Students who enroll and complete at least one graduate engineering course can apply to their academic department to take an official leave of absence from the time they complete said course(s) and be automatically readmitted without department review. Automatic readmission applies only to the original program and concentration (if applicable) and only for students who took an official approved leave of absence. Catalog year of entry does not change and students must complete the curriculum requirements outlined in the Northeastern University Graduate Catalog for their original academic year of admission.
If a student without official leave of absence approval does not enroll in classes for two consecutive fall/spring semesters, they will be declared inactive. To return from inactive status, a student must submit an updated application to refresh their student record, and this application will be approved provided the student was in good standing at the time their absence started.
If a student without official leave of absence approval does not enroll in classes for three consecutive fall/spring semesters, or does not indicate their intent in writing to the Graduate School of Engineering by the end of the third consecutive semester, they will be withdrawn from the program. In the case of withdrawal, a student will be required to submit a new admission application for graduate studies without guarantee of readmission. If the student is admitted after being withdrawn, they will be admitted into the current catalog year and must meet the curriculum requirements in the current Graduate Catalog.
In cases where the student has seven or more years of nonenrollment, the graduate advisor in the Graduate School of Engineering shall initiate the process by contacting the graduate studies chair/program director on behalf of the student to confirm the content in the course(s) is still relevant to the current degree program. If the courses are confirmed to still be relevant, the graduate advisor shall submit a Waiver Request form with a copy of the course confirmation, the student’s academic transcript, and any additional supporting documents to the graduate studies chair/program director and associate dean for graduate education for review and final approval. If the waiver is approved, the graduate advisor will send the waiver to the Office of the University Registrar for the course(s) to be applied to the student’s degree audit.