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10.1 Introduction
NS recognizes that students actively serving in the Armed Forces, including the reserves or National Guard, may have military obligations that require them to miss classes, occasionally with little notice.
Military students will not be penalized for military service. Students will be given the opportunity to earn credit for missed assignments, assessments, or participation in the event of a short-term military absence. For extended military leaves, students may choose between several options.
10.2 Documentation
A student requesting course adjustments for a short-term military absence or extended military leave must provide the Academic Advising Center (AAC) with a copy of military orders outlining the dates of deployment and any travel days. If orders are not available, or the location of a deployment is classified by the Department of Defense, a verifiable letter on unit letterhead with information outlining the dates on which the student will be on active duty and travel days, signed by an appropriate officer, will be accepted.
In the case of medical treatment, documentation of a Veteran’s Administration (VA) or other military duty-related medical appointment may be requested.
10.3 Notification of Short-term Military Absences
The student is responsible for notifying the AAC as well as the student’s instructors of any absences that will occur due to military-ordered obligations as soon as the student becomes aware of them.
The student should inform all instructors of the scheduled leave, verbally or via email, as soon as the dates are known. When proper documentation is received, the AAC will formally notify the instructors via email that the student qualifies for a short-term military absence, as well as the dates that are approved for the absence.
10.3.1 Required Adjustments for Absences up to 14 Days
During regular semesters, instructors must make alternative arrangements, without any grade penalty, for students who miss class due to a military absence of no more than 14 consecutive days. During accelerated terms, a short-term military absence will be granted for no more than 15% of the total number of class meetings (or contact hour equivalent) for the courses in which the student is enrolled at the beginning of the absence. The AAC will calculate the allowable period and notify the student and instructors.
Upon their return, students must make up any missed work within 20 business days. If both the instructor and student agree, coursework may be completed before a military leave instead of afterward.
If all students have the right to drop a test, quiz, or assignment grade, coursework missed during a short-term military absence will not constitute the dropped grade unless the student chooses this option.
Reasonable alternative arrangements for coursework may include, but are not limited to:
– Rescheduled or alternative assignments, exams, and quizzes.
– Alternative dates or times for presentations.
– Opportunities to make up missed participation points.
– Moving the student to an independent study section of the course.
– Offering online alternatives for in-person content.
10.3.2 Limits and Exclusions
A student who qualifies for a short-term military absence may instead request an extended military leave. This may be preferable during accelerated sessions and/or when the length of absence make it unreasonable for the student to make up missed work and successfully complete one or more courses.
Absences of 15+ Days
Students whose short-term military absence will last 15 consecutive days or longer are not guaranteed alternative arrangements in the course. Faculty are not required to provide alternative arrangements for work missed beyond 14 consecutive days. If the structure of the course permits, an instructor may voluntarily work with a service member beyond this required period. However, some courses are designed such that success in the course – for the individual student or for teams of students – is compromised by longer absences. In such cases, the student should request an extended military leave.
Safety Concerns
Some courses include class meetings covering important safety information and procedures; examples include science laboratory classes in which students use sensitive or potentially dangerous materials or equipment. In such courses, faculty should take reasonable measures to make alternative arrangements for students on a short-term military absence. However, if a make-up session would cause an undue burden, faculty are not compelled to provide the alternative arrangement. The student should request an extended military leave.
Academic Performance
Students must be making satisfactory academic progress and have a passing grade in the specific course for which alternative arrangements are requested at the time the absence would begin.
10.4 Extended Military Leave
When military-related obligations require a student to miss 30 or more days, or an absence falls under one of the categories listed in 10.02.02, the student should request to withdraw from courses through an extended military leave. The student may request to withdraw only from some courses or to withdraw completely for the term. Their transcript will note all such withdrawals as due to military leave.
As soon as a student receives military orders that extend 30 days or longer, the student should fill out an Extended Military Leave Form and submit it to the AAC. The student must follow procedures described here to qualify for an extended military leave. If a student withdraws through other means, such as withdrawing through their Student Center account, they may not be eligible for refunds and other arrangements described here.
Students may retroactively request an extended military leave. Retroactive requests should be submitted in a timely manner, preferably within one calendar year of the last day of activity duty; however, timeliness will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
10.4.1 Tuition Refunds
If a student requests extended military leave before the deadline to withdraw from classes for the term, the student will receive a full refund of tuition and fees. If a request is received after the last day to withdraw from classes for the term, the student has the following options for each course:
1. A full refund of tuition and fees, with no credit awarded for the work completed in the course;
2. A grade of Incomplete in the course (if approved by the instructor), with the right to complete remaining coursework without penalty;
3. Receive a grade in the course, if the instructor believes enough work has been completed to warrant assigning a final letter grade.
10.4.2 Financial Aid and Military Benefits
Students receiving aid must meet with a financial aid advisor to discuss the implications for their awards. The Office of Financial Aid will review the student’s eligibility for financial aid received before the date of withdrawal and inform the student about the status of awards and actions needed to defer loan repayments based on military obligations.
10.4.3 Housing and Meal Plan Refunds
Students will receive prorated refunds based on the percentage of the term completed, beginning with the first day of class and ending with the last day of the term.
10.4.4 Other NS Property
Students must return any NS property (such as computers, keys, course equipment) before their departure. A family member or other designated party may accomplish this on the student’s behalf.
10.4.5 University Accounts
All accounts must be paid in full before the extended military leave begins.
10.5 Re-enrolling after Extended Military Leave
To resume studies, a student must notify the University by submitting the Intent to Re-Enroll after Extended Military Leave Form to the AAC within three calendar years of the last date of active military duty. If the form is submitted within this timeframe, the student is entitled to re-enroll in the same academic program or major with the same enrollment status, number of credits, catalog year rights, and academic standing as when their leave began, without paying re-admission fees. The student will be granted re-enrollment in the immediately following term or, if the student chooses, starting the next fall semester. At the student’s request, the Division of Student Affairs will make reasonable efforts to assist the student in acquiring on-campus housing for the term when re-enrollment begins.
If a student does not submit a notice of intent within three calendar years of the end of the approved extended military leave, the student will be classified as a new student and will not be entitled to the rights described in this section.
10.5.1 Tuition and Fees
During the student’s first year of re-enrollment in the same program, they will be charged tuition and fees at the level they would have been charged during the academic year the student left NS, unless veterans’ education benefits cover the full cost of tuition and fees for the year the student re-enrolls.
10.5.2 Re-enrollment Limits and Exclusions
1. Re-enrollment in degree programs where courses are offered on a rigid schedule may require a student to wait until the beginning of the term when the student’s remaining classes are offered again.
2. If a notice of intent to re-enroll and/or any supporting documentation, including financial aid applications, are submitted without sufficient time to process them in time to enroll in the upcoming term, the student’s re-enrollment may be delayed to the subsequent term.
3. If the academic program determines that the student is not prepared to resume the program at the point they left off, program directors, deans, and faculty must make reasonable efforts to enable the student to resume and complete the program, at no extra cost to the student. Reasonable efforts include, but are not limited to, providing a refresher course or allowing a student to retake a pretest or placement exam. Reasonable efforts may not place an undue burden on the program or University. If reasonable efforts are unsuccessful or the program determines there are no reasonable efforts that it can take, the program is not required to re-enroll the student at the same point the student left off.
4. If the program to which the student was originally admitted is no longer offered, the student must be admitted to the program that is most similar, unless the student requests admission to a different program. The student must meet all requirements for admission to the alternate program; additional prerequisites may be required.
5. Periodic revisions to degree requirements are made due to advances in knowledge, changes in occupational qualifications, or the expectations of accrediting agencies. If revisions occur while a student is on extended military leave and following the student’s original degree requirements would place an undue burden on the University, the student may be required to adhere to reasonable degree requirements in a more recent catalog.
6. The cumulative length of the student’s extended military leave and all previous military-related leave from NS cannot exceed five years, including only the time the student spent actually performing military service.
7. All NS policies that affect re-enrollment eligibility, including those related to past-due accounts, registration holds, and disciplinary actions, apply to students re-enrolling after military leave.
8. NS is not required to provide the rights to re-enrollment stated above to students who receive a dishonorable or bad-conduct discharge from any branch of the military, who are dismissed via court-martial or Order of the President, or who are dropped from military rolls due to a criminal conviction or unauthorized absence.
10.6 Exceptions
Circumstances or requests that cannot be addressed by this policy will be forwarded to the appropriate dean and/or the Division of Student Affairs for a decision.
10.7 Record Security and Retention
Military orders contain sensitive information. Copies of all documentation related to military duty will be stored by the Office of the Registrar according to campus confidentiality and privacy procedures. NS will follow a “FY + 3 years” retention schedule. Documentation will be kept for three years past the student’s graduation or last term of attendance. After that time, all documents will be deleted or securely destroyed. =
10.8 Related Information
– Extended Military Leave Request Form
– Notification of Intent to Re-Enroll after Extended Military Leave
– Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) of 2008 as codified in 34 CFR 668.18
– NSHE Handbook Title 4, Chapter 16, Section 7: Student Military Mobilization/Activation
– Presidential Executive Order 13607, Establishing Principles of Excellence for Educational Institutions Serving Service Members, Veterans, Spouses, and Other Family Members (April 27, 2012)
10.8.1 Revision History
– Approved by Dr. Abbey Peters on 3/12/2019; Dr. Vickie Shields on 3/19/2019; and President Bart Patterson on 6/03/2019.