A student who wishes to interrupt his/her/their graduate studies for not more than one academic year due to serious illness or compelling personal reasons or military service, may request a leave of absence. If the leave is approved, the student will be eligible to return to ISMMS at the end of the approved leave. Such approval can only be obtained if the student maintains satisfactory progress (as defined above) and has the approval of the Program Director. PhD and MD/PhD students must also inform their Thesis Advisor, Advisory Committee, and the MTA Director. Master’s degree students who are performing thesis or capstone work, must also inform their thesis/capstone advisor.

Students who fail to follow any condition of the leave of absence, will be administratively withdrawn from the Program. If the student wishes to return at a later date, s/he must apply for readmission.

Students on a leave of absence are not eligible for any benefits associated with maintenance of student status, including the direct compensation, tuition remission, student health insurance coverage and travel award for the duration of the leave. Students on a medical leave of absence may request continuation of housing privileges and/or student health insurance coverage. Students on a personal leave of absence may request student-housing privilege based on availability and continuation of student health insurance coverage at the student’s expense.

Taking a leave of absence (medical, personal, administrative) may have implications for student loan grace period, deferment, repayment status or financial aid eligibility. Before applying for a leave of absence, students must investigate these implications as they may pertain to their situations and should meet with a member of the Office of Student Financial Services.

Students must submit a Leave of Absence Request Form with a letter stating the reasons for the leave. If the request is for medical reasons, a doctor’s letter must accompany the form. International students may only request a leave of absence for medical reasons because of visa requirements and should consult with Mount Sinai’s International Office personnel to discuss their immigration status while on leave. Students must submit the Return from Leave Request Form in advance of their expected return date. Student are eligible to return within the first two weeks of an academic term.

If the School approves a leave of absence, the student will be notified in writing of the approval, including conditions of the leave and the expected date for the student to return to the program.

If a student misses one semester without prior authorization, his/her/their academic record will be closed and in order to continue in the program, he/she/they will need to apply for readmission. N.B.: The period of an authorized leave is not included in the Program time limit. Requests for an extension of a leave of absence must follow the same procedure as indicated above.

A student anticipating the need for parental leave (e.g., maternity leave, paternity leave, or others) should discuss this with their thesis advisor or program director well in advance (about 4-5 months) of the anticipated leave. Parental leave must be approved by the program director and the Dean of the Graduate School. During the period of parental leave, completion of academic assignments (exams, written assignments, and any other academic requirements) and academic progress milestones may be postponed for up to 12 weeks.

Recognizing that students who give birth may need time before a child is born as well as time to recover from the birth and to care for their new babies, they will be allowed 8 weeks parental leave to be taken in any combination of pre-natal and post-natal time. During this leave, full-time student status will be maintained, i.e. health and housing benefits will continue and visa status will remain unchanged. A student who chooses to continue a leave beyond 8 weeks is entitled to up to 12 weeks. These additional 4 weeks will be taken from vacation time, followed by unpaid leave. During the unpaid leave, all benefits (health, housing, etc.) will be suspended. International students should be aware that their student status might be compromised by unpaid leave.

In the event that medical complications require more than an 8-week leave, students will be covered by the medical leave policy of the Graduate School.

Students on training grants or individual fellowships must abide by the leave policies of the institutional NRSA or individual fellowship. In the event that the amount of leave allowed by an external funding agency is less than what the Graduate School allows, the Graduate School will pay the stipend and health benefits of the student for the time not covered by the grant or fellowship, such that the student will receive the equivalent of 8 weeks paid leave.

Students who adopt a child will be entitled to the same 8-week parental leave described above for the birth of a child, to be taken in any combination of pre- and post-adoption time.

Non-birthing parents will be allowed 2 weeks of paid parental leave for either childbirth or adoption. The leave can be taken as needed either before or after the arrival of the child.

If a graduate student receives a stipend from a dissertation advisor, and if continuing the stipend for the period of the parental leave constitutes a hardship for the dissertation advisor, the dissertation advisor should discuss the possible limitations of continuing the student’s support during the period of the parental leave with the Dean of the Graduate School. The Graduate program may participate in working with the dissertation advisor in an effort to continue stipend support of the student.

The relevant promotion/academic review committee may place a student on an Academic Progress Leave if the student is making unsatisfactory academic progress. Please refer to the Academic Progress section of the Handbook for the academic progression policies for the relevant degree program.

The following policies apply to all involuntary leave types:

1. Involuntary leaves may be no longer than 1 year. An additional year may be granted at the discretion of the dean/director.

2. Students sponsored on an F-1/J-1 visa must seek the counsel of the Office of International Personnel as a result of this leave action. An involuntary leave of absence may impact an international student’s immigration status.

3. A student on an involuntary leave is not eligible for the use of any ISMMS facilities, resources, and/or activities available to enrolled students without the specific approval by the dean/director.

4. A student on an involuntary leave is not eligible to reside in student housing. No appeals will be accepted.

5. A student on an involuntary leave may not continue to be enrolled in the ISMMS sponsored health insurance plan without the specific approval by the dean/director. If approved, the student will be responsible for the associated insurance coverage fee for the duration of the leave.

6. A student on a one year leave of absence must notify the dean/director in writing of their intention to seek approval to return to the school at least 12 weeks prior to the end of the involuntary leave.

7. For leaves less than a year, students must notify the dean/director at least 4 weeks prior to the end of the approved leave. Students seeking return from an involuntary leave may need to be cleared for fitness to return by the Director of Student Health and/or Director of Student and Trainee Mental Health.

8. Students not cleared to return will be presented to the relevant promotion/academic review committee for further determination.

This section covers leave, withdrawal, and readmission policies for the ISMMS Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Students can find the following information in this chapter.

• Leave of Absence (Voluntary)

• Leave of Absence (Involuntary)

• Parental Leave

• Return from Military Service

• Withdrawal and Readmission

• PhD in Biomedical Sciences and Neurosciences Vacation Policy

This section covers involuntary leave of absence. Students can find the following information about involuntary leave in this chapter.

Administrative Leave

Academic Progress Leave

The Deans of Medical Education and the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences reserve the right to require at any time the withdrawal of any student when it is evident that the student is unfit for any reason to continue their program of study. The Dean or designee may place a student on an Administrative Leave of Absence if a student presents a potential harm or has engaged in or is alleged to have engaged in behavior that is dangerous or deleterious to the educational, research, clinical or community environment.

Potential harm may be caused by neurological disease or degeneration, emotional or psychological disorders, or impairment caused by drugs or alcohol. Potential harm may be described as arising from behavior regarded by individuals as alarming, threatening, bizarre, hostile, or otherwise inconsistent with the duties and responsibilities of a student; or behavior that is disruptive for administrative, research, clinical, or educational processes.

Potential harm to other individuals that occurs in the context of a student’s status within the school, as well as personal actions of students outside of the Mount Sinai community, are also a concern of ISMMS because they may indicate the existence of a potential hazard if the person continues his or her role as a student. Any such behavior reported to the senior associate dean of student affairs will be referred to the relevant promotion/academic review faculty committee for appropriate action.

Students returning from a leave of absence due to military service, will be readmitted for any term within a year after the student’s release from active service without a need to reapply for admission or pay an application fee. The student must be free of any previously acquired holds and eligible to register for courses. Students should direct any questions about the return from active service process to their student affairs dean or the veteran certifying official located in the Department of Enrollment Services.

In general, the Graduate School anticipates that students will take two weeks of vacation each year, exclusive of travel to scientific meetings and days taken off for study and preparation for examinations. Individual circumstances may cause a specific student mentor pair to agree to an individual vacation plan that is appropriate given the nature of the student's efforts over a period of time, particular family circumstances, parental leave, etc. Students must, however, inform the thesis advisor (or the rotation advisor) of all proposed and planned absences so that the flow of experimental work can be planned and discussed. In the event of an unanticipated absence, students should make every effort to communicate with the laboratory and the Graduate School Dean as soon as possible. Any unexplained absence will constitute lack of satisfactory progress in the Program and can result in academic probation, administrative leave of absence, or dismissal from the Program. Students should not take vacation time while courses are running. If absences from courses result from unavoidable circumstances, students should inform their course directors and abide by any remediation plans to make up for missed course materials, assignments or assessments.

Voluntary Withdrawal: A student may voluntarily withdraw from school at any time, upon application to the Director of the MD/PhD program (for MD/PhD students) or the Graduate School’s Senior Associate Dean for Student Affairs (for PhD, Master’s students). The request must be made by submitting a Request for Withdrawal Form. The School may require an Administrative Evaluation prior to acceptance of a withdrawal. Failure to comply may result in dismissal. For further information on withdrawing from a specific program, refer to the program-specific chapter of this handbook.

Administrative Withdrawal: In certain circumstances, a student may be administratively withdrawn from the school at the discretion of the Dean or their designees. Examples include a student who has exceeded two years on medical or personal leave or a student who fails to meet satisfactory progress. Other reasons include noncompliance with an institutional, programmatic, and/or administrative requirement or policy. Students who have been administratively withdrawn from a program have the option to appeal the decision.

Clearance: Clearance to withdraw is required. Students must submit the Request for Withdrawal Form.

Readmission: Students who wish to reapply to a program following any type of withdrawal can do so by adhering to the same application protocols outlined by the admissions office for all applicants.