Parental, Personal or Medical Leave

MSc and PhD students may apply to the RSI student administration office for a one session to three-session leave during their program of study for:

1. Serious health or personal problems which temporarily make it impossible to continue in the program; or
2. Parental leave by either parent at the time of pregnancy, birth or adoption, and/or to provide full-time care during the child's first year. Parental leave must be completed within 12 months of the date of birth or custody. Where both parents are graduate students taking leave, the combined total number of sessions may not exceed four. (Learn about the SGS Parental Grant program)
3. Personal leave which is intended to provide graduate students with scheduled days off from program obligations (e.g., classes, research) throughout the academic year. For more info, review the Personal Time Off Policy on the SGS website.

Once on leave, students will neither be registered nor will they be required to pay fees for this period. In general, unless a request is made to opt-in to access services while on leave, students on leave may not make demands upon the resources of the university, attend courses, or expect advice from their supervisor.

As an exception, students on leave for parental or serious health reasons who wish to consult with their supervisor or other faculty are advised to make special arrangements through their department. Students on leave will not be eligible to receive University of Toronto financial assistance. In the case of other graduate student awards, the regulations of the particular granting agency apply. Research stream students on an approved Leave of Absence may qualify for the GLSE Leave of Absence Stipendiary Fund and should consult the GLSE website for further details.

Students may make application for a leave by completing the Leave of Absence Form and submitting it to the RSI graduate administrator at: rsi.admin@utoronto.ca for approval. The form is then sent to the School of Graduate Studies for processing. The termination date of the degree program will be extended by the duration of the leave taken, i.e., one, two, or three sessions as appropriate.

Except for parental leave or in exceptional circumstances, it is not expected that a student will be granted more than one leave under the terms oft his policy. Normally the start and finish of the leave would coincide with the start and end of a session. When students require a leave to begin in mid-session, they are advised to contact Student Services at the School of Graduate Studies to make special arrangements.

Leave requests that do not fall under the terms of this policy will require final approval from the School of Graduate Studies.