University of Minnesota Twin Cities
What Minnesota says
Exact quotes from Minnesota’s official pages, checked word for word on Oct 22, 2026.
Fill out an Undergraduate Leave of Absence form and send it to your advisor or advising office.
— onestop.umn.edu ↗Apply for a leave of absence at least 1 term before your leave of absence would start.
— onestop.umn.edu ↗The length of the leave must not exceed four terms (fall and spring terms).
— policy.umn.edu ↗Complete this form to be considered for readmission and to regain active status.
— eforms.umn.edu ↗Leaves of Absence should be limited to the following reasons:
— policy.umn.edu ↗Written by AI from the quotes and pages we read. It may be incomplete or wrong; the school’s own pages win.
- Minnesota appears to use an Undergraduate Leave of Absence form sent to your advisor.
- It looks like applying at least one term before leave starts, so during fall 2026.
- Classes may need to be dropped manually; colleges may have local rules.
- Reasons accepted: listed reasons (career included) (List includes career opportunities, so a residency likely qualifies).
- Time away allowed: Max 4 fall/spring terms.
- Classes start Jan 19.
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
Student founder community
Entrepreneurship center
Hard-tech team
- Gopher Motorsports ↗Formula SAE team with one combustion and one electric car.
- UMN Solar Vehicle Project (UMNSVP) ↗Solar car team; won the 2022 American Solar Challenge multi-occupant class.
- University of Minnesota Robotics ↗Hobby and competition robots; listed on CSE student-groups page.
- University of Minnesota Rocket Team ↗Builds reusable high-power rockets with payloads; listed on CSE student-groups page.
Why 73
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.