Withdrawal from the CIA is granted when students anticipate that they will not be returning to the college. Students are required to make a request for withdrawal to the Center for Career and Academic Advising either in person or in writing via e-mail from their CIA-issued e-mail address. Students who withdraw from the CIA after the add/drop period will be assigned a non-punitive grade of "W" or a punitive grade of "WF" depending on the time of the withdrawal within the semester. This applies to all courses for which they are registered. In addition, students will be placed on withdrawal at the time that a requested leave of absence exceeds 180 days, or if they do not continue attending classes and have not received approval for a leave of absence in writing.
After a withdrawal, students are responsible for any curriculum modifications that occurred during their absence, even if they were already beyond that point in the curriculum. Students at the U.S. campuses will be charged tuition and fees based on the college's Withdrawal Refund Policy for the appropriate campus, found in the Tuition and Fees section. If a student has federal loans, once the student withdraws, repayment of loans may begin within six months. CIA Singapore students should contact SIT regarding any applicable charges.
Students who encounter a serious medical problem that prevents them from continuing to attend classes must immediately request a withdrawal from the appropriate department:
- New York campus—Student Affairs Office (Health Services or Counseling and Psychological Services)
- California campus—Student Affairs Office
- Texas campus—Student Affairs Office
- CIA Singapore—Managing Director's Office