Leave of Absence or Deferral

Leave of Absence (LOA)

If you have started your course but need to take one or more semesters off you can apply for a Leave of Absence (LOA). Leave is normally only granted for compassionate reasons.

The Course Withdrawal or Leave of Absence form can be accessed here.

Make sure that you select the Leave of Absence (LOA) option on the form to apply to take leave from a course you have already started.

Externally verifiable evidence will normally be required, such as medical certificates or other evidence depending on your circumstances. See also: External verifiable evidence

Please contact your Course Coordinator for more information about applying for an LOA and what evidence may apply in your specific situation.

Mid-semester LOA applications

Census dates still apply for students who are granted LOA. If you apply for LOA during an active semester or teaching period after starting one or more units will be withdrawing from any current units even if leave is granted for the course. You cannot be ‘on leave’ and also enrolled in units.

If you apply for an LOA after enrolling in units but before the relevant census date then you will be withdrawn from all units of enrolment at that time and will not be charged for them.

If you apply for an LOA after the census date but prior to the results publication, then you will be withdrawn from the units as a late withdrawals and tuition fees will still apply for your current units. If you pay by FEE-HELP and have serious and unavoidable circumstances which lead to your late withdrawal, then you can apply to have a late remission of fees. Note, fee remission is a separate process from applying for leave and a higher bar of evidence and impact may be required for a refund/remission.

LOA for MPPP Interns

Leave of Absence (LOA) applications made under this policy apply to your enrolment with the Cairnmillar Institute only. If you are an MPPP (+1) Intern you may also need to apply for Leave from your AHPRA approved Internship Plan with AHPRA directly as well. If you need assistance applying for formal leave from your Internship with AHPRA please contact your placement coordinator on pc-internships@cairnmillar.edu.au or your supervisor(s).

Leave of Absence Rules

Students who are currently enrolled in a program are eligible to apply for a Leave of Absence (LOA) for a maximum of three teaching periods (e.g. semesters) during any one course.
The maximum limit applies regardless of whether the student has been offered a full-time or part-time place in a program.
Leave of absence is not an automatic entitlement. Applications are treated on merit and depend on the reasons for the application.
Applications are normally granted in compassionate circumstances, but other situations may apply such as work or family commitments.
Unless there are exceptional circumstances (as determined by the Head of School or nominee), students must have successfully completed at least one teaching period before they are eligible for leave of absence.
A single leave of absence is normally granted for a maximum of one teaching period.
Leave of absence for longer than one teaching period can be granted in exceptional circumstances (as determined by the Head of School or nominee) only.
Students who have outstanding fees in relation to their enrolment are not granted leave of absence until the debt is cleared.
Students on leave are considered to be a student for the purposes of library access and other entitlements but will not be considered formally enrolled for some purposes because they are not enrolled in any units of study.

Deferral

Students who have accepted an offer but have not yet started any classes or very early in the first teaching period (e.g. before the first census date) may apply to defer their offer to the next intake. Students who have started studying will need to apply for a Leave of Absence (LOA) above.

The Course Withdrawal or Leave of Absence form can be used to apply to defer also and can be accessed on our website here.

Make sure you select the Deferral option on the form to defer an offer in a course you have not started yet.

Please note: Deferral of offers for most courses is only possible in compassionate and compelling circumstances. These circumstances will normally need to have arisen after you accepted your original offer. Externally verifiable evidence will normally be required. See also: External verifiable evidence

Please contact your Course Coordinator for more information about deferring your offer in your specific situation.

LOA and Deferral Outcomes

If your application is unsuccessful you will normally be withdrawn from the course instead. However, will try to contact you before this happens to discuss your options. Your withdrawal date will be counted as the date you submitted your LOA or Deferral request.

We try to respond to all LOA or Deferral applications within 1 week if possible and no more than 10 business days. If the application arrives more than before Census

Policy

The full Leave of Absence and Deferral Policy can be viewed on our website.