Students requesting a Medical Leave of Absence initiate the process with the Associate Dean of Student Support in the Graduate School or the Associate Dean of Student Affairs in the School of Professional Studies (SPS) and must submit a Medical Leave of Absence Request application in UFunds. (No confidential information need be shared except with the relevant deans and health care providers.) The request for a medical leave must be approved in writing by the student’s department and Graduate School or SPS (as applicable). The student’s external transcript will read only “Leave of Absence.” 

Students are eligible for a full year (two semesters and a summer term) of medical leave and in all cases a full year will be approved, regardless of the length of leave requested to ensure that students have adequate time to return to full health. Students may request to return after one semester of medical leave. In exceptional circumstances and where program and funding structures allow, medical leaves may be approved for periods that do not fully align with the semester and summer term periods.

Return from medical leave is contingent upon the submission of documentation from a health-care professional confirming that the student will be able to function effectively in the autonomous student environment at Brown. Requests for readmission may be made by submitting a Medical Leave of Absence Readmission Request application in UFunds. Clearance for readmission from a medical leave must be approved by the relevant dean in the Graduate School or School of Professional Studies and University Health Services or Counseling and Psychological Services. Students who are seeking to return to Brown following a medical leave should follow the Guidelines for Clearance to Return from Medical Leave.

Requests for extension of medical leave beyond the initially approved period may be made by submitting a Medical Leave of Absence Extension Request application in UFunds. All extensions require written approval from the relevant dean in the Graduate School or School of Professional Studies and the student’s graduate program.

Students who take a Medical Leave of Absence who have been previously insured under the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) for the enrollment period immediately prior to taking the leave of absence are eligible to enroll in SHIP for a maximum of one year. It is not possible to extend enrollment in SHIP beyond one year even if the leave is extended further.

For doctoral and MFA students on medical leave, the Graduate School or the Division of Biology and Medicine will continue to pay the SHIP premium, as well as premiums for the Student Dental Insurance Plan, and, if the student has already voluntarily enrolled, for the Student Vision Insurance Plan, for a maximum of one year. It is not possible to extend enrollment beyond one year even if the leave is extended further.

A student approved for a medical leave who intends to seek treatment in the US during the approved period of leave, may be approved to remain in the US (a doctor’s note will be required) . Students seeking to remain in the US while on medical leave are required to request this with OISSS. 

Students considering medical leave are encouraged to review, depending on their circumstances, whether accommodations through Student and Accessibility Services (SAS) might either make it possible to continue as an active registered student instead of taking a leave or be appropriate once a student has returned from leave.

The Graduate School recognizes that a Medical Leave of Absence, particularly the temporary interruption of a stipend, can be a financial challenge. In an effort to help graduate students prioritize their health and wellbeing and alleviate the potential financial difficulties, doctoral and MFA students who are supported by a stipend are eligible to apply for a Medical Leave Grant to be paid at the onset of a medical leave. Students should submit the Medical Leave Grant application in UFunds.

The Graduate School recognizes there are times when an acute medical matter may arise that requires accommodations but not a Medical Leave of Absence. Read further details in the Short-Term Medical Accommodation section of the Graduate School Handbook.