Leaves of Absence
Vacation Time
Note that midterm break in fall and winter terms is a break from undergraduate courses, but it is not vacation time for graduate students. Graduate courses may still be held, and research and other duties in the lab do not stop. A full-time graduate position is a full-time job; graduate students get 2 weeks vacation per year, in addition to statutory holidays and the longer December break. Please read vacations section 2.5.9 in the Graduate Calendar (2018-2019). Talk to your supervisor about the length and scheduling of your vacation.
Students who are off-campus for 2 weeks or more: the off-campus form and risk assessment form needs to be filled out. If a student is going away for less than 2 weeks, they need permission from their supervisor; if a student is going away for more than 2 weeks they need permission from the graduate chair. These forms will not be rejected/students will not be prevented from travel, but SGS wants to know where students are. The Graduate Calendar has details on this policy. Please see the Full-time Off Campus notes below.
Leaves of Absence (and other special petitions)
For detailed information about taking a leave of absence, students should read section 2.5.7 Leaves of Absence or section 2.5.8 Parenting Leave in the Graduate Calendar (links are to the 2018-2019 calendar).
- The graduate calendar is updated each year, so the direct link above might take you to last year's calendar, if we have not managed to update this page in time. To find the current year's graduate calendar, go to the Registrar's Office calendar page and select the current year's calendar from the drop-down box in the upper right corner. Be sure to select the Graduate (not the Undergraduate) Calendar!
The following flowchart may help to understand the timelines and constraints for different types of leaves of absence:
The Petition form to request a leave of absence can be found on the SGS Resources page (this is the same form that is used for other kinds of requests from SGS):
- Direct link to the petition form.
- If the direct link doesn't work: SGS Resources - click on the “Student Forms & Guides” tab and look for the form “PETITIONS FOR SPECIAL CONSIDERATION TO THE COMMITTEE ON GRADUATE ADMISSIONS AND STUDY”
- The form to request a parental leave is here.
Full-time Off Campus
See Full-time off Campus for additional details about expectations for students to be full-time ON campus, and forms required if you need to be full-time OFF campus.