Leaves of Absence and Extensions

Leaves of Absence

A leave of absence is one of the methods to prolong the minimum term to complete the academic degree for graduate students. A student may interrupt their studies for a period no longer than a full academic year—this time will not count towards the time required for completing the degree. In order to be eligible, the student must be within the designated time to complete the degree requirements, according to the applicable Certification.

Important Information

  1. Any student that wishes to interrupt their studies because of pressing personal issues, extraordinary academic opportunities, or public service can opt for a leave of absence for a period of no longer than a full academic year. For the purposes of military service leave, the applicable laws and regulations shall be followed.
  2. he granting of this leave will have to be evaluated and authorized by the School or Program’s Graduate Affairs Committee. If authorized, the School or Graduate Program will reserve the student’s spot for the term of the leave—which shall not exceed an academic year.
  3. The time on leave will not count as part of the remaining time for completing the degree.
  4. Once the leave expires, the student is required to notify the School or Graduate Program of their intentions of returning or make an extraordinary request for a second year. On the contrary, the School or Graduate Program may utilize their spot.

Requesting a Leave of Absence

  1. Students that need to request a leave of absence have to write a letter to their Graduate Program stating the reason for their petition and the period for the leave.
  2. The Graduate Affairs Committee will evaluate the petition and, if authorized, will send a copy of the petition and a letter endorsing it to the Dean’s Office of Graduate Studies and Research (DEGI, for its Spanish abbreviation).
  3. DEGI will corroborate the following information:
    • Date of admission to the program – in order to verify that the student is within the time frame to complete the degree, according to the applicable Certification.
    • If a leave has been previously granted – in order to verify the number of semesters (leaves cannot be granted for more than 4 semesters).
  4. A letter accepting or denying the petition is drafted and addressed to the person who signed the letter endorsing the petition and sent to DEGI’s Graduate Student Affairs Coordinator for review and final approval.
  5. The revised response is sent to the Graduate Program—director, coordinator, student affairs official, or administrative assistant, as the case may be.
  6. If the petition is approved, a copy of the letter is sent to the Registrar’s Office for notation in the student’s record.
  7. The student’s information is entered into DEGI’s Coordinator in charge database for leaves of absence.

Extensions

An extension is one of the methods to prolong the minimum time to complete the academic degree for graduate students, according to the applicable Certification. The minimum time is established in the document Política Académica para los Estudios Graduados del Recinto de Río Piedras by the Academic Senate.

Requesting an Extension

  1. Students that need to request an extension have to write a letter to their Graduate Program stating the reason of their petition and the time period for it (one or two semesters) and a work plan endorsed by the thesis/dissertation director.
  2. The School or Program’s Graduate Affairs Committee will evaluate the petition and, if authorized, send the Dean’s Office of Graduate Studies and Research (DEGI) copies of the petition and work plan, a letter endorsing the petition, and the pertinent form for requesting the extension with the corresponding signatures.
  3. DEGI will corroborate the following information:
    • Date of admission to the program – in order to identify the applicable Certification and calculate the time the student has been in the program and the excess time by the end of the extension.
    • If an extension has been granted previously – check the conditions under which it was granted.
  4. A letter accepting or denying the petition is drafted and addressed to the person who signed the letter endorsing the petition and sent to DEGI’s Graduate Student Affairs Coordinator for review and final approval.
  5. The revised response is sent to the Graduate Program—director, coordinator, student affairs official, or administrative assistant, as the case may be.
  6. If the petition is approved, a copy of the letter is sent to the Registrar’s Office for notation in the student’s record.
  7. The student’s information is entered into DEGI’s Coordinator in charge database for extensions.
  8. A physical or electronic record of the student is created.
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