Administrative Policies

Leave of Absence

Students are expected to follow a continuous course of study at the School of Public Health. However, a student who wishes or needs to interrupt study temporarily may request a leave of absence. There are three types of leave—personal, medical, and parental—all of which are described below. The general policies that apply to all types of leave are:

  1. Any student who is contemplating a leave of absence should see the associate dean for student affairs to discuss the necessary application procedures.
  2. All leaves of absence must be approved by the associate dean for student affairs. Medical leaves also require the written recommendation of a physician on the staff of Yale Health, as described below.
  3. A student may be granted a leave of absence for up to two terms. Any leave approved by the associate dean for student affairs will be for a specified period.
  4. International students who apply for a leave of absence should consult with OISS regarding their visa status.
  5. A student on leave of absence may complete outstanding work in any course for which an extension has been granted. The student may not, however, fulfill any other degree requirements during the time on leave.
  6. A student on leave of absence is not eligible for financial aid, including loans; and in most cases, student loans are not deferred during periods of nonenrollment.
  7. A student on leave of absence is not eligible for the use of any University facilities normally available to enrolled students.
  8. A student on leave of absence may continue to be enrolled in Yale Health by purchasing coverage through the Student Affiliate Coverage plan. In order to secure continuous coverage from Yale Health, enrollment in this plan must be requested prior to the beginning of the term in which the student will be on leave or, if the leave commences during the term, within thirty days of the date the registrar was informed of the leave. Coverage is not automatic; enrollment forms are available from the Member Services Department of Yale Health, 203.432.0246.
  9. A student on leave of absence must notify the associate dean for student affairs in writing of the intention to return at least eight weeks prior to the end of the approved leave. In addition, a returning student who wishes to be considered for financial aid must submit appropriate financial aid applications to the School’s financial aid office to determine eligibility.
  10. A student on leave who does not return at the end of the approved leave, and does not request and receive an extension from the associate dean for student affairs, is automatically dismissed from the School.

Personal leave of absence A student who wishes or needs to interrupt study temporarily because of personal exigencies may request a personal leave of absence. The general policies governing all leaves of absence are described above. A student who is current with degree requirements is eligible for a personal leave after satisfactory completion of at least one term of study. Personal leaves cannot be granted retroactively and normally will not be approved after the tenth day of a term.

To request a personal leave of absence, the student must apply in writing before the beginning of the term for which the leave is requested, explaining the reasons for the proposed leave and stating both the proposed start and end dates of the leave and the address at which the student can be reached during the period of the leave. If the dean finds the student to be eligible, the leave will be approved. In any case, the student will be informed in writing of the action taken. A student who does not apply for a personal leave of absence, or whose application for a personal leave is denied, and who does not register for any term by the registration deadline, will be considered to have withdrawn from the School.

Medical leave of absence A student who must interrupt study temporarily because of illness or injury may be granted a medical leave of absence with the approval of the dean, on the written recommendation of a physician on the staff of Yale Health. The general policies governing all leaves of absence are described above. A student who is making satisfactory progress toward degree requirements is eligible for a medical leave any time after matriculation. The final decision concerning a request for a medical leave of absence will be communicated in writing by the dean.

The School of Public Health reserves the right to require a student to take a leave for medical reasons when, on recommendation of the director of Yale Health or the chief of the of Mental Health and Counseling department, the associate dean for student affairs determines that the student is a danger to self or others because of a serious medical problem, or that the student has refused to cooperate with efforts deemed necessary by Yale Health to determine if the student is such a danger. An appeal of such a leave must be made in writing to the associate dean for student affairs no later than seven days from the date of withdrawal.

A student who is placed on medical leave during any term will have tuition adjusted according to the same schedule used for withdrawals (see Tuition Rebate and Refund Policy). Before re-registering, a student on medical leave must secure written permission to return from a Yale Health physician.

Leave of absence for parental responsibilities A student who wishes or needs to interrupt study temporarily for reasons of pregnancy, maternity care, or paternity care may be granted a leave of absence for parental responsibilities. The general policies governing all leaves of absence are described above. A student who is making satisfactory progress toward degree requirements is eligible for parental leave any time after matriculation.

Any student planning to have or care for a child is encouraged to meet with the associate dean for student affairs to discuss leaves and other short-term arrangements. For many students, short-term arrangements rather than a leave of absence are possible. Students living in University housing units are encouraged to review their housing contract and the related polices of the Graduate Housing Office before applying for a parental leave of absence. Students granted a parental leave may continue to reside in University housing to the end of the academic term for which the leave was first granted, but no longer.

U.S. Military Leave Readmissions Policy

Students who wish or need to interrupt their studies to perform U.S. military service are subject to a separate U.S. military leave readmissions policy. In the event a student withdraws or takes a leave of absence from Yale School of Public Health to serve in the U.S. military, the student will be entitled to guaranteed readmission under the following conditions:

  1. The student must have served in the U.S. Armed Forces for a period of more than thirty consecutive days;
  2. The student must give advance written or oral notice of such service to the associate dean for student affairs. In providing the advance notice the student does not need to indicate an intent to return. This advance notice need not come directly from the student, but rather, can be made by an appropriate officer of the U.S. Armed Forces or official of the U.S. Department of Defense. Notice is not required if precluded by military necessity. In all cases, this notice requirement can be fulfilled at the time the student seeks readmission, by submitting an attestation that the student performed the service.
  3. The student must not be away from the School to perform U.S. military service for a period exceeding five years (this includes all previous absences to perform U.S. military service but does not include any initial period of obligated service). If a student’s time away from the School to perform U.S. military service exceeds five years because the student is unable to obtain release orders through no fault of the student or the student was ordered to or retained on active duty, the student should contact the associate dean for student affairs to determine if the student remains eligible for guaranteed readmission.
  4. The student must notify the School within three years of the end of U.S. military service of the intention to return. However, a student who is hospitalized or recovering from an illness or injury incurred in or aggravated during the U.S. military service has up until two years after recovering from the illness or injury to notify the School of the intent to return.
  5. The student cannot have received a dishonorable or bad conduct discharge or have been sentenced in a court-martial.

A student who meets all of these conditions will be readmitted for the next term, unless the student requests a later date of readmission. Any student who fails to meet one of these requirements may still be readmitted under the general readmission policy but is not guaranteed readmission.

Upon returning to the School, the student will resume education without repeating completed course work for courses interrupted by U.S. military service. The student will have the same enrolled status last held and with the same academic standing. For the first academic year in which the student returns, the student will be charged the tuition and fees that would have been assessed for the academic year in which the student left the institution. Yale may charge up to the amount of tuition and fees other students are assessed, however, if veteran’s education benefits will cover the difference between the amounts currently charged other students and the amount charged for the academic year in which the student left.

In the case of a student who is not prepared to resume studies with the same academic status at the same point where the student left off or who will not be able to complete the program of study, the School will undertake reasonable efforts to help the student become prepared. If after reasonable efforts, the School determines that the student remains unprepared or will be unable to complete the program, or after the School determines that there are no reasonable efforts it can take, the School may deny the student readmission.

Student Grievances

The Yale School of Public Health follows the University’s policy that governs any case in which a student has a complaint, including but not limited to a complaint of sexual harassment or a complaint of discrimination on the basis of race, sex, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, disability, or sexual orientation, against a member of the faculty or administration of the complainant’s School. Since an instructor’s evaluation of the quality of a student’s work is final, this procedure does not apply in any dispute about a grade assigned to a student by a member of the faculty, unless it is alleged that the determination of the grade resulted from discrimination as described above. Similarly, this procedure does not apply to any matter inherent in the academic freedom of an instructor, such as, for example, in regard to the syllabus or contents of a course of instruction. It is also not a procedure that may be used when there is a complaint about the quality of a course or the quality of instruction in a course; such concerns may be addressed directly to the department in question. The policy and procedure can be found at https://equalopportunity.yale.edu/complaint-procedures. The dean’s office at YSPH would make the complaint referral to the dean of the Yale School of Medicine.

Complaints of sexual misconduct, including sexual harassment and sexual assault, may be brought to a Title IX coordinator (for inquiries or informal resolution) or to the University-Wide Committee on Sexual Misconduct (for formal resolution). For more information on the University-Wide Committee on Sexual Misconduct (UWC), see Resources on Sexual Misconduct in the chapter Yale University Resources and Services. UWC procedures can be found at https://uwc.yale.edu.

Withdrawal from the M.P.H. Program

A student who wishes to withdraw from the M.P.H. program must inform the associate dean for student affairs in writing and contact the Financial Aid Office. The student must also return the student’s identification card and building keys to the registrar. Students wishing to reenter the program after withdrawing must reapply through the regular admissions process.

Human Investigation Safeguards

All work by faculty or students undertaken anywhere that involves human subjects in ways subject to federal or Yale guidelines must be approved by the Human Investigation Committee (HIC) at Yale. Failure to obtain HIC clearance may result in dismissal from the University. Both faculty and students should be aware that these are not pro forma requirements but serious in intent, as well as consequences, if there is failure to comply.

Consultation is available during the academic year and during the summer months. Unless their work is done entirely in a laboratory with no human subject involvement, students should assume that their work does require HIC approval. It is safer to submit the forms and be informed that HIC approval is not needed, than not to submit them and later be told that they were required. Most student research receives expedited review, but some projects are reviewed by the entire HIC, a procedure taking several weeks. Thus, students are advised to submit their HIC protocols at the earliest possible time.

The student’s faculty adviser and the faculty or student YSPH representatives on the HIC can assist the student in preparing an HIC protocol. Many student research projects involving human subjects also require written informed consent. Students should make sure that all informed consent procedures and forms have been approved by the HIC. Arrangements may be made for review by mail for those students outside the New Haven area.

YSPH Alcohol Policy

Any event that hosts more than fifty people and/or is open to persons under twenty-one years of age must adhere to Yale University policy (http://aod.yalecollege.yale.edu/plan-stuff/yales-aod-policies) by ensuring there is a licensed bartender serving alcohol and that food and nonalcoholic beverages are provided.

Additional Policies

Additional University policies are kept on file in the Office of Student Affairs and are available for student reference. These policies include the Policy on Freedom of Expression, the Equal Opportunity Statement, the Sexual Harassment Policy, and the Yale University AIDS Policy.