For undergraduates, the return process is initiated through Student Support Services. The student prepares a return application, including a statement about what they have done during the medical leave and why they are now ready to return. In the case of a student applying to return after a mental-health-related leave, either the chief or the associate chief of Student Mental Health & Counseling will assess the student’s medical stability, level of functioning, and readiness to return by interviewing the student and, perhaps, by speaking with clinicians whom the student saw during the leave period. They will provide this assessment to the committee evaluating the return.
Sometimes, Student Support Services will require that a student continue in therapy after returning to MIT. Student Mental Health & Counseling has a support group for students who have recently returned from medical leave.
For graduate students, the return process goes through the Office of Graduate Education (OGE) and must be initiated by June 15 for the fall term or November 15 for the spring term. To begin the process, a student on medical leave should provide OGE with:
A letter from their clinician stating that the student is well enough to return to academic and campus life. The letter should include some basic information about the clinician’s basis for the opinion.
A letter from their department supporting the return. The student should make this request through the department’s graduate administrator.
Note: As each person’s situation is unique, students are urged to contact the OGE for specific guidance regarding the content of the required letters. For more information, consult the medical leave section of the OGE website.