest meeting with your academic advisor to discuss your decision and consider other alternatives. 

If you will no longer attend CSUSB, please make sure to submit a Temporary Leave.

Please note: Temporary Leave does not withdrawal you from courses. You are responsible for dropping courses by the drop deadline.

Approval is not necessary to drop a class before the census date (within the first 4 weeks of the semester). Students are able to drop the classes in myCoyote, for assistance please see the How to Drop Before Census guide. 

 How to Drop Before Census

A student may petition to drop courses from their schedule for compelling reasons during weeks 5-12 of the semester.

A petition to Drop After Census requires approvals from the course instructor, the department chair of the course, and the Dean from the college of the student's major. The petition will be routed to each individual for approval after the form is submitted. Supporting documentation is required (PDF format) and must illustrate that circumstances were out of the student's control. Courses dropped after the census deadline will be assigned a grade of "W". 

How to Drop After Census

A student may petition to withdraw from courses for serious and compelling reasons during weeks 5-12 of the semester. Extenuating circumstances must be shown to have prevented withdrawal in a more timely fashion. Supporting documentation is required (PDF format). If approved, courses will be withdrawn and will be noted with a “W” on the transcript. Such withdrawals will not count against the 28 unit maximum that students are allowed to withdraw.

Acceptable reasons to withdraw:

1. Due to documented medical injury or illness.

2. Due to documented psychological reasons.

3. Due to emergency military obligation reasons.

4. Death of an immediate family member during the term in question

5. Documented university personnel miscommunication or error.

Unacceptable reasons to withdraw:

1. Poor performance

2. Poor attendance 

3. Employment related

4. Lack of awareness of withdrawal procedures

Requirements to withdraw from ALL courses:

1. Have the student’s name as the primary subject. This includes situations in which the student became a primary caregiver to a family member during the term in question. A letter from a physician or nurse indicating the student’s role is acceptable.

2. Be an original document, not photocopied. There may be exceptions such as police reports, death certificates, or released medical records. Faxed documentation may be acceptable in situations where documentation source is out-of-state or country. Documentation which appears to have been forged or altered will result in university student disciplinary action.

3. Be written on official letterhead stationary, with an office logo, an address, phone number and contact person. In cases involving university personnel miscommunication or error, an Email from the department is acceptable. In cases involving the death of an immediate family member (parent, grandparent, sibling, guardian, or child) a funeral program or a public obituary notice is acceptable.

4. The date or time period related to the reason for the retroactive withdrawal must be within the term in question and must be stated in the documentation.

5. Signed by the professional providing the support. Acceptable professionals include physicians, psychologists, CSUSB Counseling Center Staff, social work or rehab personnel, EOP or SAIL counselor, pastor, priest, rabbi, clergy official or lawyer.

                                   If one or more of the above requirements are not completed satisfactorily, the petition will be denied. 

Additional Requirement to withdraw from partial courses:

In order to withdraw from partial courses in a term rather than all courses, the 5 requirements above must be met. An explanation as to why a partial withdrawal is requested even though the documentation supports a complete withdrawal for the term must also be included. If one or more of the above requirements are not completed satisfactorily, the petition will be denied. 

Withdraw for Extenuating Circumstances during weeks 5-12 of the semester:

1. Download the Extenuating Withdrawal Petition below

2. Email the completed form and supporting documentation to oluwaseyi.adeoye@csusb.edu from your campus email.

Extenuating Withdrawal Petition         

Withdraw for Extenuating Circumstances after week 12 of the semester:

A student may request to withdraw for extenuating circumstances after week 12 of the semester— the final 20% of instruction. Supporting documentation is required (PDF format).

Extenuating Withdrawal Guide

Retroactive Term Withdrawals shall be permitted for serious and compelling reasons, where the cause of withdrawal was due to circumstances clearly beyond the student's control and an Incomplete grade could not be assigned. Extenuating circumstances must be shown to have prevented withdrawal in a more timely fashion. Supporting documentation is required (PDF format). If approved, courses will be withdrawn and will be noted with a “W” on the transcript. Such withdrawals will not count against the 28 unit maximum that students are allowed to withdraw.

Acceptable reasons to withdraw:

1. Due to documented medical injury or illness.

2. Due to documented psychological reasons.

3. Due to emergency military obligation reasons.

4. Death of an immediate family member during the term in question

5. Documented university personnel miscommunication or error.

Unacceptable reasons to withdraw:

1. Poor performance

2. Poor attendance 

3. Employment related

4. Lack of awareness of withdrawal procedures

Requirements to withdraw from ALL courses:

1. Have the student’s name as the primary subject. This includes situations in which the student became a primary caregiver to a family member during the term in question. A letter from a physician or nurse indicating the student’s role is acceptable.

2. Be an original document, not photocopied. There may be exceptions such as police reports, death certificates, or released medical records. Faxed documentation may be acceptable in situations where documentation source is out-of-state or country. Documentation which appears to have been forged or altered will result in university student disciplinary action.

3. Be written on official letterhead stationary, with an office logo, an address, phone number and contact person. In cases involving university personnel miscommunication or error, an Email from the department is acceptable. In cases involving the death of an immediate family member (parent, grandparent, sibling, guardian, or child) a funeral program or a public obituary notice is acceptable.

4. The date or time period related to the reason for the retroactive withdrawal must be within the term in question and must be stated in the documentation.

5. Signed by the professional providing the support. Acceptable professionals include physicians, psychologists, CSUSB Counseling Center Staff, social work or rehab personnel, EOP or SAIL counselor, pastor, priest, rabbi, clergy official or lawyer.

                                  If one or more of the above requirements are not completed satisfactorily, the petition will be denied. 

Additional Requirement to withdraw from partial courses:

In order to withdraw from partial courses in a term rather than all courses, the 5 requirements above must be met. An explanation as to why a partial withdrawal is requested even though the documentation supports a complete withdrawal for the term must also be included. If one or more of the above requirements are not completed satisfactorily, the petition will be denied. 

                                                           Limit on how many terms a student can retroactively withdraw: 2 terms.

Retroactive Withdrawal