Academic leave

The application for an academic leave is possible for one or several (max. 6) semester.

The academic leave applies to the student and not individual study programmes. This means it is not possible to get an academic leave for only one programme at a university. The academic leave applies to all study programmes at the university you apply for it. For study programmes held in cooperation with other universities, the academic leave also applies for the partner universities.

A semester in academic leave does not count for the tuition fee free period. If the academic leave can be granted, you have to pay the student union fee (ÖH-Beitrag) each semester on time in order to activate the academic leave. Otherwise, the academic leave will not be active and you will be deregistered from your studies.

An academic leave is possible for the following reasons:

• Performing of military or civilian service
  Confirmation: Confirmation from the military command or civilian service agency
• Illness that demonstrably impedes study progress
  Confirmation: Confirmation of a doctor
• Pregnancy
  Confirmation: confirmation of the calculated date of birth (f.e. mother-child-pass or confirmation issued by a medical specialist)

The academic leave for pregnancy can only be granted until the semester of the calculated date of birth. If you want the academic leave to be longer than that, you have to apply a new after the birth stating child care as reason for the academic leave.

• Caring for a child/children up to their 7th birthday (or any later school entry date)
  Confirmation: Birth certificate of the child + residence registration form of the child + residence registration form of the applicant
• Other caring responsibilities
  Confirmation: residence registration form of the applicant + residence registration form of the person that is being taken care of + confirmation of care dependency
• Participation in a voluntary social year
  Confirmation: Confirmation from the institution the voluntary social year is participated at (f.e. Red Cross)
• Temporary impairment in connection with a disability (min 50 %)
  Disability pass from the Federal Social Office
   
• Gainful employment which demonstrably impedes the progress of studies
  Proof of employment (e.g. confirmation of employer, employment contract, current insurance data extract, confirmation of au pair stay)

!! Application deadline for the summer semester 2025: January 7 to February 28, 2025 !!

!! Apllication deadline for the winter semester 2025/26: July 7 to September 30, 2025 !!

If you want to take an academic leave, you have to submit an application before the beginning of the respective semester in the office of Academic Affairs.

An academic leave from already past semesters is not possible under any circumstances!

We recommend submitting the academic leave at least one week before the deadline.

NO. The academic leave applies to the student and not individual study programmes. This means it is not possible to get an academic leave for only one programme at a university. The academic leave applies to all study programmes at the university you apply for it. For study programmes held in cooperation with other universities, the academic leave also applies for the partner universities.

Study programmes you do not study actively can be registered or de-registered.

If you want to continue a study programme you have de-registered from at a later time, you can only do so according to the (statutory) regulations active at that time (f.e. new Curriculum).

During the academic leave, the following points maintain active:

• The enrollment
• UGO Account
• Library Access
• The requirement to pay the student union fee as stated in UGO

Not allowed during the Academic Leave is:

• Participation at classes
• Participation in exams
• Handing in academic papers and getting them graded
• Getting credits acknowledged

Important!! Since you are not allowed to participate in exams, the academic leave might cause issues with family allowance, grants, insurance, residence permit etc.!

Please contact the responsible institutions about possible effects of the academic leave before you apply for one.

The academic leave is valid for the whole semester (= start of the semester until end of the semester).

Example: The academic leave for the winter semester 2024/25 is valid from 01.10.2024 to 28.02.2025
Example: The academic leave for the summer semester 2025 is valid from 01.03. to 30.09.2025

During this whole time, it is not allowed to participate in classes, exams or hand in and get academic papers graded! Also, getting credits acknowledged is not allowed. Even if it is a course from a previous semester, the examination date / assessment date counts.

The leave of absence automatically ends at the end of the last approved semester. Please pay the fees stated in your UGO account (preferably before the courses start) in order to keep up the enrollment after the academic leave. The registration for classes and exams is only possible after the university received the fees.

An academic leave after the beginning of the semester is only possible if a demonstrably unforeseen and unavoidable  event of one of those listed below has occured: 

• Disease that demonstrably prevents the progress of studies (e.g. accident)
  Proof: Confirmation from a specialist
• Pregnancy
  Proof: Pregnancy passport issued after the beginning of the semester
• Childcare duties of children up to the 7th birthday (or a possible later school entry) or other similar care duties (e.g. unforeseen serious illness of the child/relative)
  Proof of childcare: birth certificate and residence registration of the child + residence registration of the applicant + proof of the unforeseen and unavoidable event
  
  Proof of other care duties: residence registration of the applicant + residence registration of the relative + confirmation of care dependency + statement on oath + proof of the unforeseen and unavoidable event
• Temporary impairment associated with a disability
  Proof: corresponding confirmation

The unforeseen and unavoidable event must have happened after the beginning of the semester.

Academic achievements completed up to the time of the academic leave (especially completed courses and examinations) stay valid.

After the occurrence of any of the previous unforeseen and unavoidable events, please contact us immediately under beurlaubung(at)uni-graz.at or per phone under 0316/380-1163. Thus, we can provide you with all information and forms you need.

An academic leave for a previous semester is not possible under any circumstances!

The application is possible online via your UGO business card under the point “Online Applications Academic Affairs”. Please select “New Application for Academic Leave”, fill out the required fields and click “hand in application”.

After your application has been processed, you will receive information exclusively to the e-mail address stated in your application.

Students who have been granted an academic leave do not have to pay the tuition fees.

Since the membership to the Austrian Student Union (ÖH) has to stay active during an academic leave, the student union fee (ÖH-Fee plus Additional fee) has to be paid in order for the academic leave to be activated. If the amount stated in the UGO account is not paid on time, the academic leave will not be activated and the enrollment will be cancelled!

If you have been granted an academic leave for several semesters, please pay the amount using the payment information stated in your UGO account (under “Tuition Fees”) each semester on time. Only with the on-time payment of the amount stated in UGO your academic leave can be ensured.

If you pay the student union fee at another Austrian University, a Teacher Training College or an Austrian University of Applied Sciences (FH), you have to activate the academic leave yourself by clicking the button “Continue registration for studies” in your UGO account or inform us about the payment by sending an email to beurlaubung(at)uni-graz.at so we can enter the academic leave. Please be aware that the academic leave will be invalid if it is not activated on time.

According to the current statutory regulations, the deadline to pay and activate the academic leave ends with the end of the admission period (summer semester 31.3./winter semester  31.10.)

The record of studies is the confirmation of the academic leave.

As soon as your academic leave has been activated by paying the fees, you can print the record of studies via your UGO business card under “Study Confirmation”.

You do not receive a study confirmation. The UniGrazCard cannot be validated for semesters on academic leave.

After the academic leave has been granted, you see a U in your study status in your “Personal/academic details” in your “student file”.

If you pay the student union fee at another Austrian University, a Teacher Training College or a Austrian University of Applied Sciences (FH) you have to activate the academic leave yourself by clicking the button “Continue registration for studies” in your UGO account or inform us about the payment by sending an email to beurlaubung(at)uni-graz.at so we can enter the academic leave. Please be aware that the academic leave will be invalid if it is not activated on time.

According to the current statutory regulations, the deadline to pay and activate the academic leave ends with the end of the grace period (summer term 31.3./winter term  31.10.)

If you want to go on academic leave please consult with your program manager from Uni4Life and clarify whether or not an academic leave is possible in your case.

Only after that is clarified you can hand in your application for an academic leave in the Academic Affairs Office.

For study programmes offered within a cooperation of several universities (f.e. NAWI Graz; new Teacher Training Programme), the academic leave applies for all study programmes of the participating universities.

The academic leave has to be applied for at the university the enrollment has been made.

According to the Rectorate’s Decree about the responsibility of statutory regulations the university at which the enrollment was done is responsible for the academic leave.

An academic leave does not influence a possible change of the curriculum. The change takes place automatically with the date the curriculum/study plan expires.

If a curriculum expires permanently, the exact date until when the programme can be studies can be seen on your record of studies.