Leaves for Health Reasons (formerly Medical Leave of Absence)

Students who must leave the College due to health reasons that necessitate their extended absence may request a Health Leave of Absence (HLOA) for up to two semesters at a time. A HLOA may be requested to provide necessary time to seek treatment for, or to attend to, a medical or psychological concern, or as an accommodation for a disabling condition.  Documentation is required as part of the HLOA process.  The duration of the leave may be decided by an individual assessment of factors related both to academic timelines and the student's treatment or recovery needs. 

Student Accessibility Services (SAS) is responsible for administration of the Health Leave process and will offer individual support and consultation to students that may wish to explore taking a leave. To discuss HLOA options, students should connect with Heather Crider:

For more information, students should refer to the Leave of Absence and Withdrawal website.

Please note:  Students with health-related needs, who have opted to pursue a leave prior to the semester course withdrawal deadline, may choose to take a personal leave of absence by filling out the Request a Leave or Withdrawal Form. This choice may be beneficial since, unlike a HLOA, the personal leave process does not require documentation review by SAS in order to leave or return.  Health leave requests primarily serve to support students after the withdrawal deadline, when a documented need would prevent the completion of the semester, and when personal leaves are no longer available.   

Documentation detailing the sufficient severity of health condition(s) must be provided to SAS in order for the application to be complete.

Documentation may be provided by:

  • An appropriately licensed professional that has been working with the student in relation to the health concern(s). Licensed Professionals from outside the college should utilize the HLOA request form, which SAS can provide upon request.
  • Student Health Services and the Counseling and Psychological services office at IC. Students working with these offices will need to follow their protocols to authorize the release of necessary information to SAS.

To ensure the documentation is appropriate, approval must be given by the Director of SAS.   The College reserves the right to remove the health-related basis if the student fails to submit appropriate documentation, thus converting the HLOA into a Personal Leave of Absence.