I.  Leave of Absence  A student in good standing who must interrupt his/her studies for adequate reason, such as prolonged ill health or military service, may be granted a leave of absence for a stated period, usually not to exceed one year. The student should apply in writing, in advance of the semester for which permission is requested, to the office of the dean of students, with a copy to his/her academic dean, stating the specific reasons for requiring the leave. The period of leave of absence is not counted as part of the time allowed for the completion of residence or other degree requirements. Any incomplete (I) grades that are outstanding must be changed in accordance with the policy on incomplete grades by the date published in the Academic Calendar, whether a student is registered for the current semester or not. If the leave of absence extends beyond the period approved by the academic dean, the student will be considered to have withdrawn from the university, must apply for readmission to be reinstated and satisfy current degree requirements. A student who requests a leave for the current semester after the add/drop period has ended will be granted a term withdrawal for the current semester only. An additional request will need to be made if the student wishes to extend the leave into a future semester. This extension will be considered a leave of absence, subject to the terms stated above. A student who is attending a study abroad program not affiliated with CUA should request a leave of absence from the university prior to the semester during which he/she will be studying abroad. The dean of students notifies the offices of the student’s academic dean, the registrar, financial aid, student accounts, housing services and residence life of this action. The student will receive confirmation of the approved action from dean of students once finalized. A residential student granted a leave of absence or term withdrawal must also cancel his/her housing agreement with housing services.   II.  Change of Course  A change of course must be approved as specified in the procedures of the school concerned. A course for credit may be changed to a course for audit no later than the midterm date. A course for audit may be changed to a course for credit during the first one and a half weeks of class, however, once approved, a student may not change back to a regular grading system for that course. (See Academic Calendar for exact dates.)   III.  Withdrawal from a Course  To withdraw from a course, a student must use Cardinal Station on the Web at http://cardinalstation.cua.edu., following the instructions. If the course is dropped during the first one and a half weeks of class, the course will not appear on the academic record; if the course is dropped after the published date, a W grade will be recorded. A course cannot be dropped after the last day to withdraw with a W grade. (See Academic Calendar for exact dates.)   If a student does not attend or stops attending a course for which the student is registered, the student will be assigned a failing grade (F).   IV.  Change of School  Transfer from one school to another will be permitted on the written approval of the deans of the schools and the chairs of the departments concerned.