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Return

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If you have taken time off from Amherst, we are eager to welcome you back. We want to make sure you have all the information you need to make the transition successfully. The return process has a few steps and deadlines that you should be aware of. Please read this page carefully! It's also important to check your Amherst email account regularly so as not to miss any important correspondence from us. 

Once you complete all the steps and submit all required documentation for your leave type, the Return Committee makes an individualized assessment on your return request and communicates the outcome with you via email. This committee is composed of Student Care staff, a Class Dean, the Director of Accessibility Services, and clinicians from the Center for Counseling and Mental Health and Health Services. We are eager to connect with you throughout the process to ensure you feel clear about what steps you need to take and the timelines involved. Please email studentcare@amherst.edu to schedule a conversation at any point. 

Here's the basic overview: 

Step 1: Submit the Return Webform

  • For spring semester return, please submit the return webform by October 7th. 
  • For fall semester return, please submit the return webform by March 10th.
    • Please note that the webform will be open the first day of classes for the current term. 
  • After you submit your webform, you will be directed to a web page confirming your submission.
  • The next time you will hear from us will be around October 16th and March 17th, depending on the semester. 
    • We will email you to review next steps in your return process
      • Once you have been activated on campus systems, you will be eligible to pre-register for courses. Please consult the Academic Calendar to understand when pre-advising and pre-registration occurs in a given semester. It is your responsibility to be in contact with your Academic Advisor as well as other offices.
      • Being activated on campus systems also means you will be assigned a Housing Selection Process Number (HSP#s), which is randomly assigned by cohort. When those numbers are generated for currently active students, a random sampling of HSP#s are also set aside for students returning to the College. Please reach out to Housing Operations (osaops@amherst.edu) with questions about the Housing Selection Process. 
      • You will also be able to enter your Financial Aid Portal. We encourage you to contact the Financial Aid office if you have any questions about what steps and deadlines you need to be aware of in order to apply for aid.
      • At any point during the return cycle you may decide to opt out and continue in your leave of absence from the school. If you decide to do this, please email studentcare@amherst.edu to let us know. There are no financial consequences to pulling out of a return cycle and there is no statute of limitations on how much time you can spend away from the school while on leave. 
  • If you do not submit the return webform by October 7th or March 10th because you took a leave during the course of the current semester, contact your Class Dean to request to enter the return process.      
    • Be aware that this may mean you will have missed the opportunity to pre-register for classes and/or participate in the housing selection process.
    • You will still be obligated to submit all required return materials by the final deadline.  

Step 2: Submit supporting documentation and follow through with other required steps by the appropriate deadline. 

Refer to the requirements below and any correspondence from your Class Dean to understand the additional steps you must take to complete your return process.  

  • Voluntary Leave
    • Send your personal statement to studentcare@amherst.edu. Be sure to address the specific personal statement prompts for your voluntary leave. 
    • If you happen to have a course deficiency, you may be required to make up that class or classes by sending an official transcript to the Amherst College Registrar prior to returning to school. Please consult the letter of leave from your Class Dean to verify if you need to make up any course deficiencies while on leave. 
  • Academic Dismissal 
    • Ensure that you have satisfied the academic conditions established for your return by the Committee on Academic Standing at the time of your dismissal. If you were required to make up course deficiencies during your leave, before you register for off-campus credits you will need to fill out the Course Approval Form with the Registrar's Office in order to verify that your chosen credits will transfer back to Amherst College. Arrange for an official transcript be sent to Amherst College's Registrar by the appropriate deadline (January 15th for Spring return, August 15th for Fall return). 
    • Send your personal statement to studentcare@amherst.edu. Be sure to address the specific personal statement prompts for your current academic dismissal.
    • By the first week of classes, and ideally before classes begin, we recommend that you schedule a phone call or zoom meeting with your Class Dean to review your academic path and goals. 
  • Medical Leave 
    • If required in the letter of leave from your class dean, arrange for an official transcript to be sent to the Amherst College Registrar, as soon as it becomes available after completion of your coursework, to document that you have satisfied any academic conditions established for your return.
    • Send by email to studentcare@amherst.edu a personal statement. Be sure to address the specific personal statement prompts for medical leave.
    • Submit the "Student Readiness to Return from Medical Leave" form to be completed by your medical or behavioral health care provider, assessing your readiness to return to the rigors of full-time study at Amherst, and identifying any recommended continued treatment. 
    • After the form is submitted and prior to the deadline, your provider must speak on the phone with a college health provider to review their assessment and recommendations. Since you will need to provide releases of information for campus health providers and your off-campus provider to speak, and because it can sometimes take a period of weeks for providers to identify a mutually available time to speak on the phone, we strongly recommend you submit your Readiness to Return documentation several weeks before the deadline in order to ensure these steps are complete in time.  
    • By the first week of classes, and ideally before classes begin, we recommend that you schedule a phone call or zoom meeting with your Class Dean to review your academic path and goals. 
  • Returning from Transfer
    • If you wish to apply for return after transferring to another college or university, you will not be eligible to bring back any credits you earned at your other institution. (If you wish to bring back credits, you will need to apply for transfer admission through the Admissions office). 
    • Send by email to studentcare@amherst.edu a personal statement. Be sure to address the specific personal statement prompts for return from transfer.
    • By the first week of classes, and ideally before classes begin, we recommend that  you schedule a phone call or zoom meeting with your Class Dean to review your academic path and goals. 
  • Failure to submit all required documentation or submitting documentation that does not meet the standard set by the return committee may result in denial of return for the current cycle. You can then apply for return during the next semester's cycle.

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