Santa Clara University
What Santa Clara says
Exact quotes from Santa Clara’s official pages, checked word for word on Oct 22, 2026.
A Leave of Absence (LOA) through Workday occurs when a student requests to take time away from Santa Clara University (SCU) in a current or future quarter with the intention of returning.
— scu.edu ↗An approved Leave of Absence requested by the “Drop without W” deadline … for the current term will result in no courses appearing for that term.
— scu.edu ↗The student’s record will remain active and the student will continue to receive SCU notifications and correspondence, and will receive a registration appointment for the term they plan to return.
— scu.edu ↗NOTE: For Undergraduate students, if you are leaving during a term, then a return the following term will need to be approved by Drahmann Advising.
— scu.edu ↗Enter your Leave Start Date, Return Date, and select a Leave of Absence Reason (e.g., Family, Medical, Personal, etc.).
— scu.edu ↗Written by AI from the quotes and pages we read. It may be incomplete or wrong; the school’s own pages win.
- A Leave of Absence in Workday seems to be the route, and your record appears to stay active.
- Requests by the Winter 2027 'Drop without W' date, Feb 1, appear to leave no courses on record.
- Your Jan–Apr plan overlaps Spring Quarter starting Mar 30, so you may need a two-quarter leave.
- Reasons accepted: any personal reason (Workday reason list includes Personal; approvals route through Student Affairs and deans).
- Time away allowed: No max stated for leave.
- Classes start Jan 4.
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
- Bronco Ventures (Accelerator, Idea Lab, Pitch Competition) ↗Student venture programs from idea stage to accelerator; Demo Day 2026 listed.
Entrepreneurship center
- Ciocca Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship ↗Leavey School center promoting the entrepreneurial mindset across campus; runs Bronco Ventures programs.
Hard-tech team
- Santa Clara Formula SAE ↗Formula-style race car team; listed by the School of Engineering.
- Bronco Robotics ↗Robotics club listed by the School of Engineering.
CS club
- ACM at SCU ↗CS chapter that runs workshops and hackathons, including Hack for Humanity.
- Blockchain@SCU ↗Blockchain and Web3 club listed by the School of Engineering.
Why 84
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.