LOA Policy: MCHP’s LOA Policy is made available to students via its web site at www.mchp.edu, and in MCHP’s catalogue.
Approved Leave of Absence -- A leave of absence (LOA), for Return of Title IV (R2T4) funds purposes is a temporary interruption in a student’s program of study at MCHP. LOA refers to the specific time period during a program when a student is not in attendance at MCHP, but is not required if a student is not in attendance only for an institutionally scheduled break. However, a scheduled break may occur during an LOA.
An LOA at MCHP must meet certain conditions to be counted as a temporary interruption in a student’s education instead of being counted as a withdrawal requiring MCHP to perform an R2T4 calculation. If an LOA does not meet the conditions in 34 CFR 668.22(d), the student is considered to have ceased attendance and to have withdrawn from the school, and the school is required to perform an R2T4 calculation.
For a LOA to qualify as an approved MCHP LOA:
- MCHP must have a formal written policy regarding leaves of absence requiring that all requests for leaves of absence be submitted in writing, signed, dated, and include the reason for the student’s request;
- The student must follow MCHP’s policy in requesting the LOA;
- There must be a reasonable expectation that the student will return from the LOA;
- MCHP must approve the student’s request for a LOA in accordance with the school’s policy;
- MCHP may not assess the student any additional institutional charges, the student’s need may not increase, and therefore the student will not be eligible for any additional federal student aid;
- The LOA, together with any additional leaves of absence, must not exceed a total of 180 days in any 12-month period;
- A MCHP student returning from a LOA must resume their educational program at the same point in the academic program that he or she began the LOA, and
- MCHP will explain to the student, prior to granting the LOA, the effects that the student’s failure to return from an LOA may have on the student’s loan repayment terms, including the expiration of the student’s grace period.
- If the student does not resume attendance on or before the end of the leave of absence, the school treats the student as a withdrawal.
- If your school grants a LOA that does not meet the conditions to be an approved LOA for the Title IV purposes (for example academic reasons) the school considers this a withdrawal for Title IV purposes.
Maximum Time Frame (MTF) – MCHP’s MTF accounts for all periods of non attendance (including weekends and scheduled breaks), and will not exceed 180 days. MCHP will reduce the length of the LOA, if the 180th day falls on a day the school would be closed.
Approved:______________________________________________________________________
Monika Bissell, DBA
President