This policy provides general guidelines for the purposes of receiving, responding to, addressing, and resolving complaints made by students, faculty, administrators, or any party. This policy requires oversight by persons academically qualified to make necessary judgements.

This policy applies to all Richmindale curriculum development teams, faculty, administrators, and students.

A student may request a Leave of Absence (LOA), whenever it is necessary to take academic leave due to mitigating circumstances in the student’s life. A student seeking an LOA must submit a request on RIMS > Dashboard > Classes > Apply Leave of Absence, or copy and paste the link www.richmindale.com/rims/classes/loa in a web browser. Complete the Leave of Absence form. The request must include an explanation of the request and the student’s plan to return to class.

Upon submission, a notification email is sent to the student confirming receipt of the request. The request must be made and approved prior to the start of a term for which the student is requesting the LOA. An LOA may be granted if appropriate documentation is provided, and Richmindale College determines that the student can be scheduled to return and complete their course of study within the guidelines provided to each student at enrollment.

Acceptable reasons for requesting an LOA include medical situations, personal emergencies, military obligations, or other circumstances beyond the student’s control.

A leave of absence will extend the time needed for the student to complete the program, leading to an extension of a student’s graduation date, and may create changes in the sequencing of the remaining classes. A leave of absence involves no additional charge to the student and are not included in determining the maximum time to complete the program.

Only one leave of absence is generally granted in a 12-month period; however, a well-documented situation may merit the approval of additional leave. LOAs cannot exceed a cumulative total of 180 days in a 12-month period.

Richmindale College reserves the right to require written medical clearance prior to a student returning to class after an LOA related to medical condition.