Student Military Leave Policy
The call to active duty presents an extreme hardship upon students. In an effort to assist those students who are called to active duty, Northeastern Illinois University has established the following policy.
Northeastern Illinois University students who are members of the National Guard, Reserves, ROTC, or active United States military and who are called to active or inactive duty (i.e., drill, annual training, flight training periods, active duty for special work, readiness management assembly, Title 32, etc.) or who require medical treatment for service-related conditions will not receive any academic penalty for that service or treatment.
Within ten days after a student is notified that he/she has been called to duty, or needs to return for medical treatment (including travel time to/from the duty or treatment), he/she needs to inform his/her instructors that he/she will be absent. The Veterans Services Office must also be notified.
Veterans Services Office staff will work with the instructors to help the student in one of the following ways:
- A student who will be absent for one to three weeks will be allowed to make up any missed work within a reasonable time frame without penalty to his/her grade. The student is required to present proof of training schedule, official orders or letter from the member’s unit to the Veterans Services Office. In cases of a medical treatment, the student must present a signed document from the VA physician, social worker, or other qualified individual indicating that an absence should be excused. The Veterans Services Office will contact each instructor and obtain the requirements for course completion. The requirements will be sent to the student and kept on file.
- A student who is activated for more than three weeks will have three options from which to choose.
- If, according to the faculty member’s judgment, the student’s performance allows for the course instructor to award a letter grade consistent with the student’s performance in the class, then the faculty member may do so as long as the instructor and the student both agree.
- If the faculty member deems a letter grade is not appropriate, an incomplete (“I”) can be assigned. A student choosing to receive an incomplete grade will receive instructions on what work needs to be completed for a letter grade to be entered at a later date in accordance with the University’s Incomplete Grade policy. The student is required to present proof of training schedule, official orders or letter from the member’s unit to the Veterans Services Office. In cases of a medical treatment, the student must present a signed document from the VA physician, social worker, or other qualified individual indicating that an absence should be excused. The Veterans Services Office will then contact each instructor and obtain the requirements for course completion. The requirements will be sent to the student and kept on file.
- A student choosing to withdraw will be administratively withdrawn from his/her classes and will receive “W” grades for those classes. The student will receive a full credit to his/her account for tuition and fees for that semester. Students who are called to active duty will not be subject to financial aid and/or satisfactory academic progress standards for the withdrawal term.
Re-entry into the University and Re-enrollment in Dropped Course(s)
When a student is ready to re-enroll, the student should contact the Veterans Services Office for assistance with re-entering the University. A new application for admissions will not be necessary; however, the student will complete a re-entry form so that the University has the most up-to-date information on the student. Upon re-entry, the student will be granted a priority registration status over other students seeking to enroll in the course(s) the student dropped due to the military leave.