How to Request Return

Create a login and complete the online Return REquest form corresponding with your leave type on the S3 SlideRoom website ( available starting October 18, 2023  for Spring 2023). The online form describes all supplementary materials that are required to support the request to return. A student on leave should make an appointment with one of our deans to discuss return and also review the Return Checklist. Students requesting return from a Leave of Absence (LOA) should consult the Returning from Leave of Absence (LOA) page and checklist.

In addition to contacting Student Support Services, a student who previously declared a major should contact the Undergraduate Academic Administrator for that major and the former faculty advisor to discuss their situation. If you are thinking of switching majors you should be in touch with both your former and new department. These departments will coordinate who writes a letter on your behalf. First-year students should contact Leslie Bottari in the Office of the First Year.

If you are seeking to return following a second required academic leave, please see the Return Review Process page for more information.

Students who do not graduate within ten years of their original date of entry should contact Student Support Services and consult with a dean about their request to return. If appropriate, Student Support Services will make a referral to the Committee on Curricula (CoC) for a full academic review to determine the student's status with respect to the GIRs.

All students requesting return must submit the following via email:

1. An online Return Request via SlideRoom, which includes:
   1. A personal statement;
   2. Chronological, dated list of activities (e.g., classes, jobs, travel) while away from MIT;
   3. A student-developed, department-approved academic plan for graduation that addresses completion of the GIR subjects and, in the case of students who have declared a major, the requirements for the major;
2. A letter commenting on the student's suitability for return and the proposed academic plan from the academic department or program to which the student would like to return or, in the case of first-year students or undesignated sophomores, a letter from Leslie Bottari in the Office of the First Year. In order for the department to write a letter you will need to provide them with your academic plan, and a current MIT transcript with degree audit obtained from the Registrar's Office (see request to return form for instructions on obtaining a transcript and degree audit). We encourage students to discuss the plan with the faculty advisor and/or academic department to determine if graduation requirements are being addressed.

The items above, with the exception of number 5, are due by June 15 for students requesting return for the Fall term and November 15 for the Spring term. The letter from your academic department or academic advisor is due by July 1 for the Fall term and December 1 for the Spring term.

Supplementary items required may include:

1. letters of reference from employers or faculty of other universities attended,
2. transcripts of coursework completed at other institutions. If the transcript will not be sent by the posted deadline, please ask your instructors/professors to send us an email (returnrequest@mit.edu) indicating your standing in the class around the time of the deadline. Once the official transcript becomes available, please have it emailed as soon as possible. The Committee on Academic Performance also welcomes letters from instructors or professors who can comment more generally on your performance.
3. A Medical Provider Report from physicians or clinicians with whom the student received treatment. Clinicians in MIT Health and MIT Student Mental Health and Counseling review the medical information, and provide a recommendation in writing to the Committee on Academic Performance to be included in the request. This report is critical in assisting the Committee to arrive at its decision. You will also need to submit an Authorization for Release of Protected Health Information.  Both should go directly to MIT Health at MLOA-Returns@med.mit.edu or faxed to (877)-932-6537.

The supplementary items required will vary by the circumstances of your leave. Materials are due two weeks after the initial request deadline (July 1 for the Fall term and December 1 for the Spring term). If you have questions about the items needed for your request, please contact your dean or returnrequest@mit.edu.