American University
What American says
Exact quotes from American’s official pages, checked word for word on Oct 22, 2026.
Students desiring a Temporary Leave for reasons other than study at another collegiate institution should meet with their academic advisor.
— american.edu ↗Students must request the leave no later than within the first two weeks in the term in which the leave will begin.
— american.edu ↗Students may not take more than two semesters of General Temporary Leave.
— american.edu ↗Students who do not return to the university at the end of the leave will be automatically separated.
— american.edu ↗At the academic unit’s discretion, … the academic unit will notify the Office of the University Registrar to issue a Temporary Leave.
— american.edu ↗Written by AI from the quotes and pages we read. It may be incomplete or wrong; the school’s own pages win.
- A General Temporary Leave of one or two semesters seems arranged with your advisor and academic unit.
- Requests appear due within the first two weeks of the term the leave begins.
- Policy text is from a 2021 PDF, so ask your advisor and registrar to confirm current rules.
- Reasons accepted: dean's approval (Academic unit decides; medical leave goes through the Dean of Students).
- Time away allowed: Up to 2 semesters.
- Classes start Jan 11.
Before you decide
Check on the following…
- Will my spot be held?Check how long your school keeps your place and whether you have to apply to come back.Ask: Registrar
- Will I graduate later?A term off can push back your graduation. Ask which required classes only run in the spring.Ask: Academic advisor
- Is there a deadline to ask?Some schools want your leave request before January. Find out the exact date and the form.Ask: Dean’s office or registrar
- What happens to my scholarships and aid?Ask whether your scholarships and grants pause while you’re away or end, and what you need to do to get them back.Ask: Financial aid office
- When would I have to start repaying loans?Student loans usually stop being deferred when you’re not enrolled. After a short grace period, often six months, payments can start.Ask: Financial aid office
- Will I still have health insurance?A student health plan usually needs you to be enrolled. Make sure you’re covered from January to April.Ask: Student health office
- What about my housing?Ask whether you can leave your housing contract without a penalty and whether you’ll get housing when you come back.Ask: Housing office
- I’m on a student visa. Does this affect it?For F-1 students, not enrolling usually ends your visa status. Talk to this office before anything else.Ask: International student office
Hackathon
- AU ICPC programming team ↗Competitive programming (ICPC) with weekly practice sessions; not a hackathon proper. No AU-run hackathon found.
Student founder community
- American University Business Incubator ↗Supports student and recent-alumni ventures; founded 2014, has served nearly 200 ventures.
Entrepreneurship center
- Veloric Center for Entrepreneurship (Kogod) ↗Kogod's entrepreneurship hub: workshops, speaker series, competitions and the incubator; co-sponsors DC Startup & Tech Week.
CS club
- AU ACM chapter ↗Listed by AU Computer Science; meets Wednesdays at 8 p.m. in DMTI 111 (Collaboration Lab).
- Girls Who Code at AU ↗Student chapter listed on the CS department's resources page.
Why 75
Spend the winter building. Southbound runs Jan 11 to Apr 11, 2027 in Miami. Acceptance is rolling.
What we could find (checked Oct 22, 2026). Not final: confirm dates and aid with your school before you act. One source page hasn’t changed in a while. Confirm the details with your school. Older pages: www.american.edu/policies/academics/upload/undergraduate-aca (last changed Mar 2023); www.american.edu/student-affairs/isss/temporary-leave-of-abs (last changed Dec 2024). We date pages from server timestamps, page metadata, “last updated” text, PDF dates and the Wayback Machine.