Leaves of Absences
1. Procedure
When you want to take a leave of absence due to personal circumstances, or any other reason, you need to fill in the electronic form on the portal website, http://my.snu.ac.kr, save the form, and submit the printed form to your college administration office.
2. Duration
A general leave of absence automatically expires after 2 semesters (except in the case of the Military Service Leave of Absence and others specified), and the minimum length of a leave of absence is one semester.
The aggregate term of absence cannot exceed six semesters for undergraduates, four semesters for graduate students in a master’s program, and six semesters for students in a doctoral program. You will be dismissed from the school if you exceed these time allotments. Depending on the reason for your leave, the period specified in the regulations can be extended. If you fail to register before the given due date it will also result in dismissal. Students who wish to leave the University permanently must report to the dean.
3. Tuition Refunds
If you apply to take a leave of absence before the registration period, you need not pay the tuition for the semester. However, in the event that a student wishes to take a leave of absence after the registration period is over, you must attach relevant documents proving your valid reason. Acceptable reasons are limited to mandatory military service (Korean Armed Forces) and severe health problems. The administration office, after screening the submitted documents, will approve your request if they feel the reason presented is valid. The paid tuition fees will not be refunded in cash, but will be transferred to the next semester you will be enrolling.
4. Valid Reasons for Requesting Leave
The validity of reasons for requesting leave is quite flexible, and all reasonable requests will be approved. However, there are a limited number of reasons acceptable for extending your total number of semesters of possible leave. Serving for the Korean Armed Forces (Mandatory Service) is one, and the other is leave due to serious illness or surgery. If you are required to serve in the military of your nation during your enrollment in the University, you must submit an application along with a copy of the enlistment notice. Within 6 months of being enlisted in the army, you need to submit documents proving your service in the military.
Leave due to mandatory military service will not be included as general leave but as a separate Military Service Leave of Absence period. Similar procedures should be followed to request leave due to health reasons. You will need to submit a diagnostic report from a doctor, or otherwise prove that you will be needing hospital treatment and that you will not be able to carry out academic activities for the semester. Along with the Military Leave of Absence, leave due to these reasons will extend your total semesters of possible leave by the number of semesters that you have taken leave.
5. Returning to School
If you are currently on leave of absence, expelled or removed from the register, it is necessary for you to undertake specific procedures in order to re-register. Returning to school will require either: a) simple re-registering, b) reversion, c) reinstatement or d) readmission. You can only be reinstated or readmitted once during your enrollment. If you were removed from the register because of disciplinary measures, exceeding the maximum number of terms or expulsion, you do not qualify for readmission.
A. Simple re-registering (Returning Students)
You fall into this category if you are returning from a General Leave of Absence.
B. Reversion
You fall into this category if you are returning from a Leave of Absence taken after the registration period. You will be exempt of paying the tuition for your returning semester as you have already paid for it before the leave.
C. Reinstatement
You fall into this category if you were dismissed due to not registering without taking a leave of absence. Reinstatement must take place within one year of your dismissal, and is only possible if the department that you wish to enter has extra space.
D. Readmission
You fall into this category if you were either expelled or dismissed from the school for reasons other than not registering. You are permitted to re-register only if the department you wish to enter has extra space.
Last updated in 2016
