Leave of Absence

It is possible to take a leave of absence upon request, provided there is good reason. Several reasons that justify a leave of absence include:

  • Illness
  • Maternity or parental leave
  • Military or civil service
  • Study-related stay abroad
  • Committee activities
  • Completion of an internship

In exceptional cases, private reasons may also be recognised. Leaves of absence are only granted for one semester. Students are allowed to take a total of two leaves of absence (two semesters) per degree programme (except in cases of illness, maternity leave or parental leave).

You can obtain a petition for a leave of absence from the Student Office or  download it here.

Petitions for leaves of absence are only accepted within the re-registration period. Petitioners who submit their request for a leave of absence after the re-registration deadline without having re-registered will be charged a 20-euro overdue fee!


Semester Ticket
If you do not wish to use the Semester Ticket during your leave of absence, you need not pay the semester contribution. Submitting your petition for a leave of absence during the re-registration period automatically re-registers you for the next semester. However, if you do need the Semester Ticket during your leave of absence, please transfer payment of the semester contribution within the re-registration period.

You may submit a request for reimbursement of the semester contribution to the Studentenwerk Thüringen. The request is processed according to the Studentenwerk’s payment statutes. Reimbursement after the semester begins is only possible in exceptional cases. Request forms must be personally handed in at the INFOtake in the foyer of the Mensa am Park.


Changing degree programmes and universities
If you transfer to a different university or change your course of study, any leaves of absence you have already taken count toward your total university semesters. The number of university semesters determines when you will have to start paying long-term study fees.


Studying abroad
We generally discourage students from taking a leave of absence to travel abroad for academic reasons. Thanks to the higher-education reforms implemented through the Bologna Process and improvements in recognising academic achievement, a semester abroad is generally counted toward one’s degree programme. Regardless of whether the student takes a leave of absence or not, semesters abroad are not taken into account (upon request) for determining when long-term study fees are due.


Academic work  and examinations
During leaves of absence, academic work and theses (bachelor’s, master’s or diploma theses) may not be produced or presented. This does not apply, however, to academic work produced during a semester of study abroad. Students are not required to pay long-term study fees on leaves of absence. Leaves of absence are not counted toward one’s degree programme.


Retroactive leave of absence
If you wish to convert your re-registration status into a leave of absence (or vice versa), you must request a retroactive leave of absence within four weeks of the start of the semester. Leaves of absence cannot be granted for semesters which have already concluded.

Should you desire to convert your re-registration into a leave of absence for urgent reasons, you must include all the documents you received with your notification of re-registration (student ID and certificates of enrolment) along with your petition for a leave of absence to the Student Office.

The terms and conditions for taking leaves of absence are specified in § 14 of the enrolment regulations of the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar.