Academic Leave
Going on academic leave is regulated by the Universities Act and the Study Regulations of the University of Tartu (sections 168-178).
Academic leave
Study allowance and student loan during academic leave
Studies during academic leave
Payment of tuition during academic leave
ACADEMIC LEAVE
Academic leave means a period for which a student is released from the obligation to undertake study and research work. Academic leave is granted:
- at the request of the student;
- for health reasons;
- upon commencement of service in the Defence Forces;
- in connection with caring for a child.
Students are not transferred to the next year (course) during academic leave. The date of completion of a student's studies is postponed by the period of time spent on academic leave. For the duration of the academic leave the student's nominal period of study is suspended. In order to apply for academic leave, you need to submit a due application and, where necessary, respective annexes to the dean of your faculty or to the director of your college. On the basis of your application, an order of the dean/director of your college will be issued and a notice of granting the academic leave will be sent to your ut.ee e-mail address and to your messages mailbox in the Study Information System. In addition, the start and end dates of the academic leave are visible in the Study Information System in the menu of absences.
ACADEMIC LEAVE AT THE STUDENT'S OWN REQUEST
You can apply for academic leave once per stage of study. Academic leave requested by you must be an uninterrupted period. You cannot apply for academic leave for 6 months, then study for a semester and then apply for academic leave for 6 months again. You cannot go on academic leave in the first semester of the first year of your studies (except in master's or doctoral studies). You need to specify the duration of the academic leave in the application.You can choose the length of the period. You can go on academic leave at your own request for up to one year. If you have taken the academic leave for a shorter period, you can apply for the extension of the leave for up to one year before the expiry of the leave. You can go on academic leave at any time within the nominal period of study. However, it is advisable to choose a semester or an academic year as the period of your academic leave. You cannot go on academic leave during the extension of your study period and academic leave is not formalised retroactively. While on academic leave, you do not have the health insurance arising from your student status.
HEALTH REASONS
You can apply for academic leave for health reasons at any time on the basis of a medical certificate. Your application needs to be accompanied by a medical certificate where the doctor determines the duration of the academic leave. You can go on academic leave for health reasons several times, but the total duration of the leave must not exceed 2 years.
UPON COMMENCEMENT OF SERVICE IN THE DEFENCE FORCES
If you are called upon to perform your conscript service obligation, the Defence Resources Board will send you a notice on calling you up for compulsory military service. On the basis of the notice and an application you can go on academic leave for up to one year.
IN CONNECTION WITH CARING FOR A CHILD
You can apply for an academic leave in connection with caring for a child as of the 7th month of pregnancy until the birth of the child on the basis of a medical certificate and as of the birth of the child until the child reaches the age of three years on the basis of a copy of the child's birth certificate. You have to submit a due application for academic leave.
Both parents (on the basis of a copy of the birth certificate) can go on academic leave in connection with caring for a child (after the birth of the child).
INTERRUPTION OF ACADEMIC LEAVE
In order to interrupt academic leave before the final date of the academic leave, you need to submit an application for the interruption of the academic leave. If you are on academic leave for health reasons, you need to annex a medical certificate to the application.
STUDY ALLOWANCE AND STUDENT LOAN DURING ACADEMIC LEAVE
While on academic leave, students are not eligible to taking a loan, i.e. they cannot apply for a student loan. Also, no study allowance is paid to students who are on academic leave. If you have been granted study allowance and you go on academic leave, the payment of the study allowance shall be terminated as of the month of study following the last day of your studies. For example: main allowance has been granted to a student for the spring semester (from February to June) and the student goes on academic leave as of March 5. The student is paid the study allowance for February and March, but in April the student will not receive the study allowance anymore. If a student who went on academic leave returns from academic leave in the same semester in which the study allowance was granted to the student, the payment of the study allowance will resume as of the month following the date of cessation of the academic leave. For example: main allowance has been granted to a student for the spring semester (from February to June) and the student goes on academic leave from March 5 to April 30. The study allowance will be paid to the student for February and March and payment of the allowance will be continued from May to June. For further information see the Procedure for Study Allowances.
STUDIES DURING ACADEMIC LEAVE
You are allowed to study and take examinations and pass-fail tests, incl. the final examination, or defend your graduation thesis while being on academic leave. If you go on academic leave, your registrations for courses and examinations will be cancelled on the basis of your application for academic leave, i.e. in the application you have to indicate the courses that you do not want to take. If the application does not specify cancellation of the registrations, you will have to take examinations or pass-fail tests in all the registered courses in the respective semester. If a student obtains the fourth negative result in the same course (in the Faculty of Medicine, the third negative result) while being on academic leave, the student will be exmatriculated at the end of the semester.
PAYMENT OF TUITION DURING ACADEMIC LEAVE
Students studying on a state-funded place do not have to pay any tuition for credit points earned during academic leave. Students studying on a student place not funded by the state have to pay for credit points earned during their academic leave at their own choice either on the basis of the price of a credit point or a semester fee. The manner of payment has to be specified in the application for academic leave. The tuition for the nominal period of study and for the time spent on academic leave is calculated separately and the size of the tuition depends on the time of going on academic leave:
- in the event of academic leave that begins before the first due date (October 15 in the fall semester and March 15 in the spring semester) there is no duty to pay the tuition. However, if the student participates in the studies during academic leave, the student will have to pay the tuition for the entire semester (at their own choice, either on the basis of the price of a credit point or as a semester fee);
- in the event of a leave that commences after the first due date (October 15 in the fall semester and March 15 in the spring semester) a half of the tuition of the semester will be paid. If the student participates in the studies during their academic leave, the student will have to pay a half of the semester's tuition;
- in the event of a leave that commences after the second due date (November 15 in the fall semester and April 15 in the spring semester) the entire tuition of the semester will be paid. If the student participates in the studies during their academic leave, the student will not have to pay any additional fee.
Payment of tuition during academic leave is regulated by Article 14 of the Conditions and Procedure for Covering the Cost of Tuition.