Military Leave of Absence

When service members receive unexpected military orders during the semester that will interrupt their academic pursuit by requiring a short-term absence, we have a short-term absence policy that facilitates working with the course instructor when possible to accommodate the absence, or if not possible due to course requirements, not penalize the student service member who is called away for military duty. See Military Short-term Absence for more information.

If military duty requires a long-term absence due to mission requirements, Penn State has a military leave of absence policy that makes the break in studies and the return to school a simple and flexible process. Leave of absences are normally approved for a period not to exceed one year, but under special circumstances (e.g. military deployment in a branch of the U.S. armed services), a leave of absence may be approved for a maximum of five years.