PGR Student Absence Policy
It is recognised that during your time as a PGR, you may need to take time off from study, whether that is through annual leave, sickness or leave for other reasons. This page will outline where you can find further information about PGR absence from study and the FAQs should help answer many of your questions. If you are still unsure, we advise that you contact your PGR Support Team to discuss your individual circumstances in more detail.
The following policies and procedures relate to PGR Student Absence:
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PGR Student Absence Policy (for all PGRs)
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PGR Sickness Absence Stipend Policy (for PGRs with funding)
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Student Pregnancy, Maternity, Paternity and Adoption Policy (for PGR parents)
- PGR Maternity, Paternity, Adoption and Parental Leave funding policy (for funded PGR parents)
Students who need to apply for a short term absence will need to complete the Trent PGR Absence Record. Note that supervisors are not automatically notified of leave that students enter in Trent - students must discuss all periods of leave with supervisors.
PGR Student Absence FAQs
Short term absences : students who are absent from their programme for a less than one month are not considered interrupted, and their registration is not suspended during this absence. All short-term absences must be recorded via the Trent PGR Absence Record . Absences of over 1 week must also be accompanied by supporting documentation (i.e. a letter from a medical practitioner).
Maternity/Paternity/Adoption/Shared Parental leave: is leave given to new parents upon the birth or adoption of their child. For further details, please refer to the Student Pregnancy, Maternity, Paternity and Adoption Policy .
You should arrange an appointment with the Disability Advice and Support Team to discuss an Individual Learning Plan (ILP) which will outline reasonable adjustments that can be made to your programme to support you in managing your disability. Medical documentation will be required for the ILP. Students with recurring or fluctuating conditions can stipulate in their ILP that they will need multiple short-term absences during a period of study.
When your ILP is created, your supervisors will receive a copy, and you will be expected to discuss the adjustments with them and revise your supervisory agreement. During periods of absence, you will need to complete the Trent PGR Absence Record so that there is a record of the total time you have taken off during your period of study.
You will need to apply for an interruption in the usual way, through MyPGR, when the interruption is due to start.If you have disclosed the disability or long-term health condition to the University (through Disability Support and Advice) and have an Individual Learning Plan (ILP) in place which recommends that absences related to the disability/health condition are a reasonable adjustment. You may use the ILP as evidence to support the interruption request, rather than a new doctor’s note each time. Medical interruptions will ask for a doctor’s note, but you can write a statement to say that you have an ILP.
You need to make sure that your ILP is reviewed annually. ILPs which have not been reviewed annually may not be accepted for interruption purposes and you may be asked to provide a doctor’s letter.
If you have not disclosed your disability to the University via the Disability Support and Advice Team, and have not got an ILP, you will be required to provide medical documentation for each sickness absence period. We strongly encourage you to disclose your disability with the University and create an ILP to ensure that you have the support for study that you need.
We are unable to calculate absences for half days, as the Student Records System only works in full days. Depending on the number of hours missed in the day, provided it was 3.5 hours or more, students may wish to keep their own records of any half days and input a day of absence when the total hours absent accumulates to the the equivalent of a full day.
You should apply for the interruption in the usual way through MyPGR. If your medical interruption is for a reason unrelated to your disclosed disability or health condition, you will need to provide a doctor’s letter upon requesting the interruption. See guidance about Interruption & return from interruption for further details.
You will be contacted several weeks before your scheduled return to study to ask whether you are ready to return or if you wish to request an additional interruption. It is important that you reply to this email so we can support your return to study.
If you interrupted for non-medical reasons, you will be invited to meet with your supervisors for a ‘return to study’ meeting shortly after you re-register.
Students will be notified before they return from interruption whether they need to provide a letter from their medical practitioner (considered “enhanced” interruptions). Students considered to be on an ‘enhanced’ medical interruption will be supported in their return to study by the PGR Welfare Support Advisor. All students returning from medical interruption will be required to complete a medical self-assessment form to confirm that they are fit and able to return to study (where required).
If absence is a reasonable adjustment detailed in an ILP, you will not need to provide additional documentation to return to study.
Short-term sickness absence of up to one month in duration will not normally result in additional payments. Short-term sickness absence should be reported in accordance with the Student absence procedure.Studentship stipend payments will continue to be paid as normal during short-term periods of sickness absence.The funding end date will only be extended for short-term absences eligible to be considered for cumulative absence.
Yes, the PGR sickness policy does make provision for phased returns to study following interruptions. Students may have up to 4 weeks of phased return to study, where they return at an FTE lower than the FTE that they will return to study at. If this arrangement is used, then the student’s submission due date would only be extended for the period of sick leave taken during the phased return. This should not be used where there is a clear need for the student to move to part-time on a longer-term basis.
If you need longer than a 4 week phased return to study, you should consider a change to mode of attendance, see Periods of registration and changes to registration status for graduate research students, section 7: Changes to Mode of Attendance
The stipend payments will restart as soon as you resume study and will be paid pro-rata according to the FTE of your phased return. For example, if you return at 0.5 FTE, you will receive a 0.5 FTE stipend payment during the phased return.
Students may receive a maximum of 13 weeks sickness stipend payment per year so the absence part of the phased return will be funded provided the maximum has not been reached. So, if you return on 0.5 FTE and have not used the 13 weeks sickness absence stipend, you will receive 1FTE stipend during the phased return.
You need to notify your supervisor andinternal examiner (or NEIC where appointed) that you are unwell. You should copy pgadmin@exeter.ac.uk into the email. If you do not think you can attend the viva, you must inform your internal examiner or NEIC at the earliest opportunity – your internal examiner will inform the rest of the Board of Examiners. Note that you must not discuss any other aspect of your examination with the NEIC or internal examiner.
You must complete the Trent PGR Absence Record and must provide a sick note from a medical practitioner to verify your illness at the time of the examination. A sick note is required even if you have a disability or health condition that has been disclosed to the University.
When you are feeling better, you must notify pgadmin@exeter.ac.uk that you are well so that the viva may be rescheduled. Note that the viva will be rescheduled for the earliest opportunity, but there may be a delay due to other commitments of the Board of Examiners.
The University has established a mitigation system for considering the possible effects of an illness or absence for good reason on a submission deadline or assessment relating to a taught module. Professional Doctorate students are also expected to inform their placements/employer of any absences or changes to their clinical placements.
You will need to discuss your maternity leave with your supervisors, and should refer to the Student Pregnancy, Maternity, Paternity and AdoptionPolicy for guidance about managing your pregnancy while studying. You should also complete a Pregnancy and Maternity Support Plan with your supervisors.
You should apply for your maternity leave 2-3 weeks before it is due to start by submitting an interruption request in MyPGR. You will need to upload a copy of your MAT-B1 form.
If you are funded and eligible for maternity payments under the PGR Maternity, Paternity, Adoption and Parental Leave funding policy, the PGR Support Team will arrange for your maternity payments when the interruption is processed.
You need to complete the Trent PGR Absence Record and notify yoursupervisors and pgadmin@exeter.ac.uk to confirm how much time off you need. The PGR Admin team will discuss the request with your examiners and will contact you to confirm the submission deadline once it has been approved.
Note that whilst we are sympathetic to unforeseen circumstances that may occur after examination, extensions to the submission of amendments may lead to the delay in your degree being conferred as the examiners may have other commitments which they cannot move. This will be discussed and considered as part of the request.
Cumulative Short-term Absences
where PGRs have had multiple short-term absences, which are supported by a medical certificate or ILP, the cumulative absence time may be added up and the period of study extended by the equivalent duration.
Where a student has had multiple short-term absences (not recorded as interruption), which are supported by medical evidence, and which in total are equivalent to one month or more (the minimum threshold for interruption), the cumulative absence time may be added up and the period of study be extended by the equivalent duration.
Short-term absences will only be considered as cumulative for programme extension purposes if they have been recorded in the Trent PGR Absence Record and are supported by either medical evidence or are recorded in an Individual Learning Plan (ILP).
For example:
A University of Exeter funded student has had the following periods of absence during their period of study in one year:
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Total days
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Absence type
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Reason
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Supporting evidence
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Eligible for cumulative absence? |
Cumulative absence total
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5 days
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Short-term
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Personal
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None
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No – no supporting documents
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0
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|
13 days
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Short-term
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Annual leave
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None
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No – annual leave is not eligible
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0
|
|
17 days
|
Short-term
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Medical
|
Doctor’s letter
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Yes – short term and supported by medical evidence
|
17
|
|
70 days
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interruption
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Medical
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ILP
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No – interruption is not eligible
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17
|
|
22 days
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Short-term
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Medical
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ILP
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Yes – short term and supported by ILP
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39
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Cumulative total
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39 days
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||||
The student is eligible for a total of 39 days of interruption based on the cumulative absences that meet the eligibilty criteria.
You should contact your PGR Support Team as you approach your programme or funding end date, to discuss your short-term absences, which have not previously contributed to interruptions.
To qualify, you need to meet the following criteria:
- All short-term absences recorded in the Trent PGR Absence Record
- All absences must be supported by medical evidence or an ILP which supports absence from study.
- The total of the absences should amount to a minimum of one month or more*. Students whose absences do not add to a total of one month at the time of application will have their cumulative absences rolled over to the next academic year*.
To apply, you will need to send the following information to your PGR Support Team by 30th June 2024:
- The subject of the email should be “First Name, SURNAME, Student Number – Cumulative Absence Request”
- Total duration of sickness recorded in the Trent PGR Absence Record and not already mitigated by interruption
- An email from your supervisor confirming that they are aware of and support your request
- Details of funding
- Current completion deadline
Requests for cumulative absence extensions are managed annually. Each year, the PGR Support Team will send out a reminder to students to submit their applications for cumulative absence extensions by 30th June.
The total of the absences should amount to a minimum of one month or more.
Students whose absences do not add to a total of one month at the time of application will have their cumulative absences rolled over to the next academic year.
If your period of study will end before 30 June in the following year, you may apply for an extension 6 months before the end of your programme.Please contact your PGR Support Team to discuss further if you are unsure how this affects you.
Your funding will be extended by the same duration as the eligible cumulative short-term absences to a total of 13 weeks in a year.
Using the example in the table above, there have been 70 days of medical interruption and 70 days of sick pay. The cumulative extension period will be 39 days, and 21 days will be funded (to the max 13 weeks allowed in a year) and the remaining 18 days will be unfunded.
You are encouraged to discuss the impact on funding with your PGR Support Team or your sponsor if you are unsure. UKRI and University of Exeter sourced funding do support cumulative absence extensions, provided the eligibility and parameters are met.
Certain sponsors may not support cumulative absence, so we encourage you to discuss with the funder if you are unsure.
No, it is your responsibility to monitor absences taken during your programme and to request the extension due to cumulative absences when the total is equal to one month or more.
The PGR Support Team will check the PGR Personal Absence Form to confirm how much cumulative absence you are entitled to and will advise about applying for the extension.
To apply for a cumulative absence extension, you must provide the PGR Support Team with the following information:
- An email with the subject of “First Name, SURNAME, Student Number – Cumulative Absence Request”
- Total duration of sickness recorded in the Trent PGR Absence Record and not already mitigated by interruption
- An email from your supervisor confirming that they are aware of and support your request
- Details of funding
- Current completion deadline
No, only absences from 01 Augst 2022 (the date the policy came into effect) can be counted towards the cumulative absence total.
Support for PGRs relating to absences
Below is a list of support for PGRs who might want to seek advice before requesting time off.
We realise that time off from study can be for a number of reasons, many of which may impact on a student's wellbeing. Therefore we want to remind you of all the wellbeing support available to you should you need it.
Wellbeing - PGR Education Welfare Advisor
If you have any concerns about your mental health or wellbeing, you can speak to the PGR Education Welfare Advisor confidentially and they can give advice and signpost to further support.
Spectrum.Life
Spectrum.Life is a employee assistance programme which is also open to PGRs. They provide confidential telephone, video and live chat counselling service to help with things like stress, anxiety, depression, relationship issues, bereavement and more. It is easy to access through the online portal, is flexible and provides you with choice and clinically approved resources to help you to manage your health and wellbeing at work and at home.
This is a confidential service and information about who has used it, will not be fed back to the University.
A full list of all the wellbeing support available to PGRs can be found on the PGRs Health and Wellbeing webpage.
The International Student Support Office is there to support international students with matters which may affect their visa. Students considering taking a period of interruption or other period of leave should first discuss the potential impact on their visa with the ISSO team.
Further information, including contact information, is available on the International Student Support Website.
The Guild Advice Unit (part of the Students Guild) is here to help any student based in Exeter (Streatham and St Lukes) if you experience difficulties during your course. They can offer information and advice on a variety of issues.
The Student's Union is here to help any student based on any of the Cornwall campuses. They can offer advice about a variety of issues while you are registered on your programme.
Students who have a disability, chronic health condition or specific learning needs are advised to contact the Disability Advice and Support Team who can discuss your inditidual learning needs and work with you to create an Individual Learning Plan to accommodate reasonable adjustments to study.