Leaves of Absence and Withdrawal from Graduate Programs

Students in degree programs who require a leave of absence or wish to withdraw must do so formally. Personal leaves can be processed directly by the student using the UVic portal system. Parental, compassionate and medical leaves are processed by submitting the following documentation to the Graduate Admissions and Records office:

1. Leave of Absence with Permission Request form <registrar.uvic.ca/grad/forms>
2. Written acknowledgement from the student’s supervisor and the academic unit graduate advisor
3. Pertinent documentation related to the request for leave.

See Withdrawal with Dean’s Permission below for requirements for this type of request.

Leaves of absence

Leaves of absence are available to students for a variety of reasons or circumstances after completion of a minimum of one term. Tuition fees are not assessed during leaves. While students are on a leave, all supervisory processes are suspended. Students can neither undertake any academic or research work nor use any of the University’s facilities during the period of the leave. Students granted parental or compassionate/ medical leave will retain the full value of a University of Victoria Graduate Fellowship or other award whose terms and conditions are established by the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Such awards will be suspended at the onset of the leave and reinstated when the student re-registers. Other awards will be paid according to the conditions established by the donor or granting agency. All leave arrangements must be discussed as early as possible with supervisors so that appropriate adjustments can be made prior to the beginning of the leave. Leaves of absence are normally granted in 4-month blocks, to coincide with the usual registration terms. Short-term leaves of less than one term should be managed with the student’s academic unit. For information on applying for a leave of absence for reasons associated with a disability, contact the coordinator of the Resource Centre for Students with a Disability at 250-472-4947 or -<inforcsd@uvic.ca>.

There are three types of leaves of absence:

1. Personal Leave
2. Parental Leave
3. Compassionate/Medical Leave

Personal Leave

Students may take leaves for personal reasons. Students planning to take personal leave must inform their supervisor in writing in advance of the planned absences, and make appropriate arrangements for care of ongoing research projects if necessary before initiating personal leaves through the UVic portal. The time taken for personal leave will be counted toward the maximum time allotted to degree completion. All program requirements, academic unit expectations and deadlines will remain the same.

• Students in Doctoral degree programs may take a maximum of 6 terms within the maximum 7-year period allowed.
• Students in regular Master’s degree programs may take a maximum of three terms within the maximum 5-year period allowed.
• Students in approved one-year master’s programs may take only one term of personal leave unless a second term of leave has been approved by the Dean of Graduate Studies.
• Students enrolled in Diploma programs may take a maximum of two terms of personal leave.
• Students enrolled in Certificate programs may take one term of personal leave.

Parental Leave

A graduate student who is bearing a child, and/or who has primary responsibility for the care of a child immediately prior to or following birth or an adoption is entitled to request parental leave. Parental leaves may be granted for a minimum of one term (four months) renewable to a maximum period of three terms (12 months). Requests should be made in writing by the student to the Dean of Graduate Studies and include appropriate documentation. Written acknowledgement from the student’s supervisor and the graduate adviser concerning the leave should accompany the leave request. This type of leave period is not included in the time period for completion of the degree, and deadlines will be adjusted accordingly. All other program requirements and academic unit expectations will remain the same.

Compassionate/Medical Leave

Graduate students who have an illness, who have been the victim of an accident, or who have suffered grave events in their lives are entitled to request medical or compassionate leave. Students should forward their requests and appropriate documentation (letter from student explaining the circumstances, a letter from physician or other qualified professional, and written acknowledgement from the student’s supervisor and the graduate adviser) to the Dean of Graduate Studies. This type of leave period is not included in the time period for completion of the degree, and deadlines will be adjusted accordingly. All other program requirements and academic unit expectations will remain the same.

Withdrawals

There are two types of withdrawals:

1. Withdrawal with Dean’s Permission
2. Withdrawal Without Permission

Withdrawal with Dean’s Permission

After completion of a minimum of one term, students who wish to withdraw indefinitely from their program in the Faculty of Graduate Studies, and have their record indicate that they were in good standing when they withdrew, must apply in writing to the Dean. A supporting memo from their supervisor should accompany the application. The notation “Withdrawn with Dean’s Permission” will be placed on their permanent record. Should a student return to the program, the time spent “Withdrawn with Permission” is not counted as part of the normal time allowed for completion of the degree program (see Time Limits).

Readmission is not guaranteed and requires the approval of both the academic unit concerned and the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Readmission does not guarantee that any courses or fee installments from the terminated program will be transferred to the reactivated program. Upon readmission, any courses or fee installments from the abandoned program will only be transferred to the new or reactivated program on the recommendation of the academic unit and approval from the Dean of Graduate Studies.

The first step in re-establishing a program of study is to examine the work that has been done previously in order to determine whether it still provides a foundation for the research in the field at the time of re-admission and to establish what is needed to ensure currency and comprehensiveness of knowledge.

Withdrawal Without Permission

Students who withdraw without permission prior to reaching the maximum time limit for their graduate degree program are considered to have abandoned their program. Students who wish to have their abandoned program reactivated must submit a letter of appeal to the Dean of Graduate Studies. Readmission requires the approval of both the academic unit concerned and the Faculty of Graduate Studies. If approval is given, the completed reregistration form must be presented and a reinstatement fee must be paid to the Graduate Admissions and Records Office.

Upon readmission any courses or fee installments from the abandoned program will only be transferred to the new or reactivated program on the recommendation of the Academic Unit and approval from the Dean of Graduate Studies.

The first step in re-establishing a program of study is to examine the work that has been done previously in order to determine whether it still provides a foundation for the research in the field at the time of re-admission and to establish what is needed to ensure currency and comprehensiveness of knowledge.

In all cases the time spent “Withdrawn Without Permission” will be counted as part of the total allowable time to degree completion.