Withdrawing, taking leave and coming back to Rivier University
At Rivier University, dropping a graduate nursing course means contacting the Program Director within 14 days for a new Program of Studies, which may move your practicum to a later term. A leave of absence is for students in good standing, and a dismissed student can apply to the Graduate Nursing Admissions Committee. A master's has a six-year limit and the doctorate a seven-year one.
Returning to a practicum?
Tell us your new term and we will rebuild the placement plan.
Dropping a course: the 14-day Program of Studies call
A course withdrawal sets off a short chain of steps, and the practicum is usually where it bites.
- Drop the courseThe catalog routes course withdrawal through Colleague Self-Service, where you click Drop; leaving every course at once also needs the Withdrawal/Leave of Absence Form. Under Rivier Online's 2023 student handbook, only your Success Coach can drop or withdraw you after a course begins, so start with them.
- Contact the Program Director within 14 daysThe Handbook asks you to reach the Program Director within 14 days for an updated Program of Studies.
- Expect the practicum term to moveA new Program of Studies may not keep your original practicum semester. Courses run in sequence, so one dropped prerequisite can push a practicum back a term or more.
- Tell your preceptor and the Clinical Practicum CoordinatorIf a placement was already approved for the old term, both need the new dates, since the contract and your preceptor's calendar were built around the semester you are leaving.
Withdrawal deadlines sit on the academic calendar: for 14-week classes, November 17 in fall 2026 and April 5 in spring 2027.
How many withdrawals Rivier allows
A third withdrawal from the same course is grounds for dismissal from the MSN program. DNP students reach that point sooner: a second withdrawal from the same course is cause for dismissal.
When you leave matters as much as how often. Stop taking part before the withdrawal deadline and the grade is NF; stop after it and the grade is F, and a single F means dismissal under the Handbook. A formal withdrawal filed on time protects you in a way that quietly stepping away does not. The grades and progression page sets out the rest of the dismissal rules.
The older 2023 Rivier Online handbook adds that students who take no classes for two consecutive terms must talk with their Success Coach, which is a sensible check-in for anyone whose Program of Studies now has a gap.
Leave of absence: who qualifies and how to ask
- Check your standingA leave of absence is for graduate nursing students in good standing.
- Write to the Director of Graduate Nursing EducationThe request goes in writing to the Director of Graduate Nursing Education.
- File the LOA formThe leave-of-absence form goes to your academic advisor or Success Coach.
- Set your returnGive notice at least three weeks before the semester you re-enter. Re-entry to nursing courses depends on space.
DNP students can land on leave by another route: a lapse in the required RN license, or the APRN license on the Professional Practice track, places a DNP student on leave of absence. Keep renewal dates on your calendar alongside your project semesters.
A leave also reshapes your practicum plan. Any placement approved for a semester you now skip needs new dates or a new site, so tell the Clinical Practicum Coordinator when the leave is granted rather than when you return.
How long can a leave last? Three answers
Rivier's Handbook gives three different limits. The leave policy says the total leave allowed during your program is one calendar year. The same policy says students away more than three years must reapply. The Readmission Policy says students away one calendar year or more must reapply.
Read together, the cautious plan is to keep your total time away under one calendar year and to confirm your return in writing with the Director of Graduate Nursing Education before you leave. If a longer absence cannot be avoided, ask directly whether you will re-enter under the leave or through a readmission application, because the two routes have different steps.
The Handbook caps total leave at one calendar year yet also mentions a three-year reapplication point. Get your return date confirmed in writing before you go.
Returning: re-entry, re-assessment and your records
Re-entry is space-available, so the earlier you give notice beyond the three-week minimum, the better your chance of the course and term you want. FNP students coming back must pass a re-entry assessment in the Simulation Lab at the Nursing Simulation and Clinical Education Center in Sylvia Trottier Hall before they resume.
Your practicum records need attention too. The background check, drug screen, TB test and flu vaccine renew every year, and everything must be current before any practicum course; see CastleBranch requirements. The return semester also needs its own approved placement by the August 1 or December 1 cutoff.
If you moved to another state while away, the 90-day written notice to the Dean still applies, and your RN license has to match the state of the new practicum; see moving during your program.
Readmission after a dismissal
- Apply in writingA dismissed MSN student sends a written request to the Graduate Nursing Admissions Committee, which meets at the end of each semester.
- Receive the Dean's decisionThe Division Dean issues the decision within two business days.
- Show clinical competencyIf you are returning after a practicum withdrawal, you need a clinical competency sheet with a score of at least 84%. It is valid for 30 days, so time it close to your return. Competency testing for readmission takes place in the Simulation Lab.
- Know the limitA second dismissal from the MSN program ends eligibility for readmission.
DNP students apply to the Doctoral Nursing Admissions Committee instead, which also meets each semester and reviews every case on its own facts.
Six years for the MSN, seven for the DNP
The 2025-26 catalog sets time limits counted from matriculation: six years to finish a master's and seven for a doctorate. Extensions go in writing to the dean of the division for approval, and DNP students who need more than seven years apply with a timeframe for finishing.
Leaves, withdrawals and repeats all draw on that clock. Rivier's own estimates run three to five years for the FNP and 3.5 to 5 for the AG-ACNP, which leaves room for one or two setbacks, not a string of them. The clock runs from matriculation rather than from your first practicum, and a missed practicum term can cost a semester, or a full year where a practicum is offered only once a year. If an extension looks likely, put the request in writing early rather than in your final semester.
Keeping your placement ready for your return
A pause puts your placement at risk, because a preceptor agreed to a specific semester and a site's contract was set up around it. A returning student may need a new preceptor, a fresh request and a new set of dates, all inside the cutoff for the semester of re-entry.
We rebuild that plan for returning Rivier students. We check whether your original preceptor can take the new term, find a replacement who meets your track's rules if not, re-collect your preceptor's documents for a fresh Preceptor Request Form, and work to the deadline for your return semester so the Clinical Practicum Coordinator has everything in time. We also check that your CastleBranch items will be current for the new term before the request goes in. Tell us your new term with the form below.
Questions Rivier students ask
Can I take a leave of absence while on probation?
Rivier's Handbook offers a leave of absence to students in good standing. Probation follows a BC or C grade, so ask the Director of Graduate Nursing Education how your standing is judged before you request leave, and whether a course withdrawal would fit your case better.
Will my preceptor hold my spot during a leave?
That is up to the preceptor and the site. Placements are planned for a specific semester, and a new Program of Studies may move your practicum term. Let your preceptor and the Clinical Practicum Coordinator know the moment your dates change, and have a second option ready.
What happens to my Regina Library access during a leave?
It is canceled. Under the catalog, services such as Regina Library are cut off once you go on leave or withdraw. Save the articles, guidelines and course materials you will need for your return semester before the leave begins, and ask the library how access is restored when you re-enter.
Who do I tell first if I need to step away mid-practicum?
Your preceptor, immediately, and your course faculty as soon as possible: that is the Handbook's rule for any missed clinical day. For a withdrawal or a leave, the Program Director, for a new Program of Studies, and your advisor or Success Coach, for the forms, come next.
Can I switch from the online to the hybrid track when I return?
The Handbook describes a Rivier Online program and a Rivier hybrid track for graduate nursing. A move between them is considered only if space allows and is not automatic, so raise it with the Program Director well before your re-entry notice is due.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-26
We check these pages against Rivier's own Nursing Student Handbook, program sheets, catalog, academic calendar and State Guide. Your program of study, your course faculty, your Program Director and the Clinical Practicum Coordinator have the final word.
Rivier asks you to identify a qualified preceptor. We make that the easy part.
Tell us your Rivier track, where you live and which semester your next practicum starts. We find preceptors who meet your track's rules, check early whether the site can contract with Rivier, and prepare everything the Preceptor Request Form asks for, well ahead of August 1 and December 1.
- Preceptors matched to the track: an MD, DO or FNP in outpatient family practice for
NURS 511, a psychiatrist or PMH-certified NP forNURS 521, a hospitalist or intensivist forNURS 638P - Preceptor license, credentials and CV ready for the Preceptor Request Form, with the site's contact details for the contract
- In your own area, in New Hampshire or any state Rivier's State Guide accepts
Start your placement plan
Track, city and semester is all we need to begin.