Apply for holiday or special leave
You should follow this process if you wish to apply for holiday or special leave.
Postgraduate researchers are entitled to annual and special leave during their studies. This page explains how to request leave, your eligibility, and the rules you need to follow to ensure your research and programme progress are not affected.
Before completing the form, you should:
- Discuss your intended leave with your supervisor(s).
- Read and understand the Postgraduate Researcher (PGR) Change of Circumstance Policy.
- Read and understand the Postgraduate Researcher (PGR) Annual Leave Policy.
Postgraduate researchers are entitled to up to eight weeks’ annual holiday (pro rata for parts of year), inclusive of weekends and public holidays. If you are sponsored, you should consider your obligations to your sponsor and check their policies when planning leave. Annual leave can be taken at any time but must be agreed with your supervisor and submitted to the Doctoral Academy before it is taken.
Leave cannot be carried over to the next year and should not be used for sickness; please refer to the Postgraduate Researcher (PGR) Medical Leave Procedure for guidance.
If your leave exceeds four weeks and is likely to affect your research, you are expected to apply for an interruption of studies.
Special Leave
In addition to your annual holiday, you are entitled to up to five days’ special leave per academic year. This can be requested in cases such as the unforeseen breakdown of care arrangements for a dependent, the serious illness of a domestic partner, child, or another person important in your life, or the death of a close relative, which generally includes a spouse or partner, parent, sibling, in-law, grandparent, or grandchild.
Ideally, periods of holiday leave should not coincide with census points or your annual progression review.
Next steps
Please download and complete the Special Leave or Holiday Request Form below and obtain your supervisor’s signature. Once completed, submit the signed form as an attachment via email to the Doctoral Academy Progression and Welfare team.