Brandeis University
What Brandeis says
Exact quotes from Brandeis’s official pages, checked word for word on Oct 22, 2026.
Undergraduate students wishing to request an LOA should contact their assigned Academic Services advisor and work with them to fill out the Time Away Intent Form found on the Academic Services website.
— brandeis.edu ↗Undergraduate students should initiate a PLOA request prior to the first day of classes.
— brandeis.edu ↗Leaves of absence typically may not exceed four consecutive semesters.
— brandeis.edu ↗Petitions to return from a leave of absence for fall semester must be received no later than March 1 and petitions to return for spring semester must be received no later than October 1.
— brandeis.edu ↗personal responsibilities or opportunities including but not limited to religious obligations, care of a family member, or pursuit of a volunteer, internship, or other academic opportunity
— brandeis.edu ↗Written by AI from the quotes and pages we read. It may be incomplete or wrong; the school’s own pages win.
- Stepping away appears to run through a Time Away Intent Form with your Academic Services advisor.
- Starting before the first day of classes (Jan 19, 2027) seems best; later requests look case by case.
- Leaves appear to cap around four semesters, and you may need to tell Academic Services by Oct 1.
- Reasons accepted: listed reasons (career included) (Personal leave explicitly covers internships and other opportunities).
- Time away allowed: Up to 4 semesters.
- Classes start Jan 19.
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
- DeisHacks ↗Social-good hackathon run by Brandeis Design and Innovation; DeisHacks 2027 is Feb 26-28, 2027.
Student founder community
- Spark Program ↗Flagship Brandeis Innovation program helping students turn ideas into ventures, with SparkTank pitches for seed funding.
Entrepreneurship center
- Brandeis Innovation ↗Runs Spark, I-Corps, startup events and the Brandeis virtual incubator.
Hard-tech team
- Brandeis Design and Innovation (MakerLab) ↗Library maker spaces and tech programs; also organizes DeisHacks.
CS club
- Branda ↗Student team that builds and runs the Branda campus app; listed by the CS department.
- Tamid Group ↗Students do software projects for Israeli tech startups; listed by the CS department.
Why 82
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. Source pages look current for 2026–27. We date pages from server timestamps, page metadata, “last updated” text, PDF dates and the Wayback Machine.