Staff & Faculty Resources
Become a Red Bird Ally
Red Bird Allies are faculty and staff who have attended training to learn about the military-connected student experience and who understand the issues, concerns, unique perspectives, strengths and challenges of military-connected students. They are resources for students and other faculty and staff members in their units.
Red Bird training is held once per academic semester in the fall and spring. Training is two hours, and a free lunch is provided. If interested, contact the Center for Military-Connected Students.
Why Military Students Choose UofL
Why Military Students Choose UofL (PDF)
Marketing information to assist faculty and staff communicate with prospective students.
UofL Military-related Policies and Procedures
Military Installation Access Request Process
If any UofL department or employee wishes to access a military installation for education or solicitation/recruiting purposes, an Installation Access Request must be sent through the UofL Center for Military Connected Students to the intended military installation Education Services Officer (ESO), per DoD Instruction 1322.25 "Voluntary Education Programs" regulations.
Installation Access Request Process:
Send the following Installation Access Request information to miltuition@louisville.edu no later than two weeks prior to the intended event:
- Date(s), times(s), location(s) and purpose of meeting
- Military requestor or sponsor of the meeting
- Name(s), title(s), phone number(s) and email(s) of all UofL attendees
You will receive a confirmation email for when military access request was sent and approved/disapproved.
*NOTE: DoD Instruction 1322.25, "Voluntary Education Programs," allows educational institutions access to installations to provide programs, services, and education guidance to their students or to participate in sanctioned education fairs. It also has a new section covering access for institutions that only want to provide academic counseling or support services to their students. These institutions must have a minimum of 20 military-connected students enrolled and must adhere to certain reporting requirements following the visit.
**NOTE: A DoD installation is any active duty military, reserve or National Guard, owned, leased, or operated base, reservation, post, site, camp, building, or other facility to which DoD personnel are assigned for duty. This includes, but is not limited to, locations at an active duty military installation, National Guard or reserve facility (state readiness center, armory, unity, etc.), or recruiting center (leased space inside a shopping mall or office building).
Military Student Recruitment, Withdrawal, and Readmission Standards Policy
The UofL Military Student Recruitment, Withdrawal, and Readmission Standards policy was established to help ensure compliance with the regulations issued by the Department of Education (34 CFR 668.71 – 668.75, 668.18 and 668.14) and the requirements outlined in the Department of Defense (DoD) Voluntary Education Partnership Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) related to misrepresentation, recruitment, payment of incentive compensation, tuition assistance, and service member withdrawal and readmission. This policy eliminates unfair, deceptive, and abusive marketing aimed at service members, and outlines the process for military withdrawals, and readmissions. Its purpose is to strengthen compliance with both Department of Education and Department of Defense policies and requirements regarding withdrawals and Readmission requirements for Service Members.
UofL Military Leave Policy
The UofL Military Leave Policy protects employees from detrimental employment decisions based upon the employee’s military commitments by establishing military leave in accordance with the federal Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) and applicable Kentucky laws.
Military Duties
Military duties are an acceptable cause for an excused absence. Please see our Class Attendance and Excused Absences page for more details
Short absences (less than 30 days)
Military students (including those in the Reserves or the National Guard) may have required military activities which cause the student to be absent from class for a short period of time (typically 2-3 weeks once a year).
Once a student is aware of a call to duty which result in a temporary absence (less than 30-days) the student shall reach out to their instructors to determine if an accommodation can be made. If an accommodation cannot be reached, the student will reach out to the Center Military Connected Students (CFMCS) at milconstu@louisville.edu. They will provide a copy of their military orders and will identify the course and faculty member they were unable to come to accommodation with. The CFMCS will then reach out to the identified instructor(s) to attempt to come to an accommodation. If that effort is unsuccessful, the CFMCS will elevate the issue to the appropriate department chair and college leadership.
Long Absences (30 days or more)
In the case of a longer activation or deployment, the student should consult with their academic advisor and the Center Military Connected Students (CFMCS) for coordination with instructors to determine the best course of action based on the length of absence and percentage of the term completed.
See the Military Program Integrity Policy in the UofL policy and procedures database; specifically the sections on withdraw requirements, readmission requirements and termination of readmission eligibility.
Military Request to Withdraw with 100% Refund
If a Military Student is notified of a deployment, training event, natural disaster, or combat mission that will impact their ability to complete their courses, the student has several options including a request for a Military Withdraw with 100% Tuition Refund. Students must provide their instructors with their supporting documentation (orders, memorandum, notification, etc.) as soon as possible to discuss their options.
Students should discuss the following official UofL Military Student Recruitment, Withdrawal, and Readmission policy options, at a minimum, with their instructors and academic advisor:
- Stay enrolled and finish courses with accommodations such as excusing due dates, opening up the rest of the course in Blackboard early, or possibly issuing an Incomplete “I” grade which allows students six months to finish remaining coursework. **This is a great option for shorter deployments or training events less than 30 days in length.
- Instructors can give a grade “as is” in this course based on percentage of coursework completed. **This is a great option if you have completed majority of the coursework or have less than 30 days remaining in the course before you leave for deployment or training.
- If there is no acceptable accommodation, students can complete an online Military Withdraw request form. Students will need to attach substantiating documents (deployment orders, a memorandum from your chain of command outlining the dates and situation, etc) to the form as well. **This is great option if no other accommodations meet student needs or if the deployment or training is greater than 30 days in length.
More information about our Military Withdraw request process and the request form can be found on our Military Withdrawal Request page. Please contact our office at 502-852-6444 or miltuition@louisville.edu for assistance or to discuss the situation, options, and process to apply.