Howard University
What Howard says
Exact quotes from Howard’s official pages, checked word for word on Oct 22, 2026.
Effective for Fall 2024 and beyond, students who wish to withdraw from all their courses but intend to return to the University should submit a leave of absence request in BisonHub.
— howard.edu ↗A Former Student Returning (FSR) is defined as a student who was pursuing a degree at Howard University, who has not been registered at the University for one semester or more.
— admission.howard.edu ↗Students seeking readmission must submit the Undergraduate Returning Student Application no less than 30 days prior to the start of the semester to which they are seeking readmission.
— admission.howard.edu ↗There is no leave of absence process for undergraduate students.
— cea.howard.edu ↗students who wish to withdraw from all their courses but intend to return to the University should submit a leave of absence request in BisonHub.
— howard.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 looks like a BisonHub leave request, or not registering and returning as a Former Student.
- Return applications appear due about 30 days before the term, with a Dec 10 spring date listed.
- Public pages conflict on whether undergraduate leave exists, so confirm with the Registrar and your dean.
- Reasons accepted: not stated (No reasons listed; one college page says undergraduates have no leave process).
- Time away allowed: Any term off = reapply.
- What to file: application to come back.
- Classes start Jan 11.
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
Hackathon
- BisonHacks ↗Howard's 24-hour hackathon run by the School of Business Center for Digital Business; 2026 edition held Feb 21-22.
Student founder community
- Center for Digital Business ↗School of Business center behind BisonHacks; digital and tech venture programming for students.
Entrepreneurship center
- Howard University and PNC National Center for Entrepreneurship ↗School of Business entrepreneurship center supporting student and Black-owned ventures.
Hard-tech team
- National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) Howard chapter ↗Engineering student chapter listed on the CEA student organizations page.
CS club
- Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) at Howard ↗Computing chapter listed on the College of Engineering and Architecture student organizations page (IG @acmhu).
Why 48
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.