Orange barWe're excited to welcome you back to campus this fall and encourage you to review how UVM is preparing for your return to campus along with the option for undergraduate students to complete the Fall 2020 term at-home.

We also understand that given the uncertainty of the current moment, some students are considering whether to take a leave of absence.

 

Taking a leave of absence can have financial implications. If you are considering a leave of absence, please consider the following:

Your University Merit Scholarship

  • Generally requires that you maintain continous, full-time enrollment (defined as enrolling in 12 or more credits per semester as an undergraduate), and a 3.0 minimum cumulative GPA or better.
  • You may take an approved leave of absence for up to 2 consecutive semesters and retain merit scholarship eligibility provided that you continue to meet all other eligibility requirements.
  • Leave of absence requests must be fully approved and processed before the start of classes for the semester.
  • If considering, you should contact your School or College Student Services Office to discuss taking a leave of absence and to initiate the necessary application.
  • Only semesters in which you actually receive a scholarship payment count toward the 8 semester maximum scholarship eligibility limit.

Your Financial Aid

  • If you take a leave for Fall 2020 and return in Spring 2021, you will have your eligibility for financial aid re-evaluated when you return. Revised aid award offers will be based on 1 semester of educational expenses. In some cases, this may result in a reduction to need-based aid awards including Federal Direct Subsidized loans, Federal Work-Study, Federal and/or University grant aid.
    • Given limited funding, we cannot guarantee that Federal Work-Study will remain available for students who take a leave in Fall 2020 and return in Spring 2021.
  • Financial aid is re-evalauated annually based on the each academic year's FAFSA. Be sure to submit the 2021-2022 FAFSA when it becomes available on October 1, 2020. 2021-2022 financial aid award offers for returning students will be available starting in June 2021 once all requested information has been submitted and reviewed.
  • If you previously borrowed student loans - Federal student loans or private educational loans, you should contact your loan servicer to discuss how a leave would impact your loan repayment.
    • Federal Direct Subsidized/Unsubsidized Student Loans have a one-time, 6-month grace period.
      • Students who have not previously used their grace period will likely use the grace period during any leave of absence and may enter repayment on existing loans.
    • Private loan repayment terms vary from lender to lender.

I have talked to my Student Services Office and initiated the application to take a leave of absence. What do I need to do next?