Fordham University
What Fordham says
Exact quotes from Fordham’s official pages, checked word for word on Oct 22, 2026.
To request a leave of absence, a student must submit the leave of absence form to the appropriate advising dean, class dean, or advisor, indicating the reason (e.g., illness, family crisis) for the request.
— bulletin.fordham.edu ↗You may only request that a non-medical leave of absence begin prior to, or following, an academic semester.
— fordham.edu ↗Students in good standing may request a one-semester leave of absence (renewable on written request, and at the dean's discretion, for one additional semester).
— bulletin.fordham.edu ↗During a leave of absence and at least one month prior to the subsequent semester, the student must inform the advising dean in writing of an intention to return.
— bulletin.fordham.edu ↗take a leave of absence for non-medical reasons (i.e. employment, personal, family, and financial)
— fordham.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 mean a leave of absence form submitted to your advising or class dean.
- A non-medical leave seems to need to begin before a semester, and late requests may not be accepted.
- Leaves look like one semester, renewable once at the dean's discretion; confirm timing with your class dean.
- Reasons accepted: listed reasons (career included) (Arts & Sciences students in good standing, with class dean permission; dean has sole authority).
- Time away allowed: Up to 2 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
Student founder community
- The Entrepreneurship Society ↗Student entrepreneurship club listed by the Gabelli School as an entrepreneurship opportunity; no standalone public page found.
Entrepreneurship center
- Fordham Foundry ↗Fordham's innovation and entrepreneurship hub; listed on the Gabelli School entrepreneurship page; site shows 2025 activity.
Why 78
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. Some source pages show no date or blocked our automated check. Confirm the details with your school. We date pages from server timestamps, page metadata, “last updated” text, PDF dates and the Wayback Machine.