Medical Leave of Absence (MLOA) Process AY 2023-2024

A medical leave of absence may become necessary if you experience a documented medical or psychological condition that significantly limits your ability to function safely or successfully and meet your responsibilities as a student at the University of Portland. In such cases, you can request a voluntary MLOA from the University until you and your medical provider believe you’re able to return and achieve your academic goals. A granted MLOA allows you to leave school without subsequent academic impact, on the condition that you return within three semesters.

Please note that each student’s situation is unique, and this checklist is not meant to be comprehensive of all the impacts that a medical leave may have on your academic progress or financial aid. You can view University’s full medical leave of absence policy in the 2023-2024 Bulletin (Section K).

Process to Petition for a Medical Leave of Absence

1. Associate Dean

Begin the petition process by meeting with the Associate Dean of your school or college to discuss the academic impacts of taking a medical leave, and other potential options that may best serve you. Other options to consider may include withdrawing from a course or courses or taking a regular leave of absence.

• College of Arts & Sciences: Dr. Hannah Highlander, highland@up.edu, 503.943.7162
• School of Business: Dr. Lisa Reed, reedl@up.edu, 503.943.7224
• School of Education: Dr. Bruce Weitzel, weitzel@up.edu, 503.943.7135
• School of Engineering: Shazib Vijlee, vijlee@up.edu, 503.943.8519
• School of Nursing: Dr. David Fuentes, fuentes@up.edu, 503.943.7845

2. Medical Leave Form

Your associate dean will email you an electronic copy of a Medical Certification form for your medical provider to complete and return to the Office of the Associate Provost. This paperwork should be completed and returned as soon as possible to ensure that your eligibility for a MLOA is not affected.

• Medical Certification Form in Support of Petition for Medical Leave
  This form will be completed and signed by your off-campus medical provider. This form details your medical condition, how it has impacted your ability to participate in school, and your treatment plan. Your medical provider will recommend that your petition for MLOA be approved or denied by the University based on these factors.

3. Financial Aid

Next, you should meet with the Office of Financial Aid if you would like to discuss the financial implications of taking a medical leave. You can expect to discuss your date of withdrawal and academic progress as it pertains to the satisfactory academic progress policy, and how these factors may affect any scholarships/grants you are receiving. If you have work study employment on campus, you can also discuss how that may be impacted. You can view the medical leave of absence policy as it pertains to financial aid in the University Bulletin.

If a medical leave is granted, your financial aid for the current semester may be adjusted based on federal, state, and institutional policies. If a credit balance refund was issued prior to your medical leave, you may be required to return some or all of the funds to the University of Portland. You may also be required to pay any nonrefundable fees and/or fines charged to your account upon notification of such amount due.

Office of Financial Aid
finaid@up.edu, 503.943.7311
up.edu/finaid

4. (If Applicable) Residence Life

For students living on campus, you will contact your Hall Director and the Office of Residence Life to alert them of your leave and arrange a move-out date. Once you have fully moved off campus, your Hall Director will communicate with the Housing Coordinator in the Office of Residence Life to arrange a refund for the unused portion of your housing contract and meal plan (dependent on the time of year that you move out).

Office of Residence Life
reslife@up.edu, 503.943.7205
up.edu/residencelife

5. (If Applicable) International Student Services

For international students, you will meet with International Student Services to discuss the impact that a medical leave of absence may have on your J-1 or F-1 visa status.

International Student Services
iss@up.edu, 503.943.7367
up.edu/iss

When the medical leave form has been received by the Office of the Associate Provost, the Associate Provost will review the recommendation of your medical provider. If your leave is approved:

• An official letter of approval will be sent to you by the Associate Provost, Elise Moentmann, via your UP email address and permanent mailing address.
• The Office of Financial Aid will send you a letter with information about any adjustments made to the current semester, based on federal, state, and institutional policies.
• You will receive a “W” or withdrawn grade for each course that you are currently enrolled in and a registration hold will be placed on your student account until you return from leave.
• You will retain your UP network access (i.e. email, PilotsUP, Moodle, etc.) by logging into myapps.up.edu using your UP email address and password.
• Students who take a medical leave of absence and are on the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) through Pacific Source are able to stay on that plan for the duration of the semester in which they take the leave. For example, if a student takes a medical leave during Fall semester, they can stay on the health insurance plan through the end of December. If a student takes a medical leave during Spring semester, they can stay on the health insurance plan through the end of May.