Support and Resources for Discontinued Students

Source: https://advising.stanford.edu/current-students/advising-student-handbook/discontinued-students Parent: https://advising.stanford.edu/current-students/academic-policy/returning-stanford

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Support and Resources for Discontinued Students

Stanford students can become discontinued for many reasons: academic suspension, running out of Leave of Absence quarters, or neither enrolling nor applying for Leave by the start of a new quarter. But whatever your reason for becoming discontinued, this isn’t the end of your Stanford journey!

For the University's official policies on discontinuation and reinstatement, consult the Stanford Bulletin pages linked below. On this page, your Academic Advisors offer an explanation of what discontinuation means (and what it doesn't mean), suggest some next steps, and share some helpful information and resources available to you as a discontinued student.

Stanford Bulletin: Discontinuation\ Stanford Bulletin: Reinstatement

What does “Discontinued” mean?

There are several ways a student can become discontinued. If the new quarter begins and you neither enroll nor apply for a Leave of Absence, you become discontinued. (But keep reading below if this happens to you by accident!) If the new quarter begins, you don't want to enroll in classes, and you have already used up all of your 8 available Leave of Absence quarters, you become discontinued. If you are ever placed on an academic suspension, you become discontinued.

If your status is "discontinued," it means that for now, you’re no longer an active Stanford student. During the time you’re discontinued, you won’t be able to enroll in classes, live in university housing, or use certain university resources. Once you are discontinued, your SUNet account enters a grace period of 120 days. After this time, you will lose access to electronic resources such as your Stanford email account and Google Drive, and your saved content may be deleted.

Discontinuation isn’t a permanent status, and you don’t have to reapply to the university all over again when you are ready to return! Instead, we ask you to go through a reflection process called the Request to Return and Register, to help you think about past challenges and how to set yourself up for success upon your return. Once your request is approved, you will regain access to university resources, your Stanford email, and be able to enroll in classes.

Note that if you were discontinued because of an academic suspension, you will need to wait until the end of your suspension period before you are eligible to return. But once that period ends, you are eligible to submit a Request to Return and Register just like any other discontinued student.

Help, I’ve become discontinued by accident!

If the new quarter has started and you neither enrolled in classes nor applied for Leave of Absence (LOA), you will become discontinued after the Final Study List deadline.

If this was not your intention, and you still have some Leave of Absence quarters left (you're allowed 8 total during your Stanford career), you may be able to return to active status by filling out a "Leave of Absence for Discontinued Students" eForm at https://eforms.stanford.edu. You must move quickly and submit this eForm before the Term Withdrawal deadline of the current quarter. (The Term Withdrawal deadline is usually in Week 7, but check the academic calendar for details.) This will change your status from discontinued to an active LOA.

If you were discontinued in a previous quarter, you can’t become an active student again using this method. Instead, you will need to submit a Request to Return and Register.

Next Steps When You’re Discontinued

Share an updated email address with your UAD: Once you become discontinued, your SUNet account and official Stanford email enters a grace period, and will be turned off after 120 days. Before that happens, it’s important to share a personal email address with your Undergraduate Advising Director (UAD), so that they can stay in touch with you during your time away. Note that if you’ve been enrolled at Stanford for at least three quarters, you’re eligible to set up a Stanford alumni email address, which will continue to work even after your official Stanford email shuts off. But whether you want to go with an alumni address or a non-Stanford-affiliated email address, be sure to share updated contact information with your UAD!
Download your academic information and files: Before your SUNet account is turned off, be sure to download a copy of your unofficial transcript, as well as a copy of your MAP Degree Audit. Having this information will make it easier for you to begin planning your return to the university. In addition, remember that you will also lose access to your Stanford Google Drive after 120 days. If you have any important files in your Google Drive (including any work for Incomplete classes you are still trying to finish), be sure to download them before your SUNet account is turned off!

Financial Considerations

In order to plan for a smooth return to Stanford in the future, it’s best to resolve any university obligations sooner rather than later. You should clear any outstanding charges with the Student Services Center to avoid incurring late fees on your account while you are away. If you have a financial hold on your account because of an unresolved university bill, think about how you want to address this. You may want to contact the Student Services Center if you have questions about your bill, or make an appointment with Financial Aid if you have questions about your aid package or want to know more about personal loan options. If you have already taken out a loan and will be away longer than the grace period of your loan (usually 6 months), you should complete online exit counseling. You may be expected to start making payments after the grace period until you return. Familiarize yourself with the details of the grace period policies for each of your loans, including how time away affects the total grace period. For questions, contact the Financial Aid Office. They can help you navigate this process.

Resolve Your Incompletes

Being discontinued doesn’t stop the clock on any Incomplete classes you may still be hoping to finish. If you want to resolve your Incompletes, you must still submit your remaining work by the deadline set by your instructors (which may not exceed 1 year after the course was originally taken).

We recommend you email your instructors now to confirm what you need to do to resolve your Incompletes. You can create an Incomplete Agreement with your instructor to help you both keep track of what’s left to submit. If you have any coursework in progress on Google Drive, be sure to download it before your SUNet account is turned off! We also recommend that you share your non-Stanford email address with your instructor, and let them know that you will send them any completed work from this email address.

Resources for Discontinued Students

While you will lose access to many Stanford resources while discontinued, you’ll still be able to use certain university services, listed below.

Academic Advising: We encourage you to maintain contact with your assigned UAD and send periodic updates during your time away. You can still make phone and Zoom appointments with your UAD or communicate via email. Your UADs are available to provide ongoing support and guidance, including advice on productive ways to use time away and planning for your return.
Your Major Department or Program: In most cases, faculty and staff of academic departments (such as the Student Services Officer for your major department) are still available to work with you on academic planning and guidance. It will be especially important to connect with your major department as you begin planning for your return.
Cardinal Care: If you chose to remain enrolled in Cardinal Care by the waiver deadline of your entry quarter in a plan year, and have been discontinued with a pro-rated tuition charge on your account, you can remain enrolled in Cardinal Care and your coverage will continue until the end of the current plan year (August 31). Applicable quarterly health insurance charges will apply. If you are discontinued in your entry quarter in a plan year and no tuition charge remains on your account, you will not be eligible for Cardinal Care until you are approved to return and register in a future quarter. If you became discontinued this year and remain discontinued past the current plan year in which you are enrolled, you will not be eligible for Cardinal Care again until you are approved to return and register in a future quarter. If you remain enrolled in Cardinal Care after you are discontinued, you will have access to your medical and mental health insurance benefits in California when you identify a provider in the Blue Shield of California PPO network, and you will have access to your medical and mental health insurance benefits outside of California when you identify a provider in the Cigna PPO network. You will have access to your dental benefits when you identify a provider in the Ameritas Denal PPO network (in or outside California). You can learn more about your Cardinal Care benefits here. You can obtain health records and authorization forms by visiting this page or you can call the Vaden clinic staff at 650-498-2336.
Counseling and Psychological Services: If you need mental health support, Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) is available to help you connect to mental health resources in your home state during your time away. You can schedule a "case management visit" to help identify treatment options; call the front desk to make an appointment: (650) 723-3785.
Office of Accessible Education: Discontinued students with disabilities are eligible to connect with the Office of Accessible Education while not enrolled in classes. Students registered with OAE may contact their Disability Advisor for support, and those not previously registered may reach out to OAE for information about registering for accommodations and services upon their return.

Planning Your Return

If you’d like to return for Autumn quarter, we recommend starting a conversation with your UAD in late May or the beginning of June. An Autumn return has some unique benefits, including more lead-time to apply for housing and financial aid if you start the process early. If you prefer to return for Winter, Spring, or Summer quarter instead, you should begin a conversation with your UAD about 8-10 weeks ahead of your desired return. Don’t leave things until the last minute!

Ready to begin planning for your return to Stanford? Check out our Returning to Stanford page for more information on the process and next steps!

Return to the Advising Student Handbook