Registrar

Graduate Enrollment Status/On-Leave

Final Quarter Registration

A student must maintain registration as a full- or part-time graduate student at the University for the quarter in which the master's degree is conferred. A student who does not complete all degree requirements by the last day of the quarter must be registered for the following quarter.

Continuous Enrollment and Official On-leave Requirement

Graduate students are required to maintain graduate status during their program of study. Failure to maintain this status requires reinstatement to the University of Washington. Students who desire to take a quarter or quarters off without going through the reinstatement process must apply for on-leave status for each quarter they do not register. For complete details regarding the on-leave policy, refer to Graduate School Memorandum 9.

Request for On-Leave Status

On-leave Eligibility

  • Must be a graduate student in good standing.
  • Must have been registered or on-leave the previous quarter.
  • Must satisfy any graduate program policies pertaining to going/remaining on-leave.
  • US citizen and permanent residents must have registered for at least one quarter of graduate study at UW and have approval from their graduate program.
  • International students must have registered full time (10 or more credits) for three consecutive quarters and have approval from both their graduate program and the International Student Services office.
  • Pre-registered students must officially withdraw via MyUW or the Registration office prior to the first day of the quarter. Registered students are not eligible for on-leave status.
Students on-leave are entitled to:
  • return as a graduate student to the graduate program
  • use University libraries
  • maintain access to the UW email account
  • use Hall Health Primary Care Center on a pay-for-service basis
  • use the IMA with additional fee
Students on-leave are not entitled to:
  • faculty and staff counsel/resources (very limited counsel/resources are permitted)
  • examinations of any type (except for language competency)
  • thesis/dissertation filing
  • University housing
  • student insurance
  • financial assistance

Procedure for Requesting Leave

Beginning September 14, 2011, students requesting on-leave status must submit an online Request for On-Leave Status via MyGrad Program. For a given quarter, students can submit the request as early as two weeks prior to the first day of instruction and must submit payment of the non-refundable fee no later than 5:00pm on the last day of instruction. Leave is granted on a quarterly basis, though the following students may request up to four consecutive quarters of leave at one time: PCMI students, military personnel with deployment orders, and some UW Fulbright grantees (with the exception of military personnel with deployment orders, these students will be required to pay the fee for each quarter of leave requested).

Domestic Students
  1. Complete and submit the online Request for On-Leave Status via MyGrad Program. Student will receive a confirmation email that the request has been submitted.
  2. Request will be reviewed and approved by the departmental Graduate Program Coordinator (faculty advisor). Upon approval, students will receive a confirmation email that the department has approved the request.
  3. Return to MyGrad Program to pay the non-refundable On-Leave fee via MasterCard or Visa credit card. Students will receive a confirmation email that their quarterly leave has been processed and their registration status for that quarter is “On-Leave.”
  4. Print confirmation of on-leave verification to be presented for access to the UW libraries and IMA.
International Students
  1. Contact the International Student Services (ISS) office to obtain pre-approval to request on-leave status.
  2. Complete and submit the online Request for On-Leave Status via MyGrad Program.
  3. Request will be reviewed and approved by the departmental Graduate Program Coordinator (faculty advisor). Upon approval, students will receive a confirmation email that the department has approved the request.
  4. Request will then be reviewed and approved by the ISS office. Upon approval, students will receive a confirmation email that the ISS office has approved the request.
  5. Return to MyGrad Program to pay the non-refundable On-Leave fee via MasterCard or Visa credit card. Students will receive a confirmation email that their quarterly leave has been processed and their registration status for that quarter is “On-Leave.”
  6. Print confirmation of on-leave verification to be presented for access to the UW libraries and IMA.
 

Reinstatement to the Graduate School if On-Leave Status was not Secured and Registration not Maintained

Students previously registered in the Graduate School who have failed to maintain graduate student status but wish to resume studies within the same degree program must file a request for reinstatement to the Graduate School. Requests will first be reviewed and approved by the department. Once the department has approved the request and the Graduate School has confirmed students’ eligibility for reinstatement, students will be notified to pay a non—refundable reinstatement fee before registering for the requested quarter of reinstatement.

For questions regarding on-leave status, please contact the Graduate Program Advisor within your graduate program and/or Graduate Enrollment Management Services at uwgrad@u.washington.edu or 206-685-2630.