Student Leave of Absence Policy (effective Spring Quarter 2002)
University and school policy encourages students to make steady progress toward completing their program. Thus, leave of absence will be granted only under unusual circumstances and will not be granted to students simply because they are temporarily less directly engaged with faculty.
The amount of time and support students receive from faculty will naturally fluctuate throughout their degree programs. Such fluctuations in student contact with Department faculty and staff or University resources, however, do not warrant a leave of absence during quarters when there is less contact or engagement. A graduate degree is an on-going, comprehensive experience paid for through student fees and state support for the University. Payment for graduate degree programs should not be considered as fees for service on a quarter-by-quarter basis.
Circumstances Warranting a Leave of Absence: A leave of absence may only be granted under the following circumstances:
- A student’s research requires that s/he reside outside of the seven Southern California counties for no less that 12 weeks (this type of leave will generally only be granted to doctoral students who are advanced to candidacy and are working on dissertation research);
- Maternity or paternity leave for the birth or adoption of a baby;
- Family care and medical leave to attend to the serious health condition of the student or a family member;
- Other unanticipated emergencies including, but not limited to, a sudden change in the student’s or family member’s employment status, which leads to a drastic change in financial status. A leave of absence based on such “hardship” cases may be granted only after the student has made a serious effort to secure financial aid and/or loans. (Students are encouraged to seek assistance from the Office of Student Services and their faculty advisors in finding aid or loans.)
Students will not be granted a leave of absence when studying for a doctoral examination. (Students should enroll in IS 597: Directed Studies for Ph.D. Qualifying Examinations, or another appropriate department course.)
If a student anticipates using as much as 12 or more hours of University facilities and/or faculty time (excluding the library) per quarter, the student is not eligible for a leave of absence or an extension of a leave of absence and must register. A student who has accumulated as much as 12 or more hours of use of University facilities and/or faculty time (excluding the library) since last being registered is not eligible for a leave of absence and must register in the next quarter. Any use of faculty time is to be considered, including reading and suggesting revisions to drafts of theses and dissertations.
Procedures for Obtaining a Leave: A student applying for a leave or an extension of a leave must complete a UCLA leave of absence form and a Department of Information Studies leave of absence petition. Both are available from the Student Affairs Officer (102B GSE&IS Bldg.). In order for a leave to be granted, the Department petition must be singed by the student’s advisor and the head of the Doctoral Program Committee if the student is a doctoral student.
Signatures for the UCLA petition include the dissertation committee chair (when applicable). The signature of the Department Chair is also required on the UCLA petition if the leave of absence is retroactive. International students must also obtain a signature form the office of International Student Services. The Graduate Student Support Office must clear all leave applications before submission to the Student Affairs Officer.
Parameters of Student Leaves: If approved, a leave is normally granted for periods of one to three quarters. Leaves may be extended for a total of two years (six quarters). If a student has transferred from another UCLA Department and has taken a leave of absence, that leave follows the student through his or her academic career.
A student who fails to return to the University the quarter after being on an official leave of absence, or who leaves the University without an official leave of absence, must apply for readmission to graduate study. To be eligible for a leave of absence, a student must have been in residence at the University for at least one quarter, must have a current grade point average of at least 3.0 in the UCLA graduate program in which s/he is enrolled, and must apply for the leave of absence before the end of the first week of classes of the quarter in which the leave is intended to commence.
Also, students on leave may not keep a salaried appointment to any apprentice teaching or research title. Students who are on leave risk losing their fellowship funding from the Department, the University or outside granting agencies. Students are responsible for monitoring the status of any fellowship that could be taken away due to a leave of absence.
