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Leave of Absence

Students who have good cause for not being able to devote at least half of their working hours to their degree course may, upon written application, be exempted from their studies. If you have any questions regarding leave of absence, please contact the Student Admissions Office.

What you need to know about applying for a leave of absence

In order to take a leave of absence, you need to pay attention to the following:

  • Your application for a leave of absence must be accompanied by the following documents:

    • Proof of the reason given for the leave of absence

    If you are ill, you will need a doctor's certificate stating the expected period of illness.

  • The following are all considered legitimate reasons for taking a leave of absence from your studies:

    • caring for a close relative
    • during the maternity protection period and parental leave
    • illness which renders it impossible to study under normal conditions
    • a position with considerable time commitment in one of the governing bodies of the University of Applied Sciences Erfurt, the student council or the administrative board of Student Services
    • study-related stays abroad
  • You must apply for leave of absence for the following semester within the deadline for re-enrolment.

    If the reason for your leave of absence can be proven to have arisen after the deadline for re-enrolment, you can still submit your application for leave of absence up to the day before the start of the examination period of the respective semester at the latest.

    A retroactive leave of absence for a current or completed semester is not possible.

  • A leave of absence is granted for one semester at a time and generally for a total of two semesters during a given degree course. Periods of maternity protection and parental leave shall not be counted towards the period pursuant to sentence 1. During a leave of absence, you will retain your rights and obligations as a student.

    Semesters of leave do not count as semesters of study.

    During a leave of absence, you are not permitted to take any exams or submit final papers (Bachelor's, Master's and diploma theses, including colloquium). It is also not possible to repeat failed exams from from the previous semester during a leave of absence.

    These regulations do not apply to coursework and examinations taken as part of studies abroad.

  • The University of Applied Sciences collects the following data from students in connection with their leave of absence:

    • In which semester the leave of absence is taken
    • Number of semesters of leave taken
    • Dates of leave
    • Reason for leave
Contact

Student Admissions Office