VCOM College Catalog and Student Handbook

Students who do not comply with the requirements of the LOA are subject to dismissal by the Campus Dean.

Students requesting an LOA must be aware that VCOM’s accrediting body, the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA), requires students to complete all requirements for the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree within six years of matriculation. Impact of a Leave of Absence on Financial Aid For students who receive federal financial aid, when considering an LOA, students should be aware that the requirements for an approved LOA differ between VCOM and federal student financial aid. Even if a student’s LOA has been approved as a VCOM LOA, if a student does not meet the criteria for an approved LOA for federal student financial aid, the student is considered by federal student financial aid to have ceased attendance (withdrawn) from the institution (even though the student is still classified as being on an LOA by VCOM). Federal LOA generally applies only to students in their OMS 3 or OMS 4 year and it is extremely rare for an OMS 1 or OMS 2 student to qualify due to curricular requirements. A student who is approved for an LOA for federal student financial aid after receiving financial aid for the semester may be required to return a portion of the aid previously received. Therefore, the student may be on a VCOM LOA but their enrollment status with the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) may be withdrawn. A student who has been approved for a VCOM LOA and who is also granted an approved LOA for federal student financial aid is not considered withdrawn and the student is not required to return a portion of the aid previously received except under the terms of the master promissory note if student loans were disbursed for the semester. Upon returning from the leave, the student continues to earn the Title IV aid previously awarded for the period of the leave. Students who are granted an LOA by VCOM and are approved for an LOA by federal student financial aid and who fail to return within 180 days after paying for the semester’s tuition will be treated as withdrawn from school for loan repayment purposes. According to federal regulations, 34 CFR 668.22 (d), the following criteria outlines the requirements for an LOA to be approved as an LOA for federal financial aid: • The school must have a formal written LOA policy that requires all LOA requests to be submitted in writing; and the student must include the reason for their LOA request. • The student must request, and the school must approve, the LOA in accord with the school’s policy. • There must be a reasonable expectation that the student will return from the LOA. This condition is specified to make clear that a school may not grant a student an LOA merely to delay the return of unearned Title IV funds. • The school may not assess the student any additional institutional charges, the student’s need may not increase, and, therefore, the student is not eligible for any additional Title IV aid. The school may grant a full tuition credit toward the course the student chooses to re-enter as a way to comply with this requirement that the student not be assessed any additional charges upon return from the leave. • The LOA, together with any additional leaves of absence, must not exceed a total of 180 days in a 12 month period. • A student returning from an LOA must resume training at the same point in the academic program that they began the LOA.

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