During a Health Leave of Absence
Accessing university services while on a Health Leave of Absence
While you are on an Health Leave of Absence (HLOA), you will not be a registered student. This will have an impact on your access to university services, but there are some resources, particularly on the Ithaca campus, that students on HLOA can continue to use.
Staying in touch with staff, faculty, and other students can help you maintain your ties to Cornell and prepare to resume your studies. The Health Leaves Coordinator (healthleaves@cornell.edu) and your college student services office or Graduate Field Assistant are key resources to help you stay connected and find answers to your questions. Refer to Academic Advising and Student Support Resources for more information about offices that can provide assistance during and after a leave of absence. Cornell Tech students may wish to stay in touch with Cornell Tech Health & Wellness.
If you need to send medical records to Cornell Health, please use myCornellHealth, a platform that provides secure, confidential communication between providers and patients/clients. Please note that email is not a secure method to relay private health information.
Students on the Ithaca campus are permitted to attend Cornell events that are open to the public. However, students on HLOA are not considered part of the active Cornell community and may not serve as an officer of a student organization. You may be able to participate as a volunteer.
If you are a Cornell Tech student, your student ID will not allow you access to student spaces in academic buildings. You will be able to enter spaces that are open to the public.
Your Cornell email address will remain active for five years after the date when your HLOA begins. All communication from Cornell will come to your cornell.edu email address. If you have an alternate email that you would like to use in addition to your Cornell email, please inform your college student services office or Graduate Field Assistant.
While on leave you can apply for a position at Cornell through Cornell Employment, which lists jobs that are open to both Cornell students and the local community. While on leave, you will not be eligible to apply for jobs posted through Student Employment or continue to work in positions designated as Student Employment. If you are employed at Cornell prior to taking a health leave, it is important that you notify your supervisor of your plans.
While on HLOA, you will not have access to fitness centers and athletic facilities on the Ithaca campus.
Even if you have Cornell Health insurance, you will not be not eligible to use Cornell Health services (including both medical and mental health services) while on leave. Students on leave can still access the Cornell Health pharmacy.
Cornell Health can assist with transferring care from Cornell Health to other providers in the community and beyond.
Depending on the start date of your leave, you may be able maintain, cancel or extend SHP coverage.
You can find additional information on the SHP website (be sure to view the options relevant to the term(s) you will be on leave).
Only registered students can live in Cornell-owned housing. If you are living on campus and you request an HLOA to begin during a current semester, you will need to move out of the residence hall in Ithaca or The House at Cornell Tech.
If you are a student on the Ithaca campus and you plan to remain in Ithaca, you may wish to contact the Off-campus Living Office for information and support with finding housing off campus.
Because students on leave are not registered with the university, your Cornell ID will not provide swipe access to dining facilities, residence halls, and academic buildings. You will be able to access university buildings that do not require a student ID to enter. If you are a Cornell Tech student, your ID card will not authorize you to access student spaces in academic buildings.
You may use the Cornell Library buildings while you’re on leave. If you wish to borrow a library item, you can use one of the following methods:
- Graduate students can submit the Library Privileges Application along with payment of $200/6 months to retain full library access.
- A free library card with borrowing privileges is now available for anyone without an active Cornell NetID, including alumni, local Ithaca residents, and anyone traveling from in and outside of New York State. Called “Borrow on Site!”, this renewable library card enables visitors to check out books and other circulating materials from any of our libraries on the Ithaca campus. Fill out an online application to request your library card, or call Library Public Services at (607) 255-5069.
Undergraduate students are welcome to take classes at institutions other than Cornell while on an HLOA. If you want to transfer academic credit back to Cornell, speak to your college registrar prior to enrolling in courses for assistance with the credit transfer process. Be sure to ask the following questions:
- Will Cornell accept transfer credit from the institution and for the particular course?
- How many transfer credits will you earn for the course?
- What degree requirements, if any, will the course fulfill?