Academic leave
An academic leave is an interruption of studies during which no coursework may be completed or courses taken/attended (exception: study abroad).
An academic leave of absence is possible if there is a special reason. In principle, you can take an academic leave of absence for a maximum of 2 semesters. An academic leave of absence beyond 2 semesters is only possible under certain conditions and requires an individual examination (see § 10 of the Matriculation Regulations).
In order to take a leave of absence, you must submit an application for an academic leave of absence together with the required documents to the Student Office within the re-registration period.
Please note: Retroactive academic leaves and academic leaves for the 1st semester are not possible.
Further information on academic leave
All relevant information on this can be found in the overview Information on the differences between semester off and semester on leave.
- own illness
- pregnancy/maternity leave
- parental leave
- Participation as an elected representative in academic or student self-administration
- Study abroad
- Completion of a dissertation in the semester applied for (only applies to students of human medicine and dentistry!)
Required evidence for academic leave due to own illness:
- 1st and 2nd semester leave of absence: certificate from your family physician or a specialist stating that you are "not fit to study" in the semester applied for. Diagnoses do not have to be stated!
- 3rd and 4th semester of leave: Certificate from the specialist physician treating you stating that you are still unable to study and stating whether it is medically possible for you to continue studying.
- From the 5th semester of leave , this is a case-by-case decision! A detailed specialist medical report must be submitted stating the nature of the illness and whether it appears possible to continue studying.
Required evidence for academic leave due to pregnancy/maternity leave:
to be submitted before the birth of the child:
- a simple copy of the maternity pass showing the expected date of delivery or
- Certificate from the gynecologist about the expected date of delivery
to be submitted after the birth of the child
- a simple copy of the child's birth certificate
Proof required for academic leave due to parental leave:
- Single copy of the birth certificate of the child for whom there would be an entitlement to parental leave if an employment relationship existed AND
- current household or extended registration certificate from the responsible municipality.
Required proof of academic leave due to participation as an elected representative of the academic or student self-administration:
- Simple copy of the appointment protocol or similar proof
Proof required for academic leave due to studying abroad:
- Proof (single copy) of the duration of absence from Germany and place/country of study abroad (e.g. confirmation from the foreign university, Learning Agreement for ERASMUS stays)
Required proof of academic leave for the preparation of the dissertation:
- Written confirmation from the doctoral supervisor that the dissertation will be fully completed during the semester of leave requested.
You cannot take examinations during an academic leave of absence.
If you are studying abroad, the credits earned there will be recognized after your stay.
According to § 7 of the licensing regulations, clinical traineeships are only possible during non-teaching periods. The current deviation regulation stipulates that during the ongoing epidemic situation, clinical traineeships can also be completed during periods of predominantly digital teaching. However, this does not apply to our Human medicine study programmes, as almost all modules are taught in person (exception: lectures are held digitally).
Irrespective of the deviation regulation, the Office of Academic Affairs has reached an agreement with the LPA that clinical traineeships can also be completed during the lecture period and recognized by the LPA if there is no division into modules during the relevant teaching interval (i.e. quintile). If there is no module allocation for the 4th and 5th quintile and therefore no class attendance, the Office of Academic Affairs can certify that the student is free to attend classes in the relevant period after the end of the teaching interval. Together with this certificate, the LPA recognizes the clinical traineeships completed.
Your year supervisor is the right contact person for all questions relating to the placement. Please note that binding advice on the further course of study can only be given after the LPA has clarified the possible further recognition of previous study achievements.
During the academic leave, only the contribution for the Studentenwerk Hannover is due. You can find more information on this on the Fees/Academic leave subpage.
If you have taken a leave of absence due to studying abroad and have creditable achievements from this, you may not reach the minimum number of semesters required for admission to the state examinations, as semesters on leave are not counted here. Please seek advice from our ERASMUS coordinators in advance (your year supervisor for questions regarding free semesters, module allocation and subsequent reintegration; PD Dr. Fischer for questions regarding the recognition of foreign proof of achievement).
Please note that you may not be entitled to social benefits such as child benefit, scholarships or Federal financial aid during a semester of leave. Further information on this can be found in the overview Information on the differences between a semester off and a semester on leave. If you receive social benefits, please inform the relevant offices (e.g. Studentenwerk Hannover) of your academic leave immediately.