Withdrawal, Leave of Absence, and Readmission Policies

Jump below to

• Purpose

• Background

• Leave of absence policy

  • Types of leave of absence

  • Leave of absence process

  • Leave of absence policy for third-year students

• Honorable withdrawal

• Administrative withdrawal

  • Withdrawal process

• Readmission

• Discontinuation

• Policy revision

Purpose

This policy pertains to UCSF pharmacy students who leave the School through withdrawal, leave of absence, or discontinuation and who may seek readmission to the PharmD program.

Background

The UCSF transformed PharmD curriculum is a 3-year, 12-quarter integrated program. UCSF prepares distinguished, professionally skilled, and compassionate PharmD graduates with an unmatched scientific mindset to bring creative approaches to serve patients and meet challenges across health care.

In some instances, a student may experience extenuating personal, medical, or academic circumstances that require them to step out of the program for a period of time. For any further questions regarding these situations, students should consult directly with the associate dean of student affairs.

Leave of absence policy

A student-initiated personal leave of absence may be granted one time for a period of no more than one year and is subject to the approval of the vice dean of education or their designee. A leave of absence will not be granted for personal enrichment, travel, or professional opportunities (see Leave of absence policy for third-year students). In these cases, see Honorable withdrawal and Readmission. Additionally, a student will be allowed one school-initiated academic leave of absence during their time in the PharmD program.

Students must meet with associate dean of student affairs to complete their leave of absence documents and to review the policies and procedures.

• Students are advised that during their leave of absence, they will no longer be an enrolled student, which will affect their student status for financial aid, housing, health insurance, etc. For more details on LOA procedures and impact, please speak with your PharmD advisor or the associate dean of student affairs.

• Students on an approved leave of absence are not eligible to attend professional meetings or competitions on behalf of the School, or hold elected or appointed office in student organizations or associated activities; eligibility for these positions is reserved for currently registered students.

Types of leave of absence

There are two types of leave of absence:

• Personal Leave of Absences (student-initiated)

  • A leave for personal reasons (emergency, illness, injury, etc.) that impacts their ability to complete program as intended.

• Academic Leave of Absence (school-initiated)

  • An academic leave of absence from the program of one year due to of one of the following:

    • Not demonstrating mastery of knowledge and/or skills resulting in a NP grade in the Integrated Core Curriculum (Foundations, Integrated Theme, or Applied Patient Care Skills).

    • Exceeding the maximum number of allowable R2 reassessments within a Foundations or Integrated Theme as defined by the Reassessment and Remediation Policy.

    • Disciplinary action as a result of academic misconduct.

    • Repeated failures to demonstrate attitudes and behaviors expected from a health professional student (professionalism) as defined by Professionalism Policy.

Leave of absence process

Below we outline the leave of absence and return process for new and returning students and those returning from a prior leave of absence.

Leave of absence policy for third-year students

Third-year students on clinical rotation may be approved for a leave of absence for up to two blocks. Students should discuss with their program director and should review the current APPE student manual. Third-year students who need more than a two-block leave of absence should consult with the associate dean of experiential education.

Honorable withdrawal

• A student with no outstanding non-passing (NP) or non-passing provisional grades (Y) may choose to honorably withdraw from the program.

• A student with no outstanding non-passing (NP) or non-passing provisional grades (Y) who requires a leave of absence longer than one year but less than three years, or who has exceeded their one-time allowable leave of absence may also elect to honorably withdraw from the program.

• In both cases, the student should consult with the associate dean of student affairs for further guidance.

• If the student intends to request readmission to the program in the future, they must consult with the associate dean of student affairs regarding requirements for approval for readmission. (See Readmission.)

Administrative withdrawal

• A student who currently has non-passing (NP) or non-passing provisional grades (Y) recorded on their transcript or decides not to return after an Academic Leave of Absence, may choose to withdraw from the program entirely but is not eligible for an honorable withdrawal. The student should consult with the associate dean of student affairs who will administratively withdraw them from the program. The student will not be eligible for readmission.

Withdrawal process

Below we outline the withdrawal and return​​/​​readmissions process for new and continuing students and those returning from a prior leave of absence.

Readmission

A student who has honorably withdrawn for more than one year but less than three years and subsequently wishes to be readmitted to the program must request readmission by submitting a letter to the associate dean of student affairs.

• Request for Readmission: Depending on the circumstance, the letter should include but not be limited to the rationale for their withdrawal, details about their preparation for their return to the program, and any new approaches that will aid in their successful completion of the program.

• Ad-Hoc Readmissions Committee: Each request will be considered on a case-by-case basis by an ad-hoc committee. The Committee may request more information as part of the readmission review process and will consist of the following members:

  • Chair of Admissions Committee

  • Vice dean of education

  • Chair of the Faculty Council’s Committee on Academic Standards

  • Chair of the Curriculum and Educational Policy Committee

  • One School of Pharmacy faculty member (selected by the vice dean of education)

That decision will be communicated to the student in writing, by email or other method. The decision may not be appealed. The associate dean of student affairs will communicate to the student one of the following outcomes:

1. Readmission with conditions:

   1. Students approved for readmission may be required to repeat some or all of the courses they completed before withdrawal and may be required to take additional courses to meet the requirements of the curriculum at the time of readmission.

   2. Students approved for readmission will work with the director of admissions and associate dean of student affairs to complete any requirements by the deadline for the year they wish to be readmitted.

   3. Final readmission is contingent upon obtaining an intern license with the California Board of Pharmacy.

2. Denial of readmission until further proof of readiness to return to school can be demonstrated, or

3. Denial of readmission

A student who has been honorably withdrawn for a total of three or more years will be required to re-apply through the regular admissions process.

Discontinuation

A student who does not register as expected for a quarter within one month of the beginning date of the term relinquishes their status as a student and will be discontinued (administratively withdrawn) from the program. A student who has been discontinued is not eligible for readmission.

Policy revision

CEPC Revision 11/16/22

Go to: Policies and Requirements