If you currently receive financial aid, your aid offer will be reevaluated based on the date of your leave of absence. 

• If the date of your leave precedes the start of classes, your financial aid will simply be cancelled.
• If the date of your leave is after the start of classes, your financial aid offer will be adjusted according to federal regulations and institutional policies. The level of federal financial aid (including Parent PLUS loans) you will be eligible to keep will be proportionate to the amount of time you attended Brown during your semester of leave. However, if you took a leave after the 60% point in the semester, you will retain all of your federal financial aid.

Your Brown institutional financial aid will be prorated to correspond to the University’s tuition refund policy, which is based upon the week of your leave. For the 2023-24 academic year, contact our office at financial_aid@brown.edu to determine how your institutional aid will be affected. A student who withdraws from the University due to a leave of absence may be required to return unearned aid and still may owe funds to the University. 

Refer to the Refund and Withdrawal Policy for more details.

To determine how Brown’s charges may be amended according to the date of your leave, please refer to the Refund Policy published by Student Financial Services. 

When an aided student takes a leave of absence, it will not affect eligibility for financial aid upon approved return to Brown as an active student. However, students must adhere to all published deadlines in applying for financial aid before returning to Brown.

• The Registrar’s Office will be notified of the effective date of your approved leave by the Dean of the College, and your enrollment status will be changed from active to inactive.
• The Office of Financial Aid will then receive official notification of your leave. Shortly after notification, we will adjust your financial aid package according to federal regulations and institutional policies, described above. (In the meantime, feel free to communicate your leave approval to our office.)
• Contact Student Financial Services because taking a leave means that you are no longer an active student at Brown. Current and former financial aid recipients of Perkins, Federal Direct Loan, University and PLUS Loans must complete loan exit counseling and establish a repayment schedule in the event that the grace period of a federal or institutional loan(s) ends during your period of leave. You also should contact your private lender(s) if you have borrowed any private undergraduate education loans to learn of any repayment obligations.
• Consult the Leavetaking FAQ for information about how to facilitate your leave.

Follow the steps outlined in the Checklist for Returning to Brown from a leave to learn what you need to do to be approved for readmission. To request readmission approval, you must first contact the appropriate dean by published deadlines.

If you have an unpaid balance on your student account, payment is necessary before your readmission can be granted. Late fees will accrue on any unpaid balances. 

If you have had University and/or Perkins Loans in the past, each must be in good standing in order for you to be readmitted. If you have had a Federal Direct and/or PLUS Loan in the past, each must be in good standing so that you may receive federal student aid upon your return to Brown. If your Federal Direct and/or PLUS Loans are not in good standing, then Brown will not replace your loss in federal student aid with any increase to your institutional funding above your standard eligibility. This means that your full financial aid would not be met by your financial aid offer.

Although readmission decisions are rendered by the Office of the Dean of the College, the Office of Financial Aid independently determines a student’s aid eligibility. The financial aid application requirements for readmitted students are no different than the standard requirements.

If you were originally admitted to Brown prior to the Class of 2007, view Brown’s financial aid policies and contact the Office Financial Aid for more information about your aid eligibility. 

If you are a traditional student admitted to Brown with or after the Class of 2007 who is being readmitted after a leave, you must reapply for financial aid by the later of 30 days after your readmission notification or by the dates below. Failure to meet the appropriate financial aid deadlines may result in a decrease to your financial aid award, so your full financial need may not be met by the financial aid package.

Financial Aid Deadlines for Returning Students

• Returning for fall semester: May 6
• Returning for spring semester: November 1

Financial Aid Deadline for Resumed Undergraduate Education Students

• The application deadline for University assistance is by March 15 of the prior academic year for which you wish to be considered. Returning RUE students who do not meet this deadline will not be considered for scholarship assistance until the following academic year.