Graduate Student Policies on Parental, Family, and Medical Leave

Approved by the Graduate Council March, 2010

Petition for Part-time enrollment status

Graduate students must be enrolled full-time to receive stipend awards, but a graduate student who faces extenuating circumstances (serious health condition, issue with careof a family member, etc.) may petition to enroll in part-time status and continue to receive the full stipend award, for one semester only, for a situation that does not require a full leave of absence. The department or program may require the student to continue the service obligations that are linked to the stipend award while in part-time enrollment status. The student must be able to document the need for this request.

Parental Leave

Any student who receives a scholarship from the School of Interdisciplinary and Graduate Studies is eligible for leave from their academic responsibilities for a period of 3 weeks in connection with the birth or adoption of a child. Either parent is eligible for parental leave. The student will be allowed to retain the stipend, tuition and other benefits during the leave period as well as remain in full-time enrollment status. It is the student’s responsibility to work with their instructors, mentor, and the Director of Graduate Studies to make arrangements to accommodate for missed lectures and service duties during the leave period.

Parental Leave Award Program

In order to provide an incentive for units to offer the same parental leave policy to graduate students who are funded by units other than the School of Interdisciplinary and Graduate Studies, the following new award program is available:

Program nameParental Leave Award Program for Departments
GoalProvide a stipend supplement to cover service obligations of a graduate student who is on parental leave.
EligibilityDepartments that have granted parental leave to a funded graduate student.
Application DateApplications will be accepted anytime.
ApplicantDepartment Chair.
Maximum AwardThree weeks stipend support, pro-rated by the department's standard G-12 stipend.
Program CommitmentSIGS will provide one-half of a graduate student stipend for 3 weeks. The Department and/or Unit must also provide one-half of a stipend for 3 weeks.