Leaving SU Support

Academic Success

Considering leaving Southwestern University? Whether your leave is permanent or temporary, we provide support for students by ensuring they are aware of all available options to them before making a final decision.

Before You Decide

Seek Support

First-Year Students: Contact your Professional Academic Advisor
Upper-Level Students: Contact our office by emailing success@southwestern.edu

Additional Guidance

Veterans and Military Dependents: Contact Nadia Mahannah, Associate Registrar & VA School Certifying Official for additional guidance.
International Students: Contact Monya Lemery, Director of Study Abroad and International Student Services to discuss any potential impacts.

Meet with Financial Aid

Meet with a Financial Aid Counselor to discuss any financial concerns. Contact the office directly at 512.863.1259 or finaid@southwestern.edu.

Ask about additional grants, loans, scholarships, or Emergency Resources available to you. Exit counseling will help you understand the next steps for keeping your student loans in good standing, expectations for repayment, and guidance on applying for financial aid in the future.
Veterans and Military Dependents: Meet with James Gaeta, Dean of Financial Aid, for additional guidance.

Terms

Students in good academic standing may apply for a student leave of absence no later than one week prior to the beginning of the semester for which the leave is to begin. Dates are provided on the current Academic Calendar. An application for readmission will not be required of students to return from a leave of absence.

Students remain in good standing academically as long as they are making satisfactory progress toward graduation, and are not on academic probation. “Good standing” is defined as earning at least a 2.000 cumulative grade point average, and completing at least 24 graded credits in an academic year. Academic standing is based only on coursework attempted at Southwestern.
A leave of absence may be granted for up to one (1) semester or up to one (1) academic year for a program of work, study, or travel that will contribute significantly to a student’s personal development (or program of study at Southwestern University).
In addition, a leave may be granted for personal reasons including, but not limited to, medical, financial, or health.
Students on a Leave of Absence are able to keep their SU email account and are able to go through the registration process for the semester of their return.

A student planning to leave the university, whether it be due to transfer or circumstance, will need to complete the Students Not Returning Form. An application for readmission is required of students to return.

Students have the option to complete a one-on-one Exit Interview to share additional insights on reasons for leaving the university.
The Center for Academic Success will notify your plans to not return based on your last semester of attendance (Fall/Spring YYYY) to respective campus offices; this will allow them to officially end your enrollment. Allow for up to one (1) business week for processing.

Additional Recommended Steps

A guide to additional tasks to complete for students who are withdrawing or not returning. Not all tasks apply to every student.

Athletics, Campus Recreation, Smith Library Center, Student Activities - return borrowed materials/equipment
Bookstore- cancel or return any purchased/rented materials
Campus Post Office - check mailbox for any remaining mail/packages
Records & Registrar - order an official SU transcript. Deadlines for final grades are provided on the current Academic Calendar. Save the syllabi to all courses taken at Southwestern University to assist your new college/university with their transcript evaluation process. Planning on transferring to another institution in Texas? Use the Texas Common Course Numbering System (TCCNS) to compare classes.
Residence Life - If leaving in the fall semester, complete the Intent to Vacate form in Self-Service.
Save or transfer all digital items from your Moodle and Google accounts. The migration of Student Gmail/Drive/Data can only transition to another Gmail account.
Student Accounts - contact them to confirm you do not owe incidental charges such as library fines, traffic tickets, discipline fines, student health services charges, etc. Request a refund of any remaining credit balance on your Pirate Card.

Academic Success