PGR Medical leave

The regulation relates to the payment of studentship maintenance stipends during periods of illness. It applies to eligible full-time and part-time postgraduate research students listed in section 2 (Student eligibility criteria for receiving paid medical pay) below.

This regulation must be read in conjunction with the University’s Regulations Governing Attendance and Engagement, and regulations on Circumstances affecting students' ability to study and complete assessments and Interruption of Studies. For more information, please consult the Related Regulations, Policies and Procedures section below.

Postgraduate research students at UNM and UNNC must follow the regulations set by their funding body, where relevant. For further information or clarification, students are advised to contact their Principal Supervisor.

Postgraduate research students in receipt of annual maintenance stipend funding from the following sources are eligible to receive stipend payments under this policy:

a)   Students who receive Research Council funded maintenance stipends; 

b)   Students who receive University of Nottingham (UK) funded maintenance stipends.

Students are eligible:

a)   Whether registered on a full-time or part-time basis; 

b)   From the point of initial registration on their programme; 

c)   To receive stipend payments under this policy on multiple occasions subject to the terms below.

Students who are funded from external sources administered by the University of Nottingham (UK), may be eligible for some or all of the above type of payment subject to their Funders’ terms and conditions.

The following groups of students are not eligible for receipt of stipend payments under this policy:

a)   Self-funded students; 

b)   Postgraduate research students who receive an externally funded stipend directly from an external organisation. These students must follow the regulations of their funder. If the funder does not provide additional funds, the University is not liable to provide any payments under this policy. As such students are advised to carefully check the terms and conditions attached to their funding prior to accepting that funding, and to refer back to those terms and conditions as necessary;

c)   Students in receipt of bursaries or awards covering tuition fees only; 

d)   Students who have been in receipt of funding (as specified in 2.1a and 2.1b above), but who are or will be outside of their funded period when their period of leave commences.

UKRI funded students may receive up to 28 weeks of paid medical leave  from the first day of certified illness, occurring within a rolling  12-month period. Other eligible students would normally receive up to 13 weeks of paid medical leave at their normal stipend value, but should always consult the specific terms and conditions of their funding agreement. Paid medical leave is up to a maximum of 52 weeks in total over the duration of the studentship.

a)   Students are not entitled to paid medical leave during the thesis pending period, or during any resubmission period;

b)   All cases of student medical leave will be considered individually on a case by case basis. Any payment is subject to the approval of the relevant School, Faculty or Doctoral Training programme; 

c)   In the case of short-term, self-limiting illnesses lasting less than four weeks (eg. colds, stomach upsets) stipend payments will continue to be paid.

d)   If the period of illness exceeds four weeks, the student will be required to formally interrupt their studies (see section 5 below). Any stipend payments already made to such students will be accounted for as paid medical leave from the date the student reported their illness commenced, not the date any request for an interruption to study is made. Paid medical leave is unlikely to be granted if absence due to illness is not reported at the time using the procedure in section 4 (Procedure for reporting sickness) below. 

e)   Retrospective requests for paid medical leave will not normally be considered.

In line with existing University policies (referenced above in section 1):

a)   If the period of illness exceeds 4 weeks, the student will be required to formally interrupt their studies. 

b)   If the absence is for a period of more than 2 weeks or any period considered to be significant by the School and notified to students, the School may require the student to suspend their studies and return at a specified time in the future that will enable the student to resume the programme appropriately (see Regulations Governing Attendance and Engagement).

c)   The University normally permits postgraduate research students to interrupt their degree for a maximum period of 12 months in total throughout the duration of the degree. To apply for an interruption, please consult section 5

d)   Any application for an interruption of studies due to sickness is granted at the discretion of the appropriate School or Faculty, who must be satisfied that the period of leave is necessary and reasonable. Where a student is unfit to study, this may be via a certificate, letter or equivalent from a medical professional, or a record that University support services have determined that the student is unfit to study. 

Any period of absence owing to illness, accident or injury must be reported by the student to the supervisor(s).  

For an absence of 7 days or less, students are required to provide self-certification of their illness by completing the relevant form available from Student Service Centres. This must be submitted on the day of return to the University to the appropriate Student Service Centre. 

For absence greater than 7 days, students are required to provide a medical certificate from their General Practitioner. Students must complete the reverse side of the certificate before submission to the appropriate Student Service Centre. 

The student must report their absence as stated in section 3.0 

a)   The student will not normally be permitted to return to their studies before the date specified by the doctor on the medical certificate.

b)   When calculating an absence period, note that weekends and public holidays are counted as days of absence. 

c)   Students must keep their supervisor and appropriate School, Faculty and/or Student Service Centre informed of any changes in their circumstances resulting in an earlier or later return to their studies than originally stated. 

d)   Students who are interrupting and want to return to their studies later than originally stated must apply for an extension to their interruption and provide a new medical certificate. 

e)   The Student Services Welfare Officer and/or the Disability Support Office must be consulted if additional support needs are required for students returning from long-term medical leave. Students may in certain circumstances be referred to Occupational Health before being allowed to return to study.

Regulations governing attendance and engagement - UNUK

Circumstances affecting students' ability to study and complete assessments

Voluntary interruption of study