ECE Policy on Leaves of Absence

The following policy governs the circumstances under which a student may request a leave of absence, the conditions of the leave, and the nature of the student's association with the University during the leave.

• Students may sometimes request a leave of absence in order to pursue an industrial internship, professional experience, or other personal matters.
• All requests for leave of absence must be approved by ECE and the School of Graduate Studies.
• A leave of absence will be for a defined period. The start and end of the leave must coincide with the start and end of the term: September through December for the Fall term; January through April for the Winter term; May through August for the Summer term. A leave may not start or end in the middle of a term. The minimum period of leave is one term. The maximum period of leave is three consecutive terms.
• Students in the MASc program must complete all required courses and thesis proposal presentation prior to requesting a leave of absence.
• Students in the PhD program must “achieve candidacy” (i.e., complete all required courses, qualifying examination, and thesis proposal presentation) prior to requesting a leave of absence.
• Students are not registered at the University of Toronto, nor do they have access to University facilities (such as library or gym), during a leave. Students are not eligible to receive scholarship or graduate student assistantship during a leave.
• At the end of the leave, students will return to their studies with no time elapsed toward their degree.