Undergraduate Bulletin

Fall 2024

Taking Time Off

Withdrawal from the University

Cancellation of enrollment prior to the start of the semester

Students who have enrolled and wish to cancel enrollment prior to the semester start date must drop all courses (down to 0 credits) via the SOLAR System. As of day one of the semester, students must follow the procedure outlined below for requesting a Permanent Withdrawal or Leave of Absence. Please see the Undergraduate Academic Calendar for semester start date.

Note to New Admits: Any new admit, whether freshman or transfer, who cancels enrollment prior to the semester start via the SOLAR System must re-apply through the Undergraduate Admissions Office if they intend to return to the University. Admission will be based on availability and students are not guaranteed acceptance for a future semester.

Permanent Withdrawal

As of day one of the semester, students who wish to Permanently Withdraw from the university must submit the Undergraduate Withdrawal/Leave of Absence Request form to the Registrar's Office. Students should select the Permanent Withdrawal option if they are certain that they will not be returning to Stony Brook as an undergraduate student. Students will be withdrawn from all current and future semesters.

Students who wish to return to the university after requesting a Permanent Withdrawal must rematriculate.
Note to New Admits: Any new admit, freshman or transfer, who requests a Permanent Withdrawal before the add/drop deadline of the semester, must re-apply through the Undergraduate Admissions Office if they intend to return to the University. Admission will be based on availability and students are not guaranteed acceptance for a future semester. Please see the Undergraduate Academic Calendar for the add/drop deadline date.

Leave of Absence

As of day one of the semester, students who wish to take a Leave of Absence from the university must submit the Undergraduate Withdrawal/Leave of Absence Request Form to the Registrar's Office. Students should select the Leave of Absence option on the Undergraduate Withdrawal/Leave of Absence Form if there is any chance that they may return to Stony Brook as an undergraduate student. The date on which the form is filed, not the date of last class attendance, is considered the official date of withdrawal.

At the time they withdraw from the University, students have the option of indicating whether they intend to return. This “leave of absence” may be canceled if the student attends another college while on leave from Stony Brook and fails to maintain a C average at that institution. A student in that situation should consult a Stony Brook admissions counselor at the earliest opportunity.

Students who withdraw from the University and whose cumulative grade point average is less than 2.00 are required to wait for at least one semester before they are permitted to re-enroll.  Students who submit withdrawal forms after the first ten class days but not later than the last day of classes in a semester will be assigned a withdrawal (W) for each course. Withdrawal after the last day of classes does not relieve students of financial obligation.

Non-attendance does not constitute official withdrawal (Leave of absence). Notification of the student’s instructors does not constitute official withdrawal (Leave of absence). Non-payment of tuition and fees does not constitute official withdrawal (Leave of absence).

Note to New Admits: Any new admit, whether freshman or transfer, who requests a Leave of Absence before the add/drop deadline of the semester, must re-apply through the Undergraduate Admissions Office if they intend to return to the University. Admission will be based on availability and students are not guaranteed acceptance for a future semester. Please see the Undergraduate Academic Calendar for the add/drop deadline date.

Military Leave

As of day one of the semester, students who wish to take a Military Leave must submit the Undergraduate Withdrawal Request Form to the Registrar's Office. Students are required to obtain authorized signature on the above named form from the Office of Veterans Affairs.

Medical Leave

As of day one of the semester, students who wish to take a Medical Leave must submit the Undergraduate Withdrawal/Leave of Absence Request Form to the Registrar's Office. Students must submit signed medical documentation that states the student cannot attend classes for the semester in which they plan to take the medical leave of absence. Specific diagnosis information is not required. Any request that is submitted without proper medical documentation will be processed as a Leave of Absence. All students must contact the office of Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) before enrolling for any future semesters.

Transfer to another SUNY School

As of day one of the semester, students who wish to withdraw due to attendance at another SUNY school must submit the Undergraduate Withdrawal/Leave of Absence Request Form to the Registrar's Office. Students must submit an enrollment verification stating full-time status from the new SUNY School the student is attending.

Authorized Signature Required

The following students are required to obtain authorized signature on the Withdrawal/Leave of Absence Form from the appropriate office:

STUDENTS

OFFICE

International Students (F1, F2, J1, J2 Visas)

Visa and Immigration Services

EOP/AIM Students

EOP/AIM Office

Honors College Students

The Honors College

Athletes

Athletics Academic Advising

Freshmen (First two semesters)

Undergraduate Colleges

Students with a cumulative GPA less than 2.0 and/or students who have withdrawn in a previous semester

Students who take a leave of absence after the end of the add/drop period and have a cumulative GPA lower than 2.0 and/or students who have withdrawn or taken a leave of absence in a previous semester must wait one full Summer/Fall or Winter/Spring term to re-enroll in classes. Any future enrollment will be cancelled.  Students may submit a petition and relevant documentation for a waiver of this one semester waiting period.  More details are available at  www.stonybrook.edu/petitions .

New Admits

Any new admit, whether freshman or transfer, who cancels their enrollment prior to the semester start via the SOLAR System or requests a Permanent Withdrawal or Leave of Absence before the add/drop deadline of the semester, must re-apply through the Undergraduate Admissions Office if they intend to return to the University. Admission will be based on availability and students are not guaranteed acceptance for a future semester.

After the add/drop deadline, new admits that request a Permanent Withdrawal or Leave of Absence are subject to the same guidelines of continuing students.

Please see the Undergraduate Academic Calendar for the add/drop deadline date.

Impact on Finances

Taking time off from the university could impact student finances. Please refer to the following offices: Tuition Assistance Program, Registrar's Office (631) 632-6175; Financial Aid (631) 632-6840; Meal Plan (631) 632-6430; Campus Residences (631) 632-6750.

Returning to the University

1. Students who indicate at the time of official withdrawal that they may wish to return to Stony Brook will be approved routinely for return to the University during the  two consecutive  Fall/Spring semesters following the semester in which they withdrew if:

a. the student leaves in good academic standing;                  
b. there has been no previous withdrawal;                  
c. the student has no disciplinary action pending or in force.

2. Effective Fall 2019, students in the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business, School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, and School of Journalism students who have not been enrolled at Stony Brook for two consecutive  Fall/Spring   semesters and have not earned any Stony Brook credits will be assigned a new matriculation date and will be responsible for the academic requirements in effect at the time of their return.  This includes students completing coursework for a Stony Brook degree at other institutions. These rematriculated students will be required to meet with an academic advisor before registering for classes upon their return.

Note: Summer and Winter  terms are not considered to be semesters and credits earned during the Summer/Winter  do not count toward   maintaining matriculation.  Students rematriculating and returning in a Summer term follow the academic requirements in effect for the Fall semester following their Summer rematriculation, and students rematriculating and returning in a Winter term follow the academic requirements in effect for the Spring semester following their Winter rematriculation. 

3. Effective Fall 2019, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences students will be assigned a new matriculation date after two semesters of absence from the University and will be responsible for the academic requirements in effect at the time of their return.  They will be required to meet with an academic advisor in the College of Engineering & Applied Sciences Undergraduate Student Office. In addition, students who withdraw from the University and return at a later date to complete degree requirements are required to have formally reevaluated all courses more than six years old that were taken at Stony Brook or elsewhere to fulfill major requirements.

4. Effective Fall 2014, students who rematriculate at the University will satsify the Stony Brook Curriculum (SBC) Requirement in effect at the time of rematriculation.  Based upon consultation with an academic advisor, a student who had previously followed the Diversified Education Curriculum (DEC) may make a written request for an academic exception to continue to follow DEC.  This request must be submitted to the appropriate office prior to the first day of classes of the student's return to Stony Brook (CEAS Undergraduate Student Office for CEAS majors, or Undergraduate Academic Affairs for all other majors).   

5. Educational Opportunity Program students must obtain clearance for re-admission from the EOP/AIM Office and meet with their AIM counselor.

6. Prior to registering for classes, all foreign students returning to the University must obtain a visa clearance from International Services.

7. Students who withdraw from the University and whose cumulative grade point average is less than 2.00 are required to wait for at least one semester before they are permitted to re-enroll.

8. Students rematriculating in the first fall/spring semester immediately following mandatory military service, may request an exception to follow requirements in effect at the time of their leave. To be eligible for such consideration, students must provide documentation demonstrating the start and end date of their service.

Students who have taken a Permanent Withdrawal: Student who wish to return to the university after requesting a Permanent Withdrawal must rematriculate.

What is the rematriculation process?

Student must submit the Undergraduate Rematriculation Form to the Registrar's Office. Visit the forms page to download the form. There is a rematriculation fee. Once this form is processed by the Registrar's Office, the student is required to meet with an Academic Advisor before being able to enroll for classes.
NOTE: Students who do not attend the semester in which they rematriculate are not eligible to enroll for future semesters. These students must follow the Rematriculation Process for the new semester in which they plan on attending, and must submit a rematriculation form and rematriculation fee.

Academic Renewal Policy

Students who, for financial or personal reasons, have not been enrolled at the University for at least ten consecutive semesters and who, after rematriculation, complete at least 12 (but no more than 24) credit hours in good academic standing, may be eligible for academic renewal. Under this policy, the student’s cumulative grade point average will be re-initialized and calculated based on course grades earned as of the date of rematriculation, although the original grades and g.p.a. remain on the transcript. To qualify for graduation, students must earn a minimum of 36 credits after rematriculation and a cumulative g.p.a. of 2.00 at Stony Brook after re-initialization of the cumulative g.p.a. Those who wish to be considered for degrees with distinction must earn at least 55 credits at Stony Brook after re-initialization of the cumulative g.p.a. For advice about eligibility, students should speak with an academic advisor.

See also: policy on taking time off (rematriculation) above.