Rules for applying for academic leave

What is academic leave

Receiving vocational training is regulated by the Federal Law of October 29, 2012 No. 273-FZ “On Education in the Russian Federation.” The student’s right to take an academic leave is stated in paragraph 12 of part 1 of article 34 of this law.

The concept of academic leave, the procedure for granting it and leaving it are spelled out in Order of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation dated June 13, 2013 No. 455 “On approval of the procedure and grounds for granting academic leave to students.”

During the period of academic leave, the student temporarily stops attending an educational institution. In addition, the student cannot be held accountable, including in the form of disciplinary punishment, during academic leave, that is, even if the student has not passed the intermediate certification, he cannot be expelled from the university or college for failure to pass. Associate Professor of the Financial University Dmitry Karpukhin especially drew attention to this fact.

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In addition, the period of being on academic leave does not count towards the one-year period given to the student to eliminate academic debt by passing intermediate certification no more than 2 (two) times.

Dmitry Karpukhin

, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of International and Public Law, Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation.

Common Mistakes

Let's look at typical mistakes that are made when filling out an application for academic leave:

1. Refusal to receive an academic certificate in the 1st year. The management of educational institutions often refuses first-year students to receive academic leave. According to current legislation, if there are justified reasons, both senior and first-year students can take a study break.
2. Providing study leave for a period of more than 2 years. According to Order No. 455 of the Ministry of Education, a student cannot go on study leave whose duration exceeds 2 calendar years. An application that indicates a period of academic study of more than 2 years is considered invalid.
3. Calculation of payment for the academic period. The actions of the university to charge tuition for a student on study leave are unlawful. In such cases, the student can defend his rights in court, based on the order to receive academic leave.
4. Limitation of the number of academic leaves during the study period. Some educational institutions refuse to provide students with “academic leave” if the students have already taken a similar leave earlier. According to the Order of the Ministry of Education (No. 455), in the presence of objective circumstances, all students without exception (including those who took a study break earlier) can apply for an “academic certificate.” You should also be aware that a student’s academic debts are not grounds for refusing to take a break from their studies.

When and for what reasons can you take academic leave?

As mentioned earlier, the procedure for granting academic leave is regulated by Order of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation dated June 13, 2013 No. 455. In paragraph 2 of the Appendix to this order it is noted that a student can take an academic leave if he is temporarily unable to master the educational program

for any reason, including:

• for health;
• family circumstances;
• when taking maternity or child care leave.

This list is not exhaustive, since paragraph 2 of the Appendix states that academic leave can also be taken for other reasons.

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In practice, students take academic leave only for 2 reasons:

1. for pregnancy and childbirth or child care;
2. for family reasons, if you urgently need to leave the city in which the university or college is located.

These 2 criteria are very common, since according to the first criterion it is enough to present a sick leave certificate for pregnancy and childbirth or a child’s birth certificate, and according to the second criterion there is no need to collect any documents at all

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A student can take an academic leave at any time during their studies

in professional programs of secondary and higher education.

Who is eligible to receive an academic degree?

All students in secondary vocational and higher education institutions have the opportunity to “freeze” the learning process:

• Universities (institutes, academies, universities);
• technical schools, colleges, lyceums;
• military and medical schools;
• vocational schools.

Not only students and cadets, but also graduate students, residents, interns and interns can count on receiving academic leave while studying a university program. Order No. 455 makes no mention of academic leave for doctoral students, however, in most universities this possibility is provided for in the local regulations of the institution.

How many times and for how long can you take academic leave?

There is no limit to the number of academic leaves a student can take. This is stated in paragraph 3 of the Appendix to the Order of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation dated June 13, 2013 No. 455. But the duration of each academic leave should not exceed 2 years.

That is, if, for example, a student took academic leave to care for a child for 2 years

, then left it (even for a month), then she can take academic leave again, for example, for 1 year, that is, until the child goes to kindergarten. If after the first maternity leave a student decides to go on a second maternity leave, she will be able to take another academic leave.

But there is one nuance that Elena Melekhina from NSTU

. And it concerns deferment from military service:

The number of academic leaves is not limited by law, but a deferment from the army, which is important for young men, is given only once.

Elena Melekhina

, Dean of the Faculty of Humanitarian Education, Novosibirsk State Technical University.

Can they refuse to grant academic leave?

The decision to grant academic leave is made by the head of the educational institution or another authorized person. However, Order No. 455 of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia does not stipulate a single reason why a student may be refused

in applying for academic leave. Consequently, the administration of the educational institution does not assess the circumstances specified in the application for academic leave.

That is, it can be argued that the director of a university or secondary school does not have the right to refuse to grant a student academic leave.

A similar opinion is shared by the Department of State Policy in the Sphere of Higher Education in Letter of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia dated July 21, 2017 No. 05-PG-MON-28302.

In practice, other situations can be encountered. If a student frequently takes academic leave for family reasons, the dean of the faculty may suspect that he simply does not want to continue his studies. Therefore, the dean may call the student and talk with him about frequent academic leaves without good reason.

The main valid reasons for taking academic leave:

1. for medical reasons;
2. for child care;
3. deferment from the army.

Family leave

If the reason for academic leave is family circumstances, the decision to grant it is made at the discretion of the head of the educational institution.

You will need to provide documents that confirm the existence of relevant circumstances. For example, a death certificate of a family member or a certificate of illness.

It is possible to take a leave of absence if there is insolvency, which is confirmed by a certificate from the social security service.

Full-time students under 23 years of age have the right to submit certificates from the social security service issued in the names of their parents, as well as a certificate containing information about family composition.

Why studying at a technical school is not included in your work experience, read here.

Documents for registration of academic leave

The main document for registration of academic leave is the student’s application

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Application form for academic leave:

Additional documents include certificates and other documents confirming the occurrence of an event that does not allow the student to continue studying. Dmitry Karpukhin spoke about the package of documents that must be sent to a vocational educational institution

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To receive academic leave, the student must write a personal application addressed to the head of the educational institution, attaching documents confirming the grounds for receiving it, namely:

• conclusion of the medical commission of a medical organization (for granting academic leave for medical reasons)
• a summons from the military commissariat containing the time and place of departure to the place of military service (for granting academic leave in case of conscription);
• documents confirming other grounds for granting academic leave, for example, a child’s birth certificate, a certificate of the need to care for a sick family member, etc.

Dmitry Karpukhin

, Ph.D. in Law, Associate Professor of the Department of International and Public Law of the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation.

It is worth paying attention to the fact that additional documents are not required to apply for academic leave. Elena Melekhina specifically focused her attention on this

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In the Order of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation dated June 13, 2013. N 455 states that documents confirming the need for academic leave are provided if available. As a result, the required document is the student’s personal statement.

Elena Melekhina

, Dean of the Faculty of Humanitarian Education, Novosibirsk State Technical University.

How to apply

Please note! To receive academic leave, a student must perform the following steps in sequence:

• pay off academic debt;
• collect in full the documents that confirm the need for academic leave;
• draw up a corresponding application addressed to the head of the educational institution;
• submit an application and documentation to the dean’s office;
• wait for the manager's decision;
• submit an application for monetary payments if you are entitled to them.

You can find a sample of this document at the dean’s secretariat or from the methodologists. If the document is drawn up correctly and supporting documents are available, this process will take 2-3 weeks.

The law provides for a ten-day period for consideration of the application and making a decision. In this case, an academic certificate containing information about the list of subjects taken is not issued. Such a certificate is issued if a student is expelled.

Watch the video. How to get academic leave:

Academic leave and dorm room

A controversial issue when applying for academic leave is renting a room in a dormitory.

. Someone is worried whether the administration of a professional institution can evict a student who has taken an academic leave or evict him from the dormitory.

There is no exact answer to this question, but when answering, you should pay attention to the explanatory Letter of the Federal Education Agency dated July 27, 2007 No. 1276/12-16 “On the direction for use in the work of the Model Regulations on Student Dormitories.” Paragraph 20 of this Letter states that the procedure for providing a room in a dormitory for a student on academic leave is negotiated individually between the administration of the educational institution and the student trade union organization.

However, it should be noted that for students who have taken academic leave for medical reasons, a certain procedure is provided

. Clause 2.9 of the Rosoobrazovaniye Letter dated July 27, 2007 No. 1276/12-16 stipulates that if a student has taken academic leave for health reasons (inpatient or outpatient treatment) and lives in the same region with the location of the university or secondary school, then he must either vacate the room in hostel, or bring a certificate from a medical institution.