PELP - Planned Educational Leave Program

Policy Guidelines for Personal, Medical or Pregnancy/Parental Leave 
School of Liberal Arts
Policies and Procedures

  1. Students in good standing may take a PELP (Planned Educational Leave) in the form of a medical, personal or pregnancy/parental leave. Medical and personal leaves are allowed for no longer than two semesters (excluding summer) without reapplying for admission. Students may take a pregnancy/parental leave for up to 8 weeks and may request an extension to a personal or medical leave if necessary after 8 weeks.
  2. Students on probation may request a leave of absence if recommended by the department or Dean’s Office. Students returning from a leave of absence within one year are not required to file a readmission application.
  3. View the complete PELP (PLANNED EDUCATIONAL LEAVE PROGRAM) policy guidelines on the Office of Graduate and Post-Doctoral Studies (OGPS) website: https://ogps.tulane.edu/graduate-policies
  4. When at all possible, requests for any type of leave should be made AT LEAST one month prior to the start of the semester. Personal leave requests made within one month of the start of a semester or during a semester will only be approved in the case of an emergency or for extraordinarily unexpected circumstances.
  5. If a leave occurs during a semester and requires withdrawal from classes, students must complete and submit a Resignation from University form to withdraw from all classes (or a Drop/Add form if taking a partial medical leave and not withdrawing from all classes). If the withdrawal is after the date to receive a refund of fees, no fees will be refunded. If the withdrawal is after the last date to drop without record/grade; a W or W grade will appear on the transcript.
  6. Students who plan to return from a medical or personal leave of absence must inform the department and SLA Dean’s office of their intent to return in writing by:
    1. June 15 to return in the Fall semester
    2. November 1 to return in the spring semester
    3. March 15 to return in the summer semester

    Students on a pregnancy/parental leave are assumed to be returning when the approved leave ends (up to a maximum of 8 weeks) but should notify the department at least 2 weeks prior to the end of the approved leave period if they plan to request an extension to a longer medical or personal leave.

  7. The Department, the Dean’s Office and/or the Office of Student Affairs may require documentation prior to return from a leave of absence and permission to re-enroll. Such documentation may include a projected timeline to completion of degree milestones submitted by the student to the department, a physician's clearance to return in the case of a medical leave, or other documentation.
  8. In most cases, financial support in the form of a fellowship, teaching or research assistantship, if received prior to the leave, will be resumed in the same form upon return but financial support is not guaranteed upon return. Prior to submission of a PELP request the student should discuss with the Department Chair and Graduate Advisor the conditions under which support would likely be provided and the mechanisms of that support. The student must request consideration for resumption of financial support in the return notification referred to in #6.
  9. A student who applies for and is granted, an extension of a leave of absence for longer than one year must file a readmission application. Neither readmission nor financial support is guaranteed.

SPECIFIC for MEDICAL LEAVE REQUESTS:

  1. Any student who wishes to request a medical leave or medical withdrawal from classes should review all the medical leave policies, including steps required for clearance to return, on the Office of Student Affairs/Case Management Medical Withdrawal, Medical Leave & Return policy information website and begin the process by completing the online medical leave request: Medical Leave Request Form
  2. Requests for a medical leave will be referred to the Office of Student Affairs /Case Management & Support Services for review, approval, monitoring and follow up upon return.
  3. After a medical leave request is approved by Office of Student Affairs/Case Management & Support Services, the recommendation for the leave is forwarded to the School of Liberal Arts Office of the Dean for approval.
  4. Students who plan to return from a medical leave of absence must submit their medical clearance paperwork to Student Affairs by the deadlines indicated in the medical leave policy guidelines on the Medical Withdrawal, Medical Leave & Return website. A hold will be placed on the student’s record and students on medical leave will not be able to register until the Office of Student Affairs/Case Management notifies the Dean’s Office that the student has been cleared for return

SPECIFIC for PREGNANCY/PARENTAL LEAVE

  1. A student who wishes to request a pregnancy/parental leave should begin the process by reviewing the information on the Pregnancy and Parenting Resources website and completing the online Student Childbirth and Pregnancy Request Form
  2. Requests for a pregnancy/parental leave will be referred to the Office of Student Affairs /Case Management & Support Services for review, approval, and monitoring.
  3. Students on a pregnancy/parental leave will not have a hold on their account unless their leave is extended to a medical or personal leave.
  4. After a pregnancy/parental leave request is approved by Office of Student Affairs/Students Resources & Support Services, the recommendation for the leave is forwarded to the School of Liberal Arts Office of the Dean for approval.

SPECIFIC for PERSONAL LEAVE

  1. Personal leave requests are NOT reviewed by the Office of Student Affairs and require approval only by the department and the School of Liberal Arts Office of the Dean. Students requesting a personal leave should begin the process by discussing with the Department Chair and/or Graduate Advisor the implications of the leave for his/her research, coursework and other relevant aspects of the student’s academic training including research and teaching assistantship requirements as well and any financial support..
  2. After discussion with the department/advisor, students who wish to request a personal leave should complete the School of Liberal Arts PELP Request Form available on the School of Liberal Arts/Graduate Studies/Resources website: https://liberalarts.tulane.edu/academics/graduate-studies/resources (under Forms).
    No online request form is required.
  3. For students on a personal leave, a hold will be placed on the student’s record and the student will not be able to register until the department and Dean’s Office have received notification of intent to return by the deadline in # 6.