
Saint Louis University
What Saint Louis U says
Exact quotes from Saint Louis U’s official pages, checked word for word on Oct 22, 2026.
For students to be placed on a leave of absence they must submit the Petition for Leave of Absence.
— catalog.slu.edu ↗A leave of absence may only be requested prior to or during the add/drop period of the semester listed above.
— slu.edu ↗A leave of absence offers students the opportunity to leave Saint Louis University temporarily, no longer than one calendar year, and return without reapplying through admission.
— catalog.slu.edu ↗Off-campus undergraduate enrollment is limited to a maximum of nine credits per the University Undergraduate Transfer Credit Policy.
— catalog.slu.edu ↗Advisor/Department submits petition to their College/School/Center for Dean/Director approval.
— slu.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 seems to need a leave petition signed by your advisor and approved by your dean.
- It appears to be allowed only before or during add/drop; the Spring 2027 date isn't posted yet.
- Taking courses elsewhere may need approval, or the leave could be revoked.
- Reasons accepted: dean's approval (Petition asks students to state why; no list of accepted reasons).
- Time away allowed: Up to 1 calendar year.
- 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
- hackSLU (Girls Who Code hackathon) ↗Student-run hackathon at Busch Student Center; ran Mar 2025 and Feb 21, 2026 per SLU's event directory.
Student founder community
- SLU Entrepreneurs Club ↗Student club (Innovate | Build | Impact) co-hosting Billicon Valley startup events with the Chaifetz Center.
- SLULaunch ↗Student-driven incubator with interdisciplinary teams building geospatial and biomedical solutions.
Entrepreneurship center
- Chaifetz Center for Entrepreneurship ↗Business school center running student competitions, mentoring and venture programs.
Hard-tech team
- SLU Rocket Propulsion Laboratory ↗Designs and builds high-performance rockets to compete at Spaceport America each June.
CS club
- SLU Association for Computing Machinery ↗Student ACM chapter; co-organized hackSLU and ran 2025 committee recruiting.
- Girls Who Code (SLU) ↗Tech community with workshops and mentorship; runs the hackSLU hackathon.
Why 77
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. Some source pages show no date or blocked our automated check. Confirm the details with your school. We date pages from server timestamps, page metadata, “last updated” text, PDF dates and the Wayback Machine.