Students may apply to take leave of absence from your candidature for a minimum of 4 weeks and up to a maximum of 12 months during their candidature. A leave of absence is not appropriate if you wish to extend your submission date. The Leave of Absence application is required to be approved by the Graduate Research School and your supervisory team.
This process is also used to apply for up to 20 days of recreation leave and up to 10 days of sick leave each year of candidature. Students taking leave should discuss with their principal supervisor and confirm any dates they will be absent from their studies.
You access the Leave Request process via the ‘Research’ tile in your Student Centre under the Candidature menu. You then can select the type of leave from the options available Recreation Leave, Parental Leave, Sick Leave and Other Leave.
For a step-by-step guide on how to submit a Leave of Absence view the Leave of Absence Guide.
In accordance with Australian Government regulations, International Students studying in Australia under an Australian Student Visa are permitted to take leave of absence on the grounds of Compassionate or Compelling Circumstances. In such cases the student will be required to provide supporting documentation or evidence of their need to take a leave of absence. For medical or psychological reasons, students must attach a USQ Medical Certificate completed by a registered Doctor or Psychologist. For extenuating personal circumstances students must attach a written statement, with supporting evidence (if possible) as to:
- the date the personal circumstances began or changed
- how the circumstances affect the students ability to study
- when it became apparent that you could not continue studying.
Once the leave of absence has been approved, the University will notify the relevant government body that the student's enrolment is deferred or suspended. The completion date for submission of a thesis for examination will normally be extended by the same period of approved leave.
Leave of absence will not normally be considered if you have not successfully completed any courses, or have failed to make satisfactory progress in your program of study.
If approved, the status of the enrolment will be amended to ‘cancelled’. Whilst cancelled, students are not entitled to access any University resources, including computing and supervision.
Re-commencing
It is the responsibility of the student to contact the Graduate Research School at least 10 working days prior to re-commencing their studies to enable their enrolment to be re-instated.
Students who fail to return to their studies following a period of approved leave may have their enrolment cancelled.