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Leave of Absence

Leave of Absence


Graduate students at The University of Texas at Austin in good academic standing may apply for a leave of absence of no more than two long semesters (consecutive or not) as a master’s student, and again for two long semesters (consecutive or not) as a doctoral student prior to advancement to doctoral candidacy, all subject to approval at the departmental level and the Graduate School level. Leaves of Absence after advancement to doctoral candidacy are approved only for rare and unusual circumstances. More information can be found here: https://gradschool.utexas.edu/academics/policies/leaves-of-absence

The Title IX Office facilitates leaves of absence, on a voluntary basis, for pregnant and parenting students. Visit the Title IX Pregnancy and Parenting Leave of Absence page for more information.

Note that if you are currently enrolled and you are on scholastic probation because your GPA dropped below 3.00 at the end of the prior semester, and as a result you have one semester to bring your GPA back up to 3.00 or higher or face possible dismissal, you are ineligible to apply for a leave of absence in the upcoming semester.

Contact an ECE Graduate Coordinator prior to the possible semester of leave to ask about the appropriate Leave of Absence form and to request more information. If you decide you want to take a leave of absence after determining that you are eligible to take a leave of absence, please do the following:

  • Send an email to your supervising professor, or to your track advisor if you are a student without a supervising professor;

  • Cc the ECE Graduate Coordinators;

  • Ask your supervisor or track advisor to Reply All to approve/acknowledge the leave of absence for the specified semester and year.

Once the supervisor or track advisor has replied, one of the ECE Graduate Coordinators will do the following:

  • Prepare the appropriate Leave of Absence form;

  • Obtain the approval for the Leave of Absence from the Graduate Advisor of ECE overall (a specific ECE faculty member);

  • Obtain the ECE Graduate Advisor’s signature on the Leave of Absence form;

  • Sign your name on the Leave of Absence form using a script font as long as you have provided your approval via email to sign the form;

  • Next, the ECE Graduate Coordinator will submit the signed Leave of Absence form to the Graduate School portal prior to the semester of leave (and by the first class day at the latest) for review and possible approval by the Graduate School Dean. Usually the leave of absence request is routinely approved.

  • You will be notified when the Leave of Absence has been approved.

  • iMPORTANT FINAL STEP: Email the ECE Graduate Coordinator who manages ECE admissions to ask for instructions to apply for readmission for the semester that follows the leave of absence, and apply for readmission as soon as it is time to reapply. If you are on a leave of absence in spring semester, you don’t have to apply for readmission until fall unless you want to return to your graduate studies in the summer.

Please note that a graduate student has no student status while on leave, may not use any University facilities, and is not entitled to receive advice from any member of the faculty. The benefits of a leave of absence include readmission upon reapplication without the need for an admit or deny decision, and a waiver of the reapplication fee. A leave of absence does not alter the time limits for degrees or coursework. There cannot be a long semester gap of non-enrollment between a semester of leave and the semester of return or the benefits of the leave of absence no longer apply.