Students requesting a leave of absence while enrolled at South Florida Institute of Technology (“SFIT”) must adhere to the policies and procedures established by the school. In addition, students receiving Federal Financial Aid must understand and follow Federal Title IV leave of absence regulations as stated in this policy, which may affect the amount of financial assistance received. Any student, including a student receiving Title IV assistance, shall be granted a leave of absence under the following conditions:
1. The student must request the leave of absence by filling out the “Leave of Absence Request Form” and submit it to the school Director. The student must provide on the form the reason for requesting the leave of absence and indicate their expected date of return to class. All leave of absence requests are subject to approval by the school Director.
2. If the student is a Title IV HEA program loan recipient, prior of the school granting the leave of absence, the student is required to meet with a Financial Aid Officer to discuss information regarding financial obligations, possible revisions in his/her aid package, deferment options, and the effects on the student’s loan repayment terms, including the exhaustion of some or all of the student’s grace period if the student fails to return from a leave of absence.
3. SFIT will not charge the student additional charges for the leave of absence.
4. There must be a reasonable expectation that a student will return from a leave of absence to continue his/her enrollment at SFIT.
5. Leave of Absence request may not exceed a total of 180 days in a 12 month period. This 12 month period begins with the first day of the first leave of absence.
6. New students may not request leaves of absence within the first five days of the start date of their selected program.
7. A student who is granted a leave of absence while attending a course will be required to retake that course upon returning from the leave of absence. The student will not incur any additional charges for retaking the course. Expected graduation date will be adjusted according to the number of days the student was on an approved leave of absence.
8. A student on an approved leave of absence will retain his/her in-school status
9. Students who fail to return to school at the end of the approved LOA without requesting an extension of the LOA will be dismissed from the school.
10. VA students may not receive VA educational benefits while on a leave of absence; enrollment will be terminated at the point of the last date of attendance.