Medical leave is granted for a serious illness or injury encountered by a graduate student. Students may request a medical leave of absence at any time.

LEARN ABOUT MEDICAL LEAVE

Regardless of the type of leave, it will be recorded in the academic transcript as “Leave of absence.” For information on academic requirements, insurance, financial terms, or types of leave below, please consult the student handbook.

• Family Leave: This leave is granted for family needs. The Family Leave is distinct from the “parental relief” accommodation.
• Short-Term Medical Accommodation: This accommodation is granted for temporary relief from academic duties due to illness, injury or a temporary acute phase of a chronic condition.
• Professional Development Leave: This leave is granted for an approved educational or professional development opportunity that advances the student’s pedagogic goals.
• Probationary Leave: This leave is granted to students for problems with academic performance.
• Personal Leave: This leave is an elective leave taken for personal reasons.

Requests for leaves of absence should be submitted to the Division of Master's and Professional Programs (through the process below) at least four weeks before the start of the semester in which the leave is to be taken. Students experiencing an urgent personal matter may request a personal leave of absence at any time. Requests received at a later date will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Students must use the relevant UFunds application (under Graduate Student Leaves and Accommodations) to request a leave.  For leaves other than medical leave, the leave request process then follows these steps:

1. Once the student submits the request via UFunds, the Department Chair or the program DGS must review the leave request for approval.
2. If approved, the form is then reviewed by the relevant dean.
3. If a student has existing Federal Title IV Aid funding or prior Federal student loans, the UFunds application must also be reviewed and approved by Brown’s Office of Financial Aid. Students with loans lose their eligibility for student loan repayment deferral while on leave because they are no longer considered enrolled students. Whether or not students on leave will enter or continue repayment is governed by federal regulations on student loan repayment. Students can receive information on this topic from the Office of Financial Aid.
4. If a student is an international student, the UFunds application must also be reviewed and approved by the Office of International Student and Scholar Services (OISSS) regardless of program modality. 

All students in good academic standing are eligible to apply for a leave of absence. Eligibility for leave of absence requests from students who have completed less than one full term or who are not in good academic standing will be reviewed on a case-bycase basis. Leaves are available only in instances when a student’s academic standing permits them to continue in the degree program when they return from leave and when there is otherwise a viable path to completion of the degree. Students on warning status may have their request for leave denied.  

Leaves of absence may range in length from one semester to one full year (two semesters and a summer term). Leaves of absence are not regularly granted for the summer term only. Readmission from a leave for the summer term requires additional approval by the program and will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. To request an extension to a leave of absence for a second year, students must file a request for an extension with the Graduate School or School of Professional Studies prior to the expiration of their leave; this request must be accompanied by a supporting letter from the program DGS. Students who do not file extension requests or whose extension requests are not approved may be automatically withdrawn from their graduate programs at Brown.  

Students on a leave of absence are not active enrolled students. Students on leave retain their admitted student status; however, they are not registered and enrolled and therefore do not have the rights and privileges of registered and enrolled students. Because individuals on leave are not active enrolled students, taking a leave may have significant implications for student loans as well as for visas for international students.