PhD & MFA students may need time away from their employment and studies at various times throughout their academic careers. Based on their relationship with the University, the time away may be accommodated via paid or unpaid time off from work (vacation time, sick/bereavement time, unpaid time off), temporary enrollment changes (leave of absences), or accommodations (childbirth or adoption).
For the semesterly employment start and end dates, please refer to our Stipend FAQs (“When will my service stipend be paid?”). The dates are not flexible. All GRS graduate fellows are expected to be on campus to complete course/lab preparation/wrap-up activities such as updating course/lab materials, refreshing content, or course/lab assessment activities, etc. within the standard semesterly employment start and end dates.
Intersession
Most Boston University offices close during Intersession (December 24, 2026 to January 3, 2026). Fully funded fellowship stipend recipients will receive payment for this two-week period without employment responsibilities. This period does not require the student to submit a vacation time request. Fully funded fellowship stipend recipients are expected to resume work on January 4, 2026. The period between the end of intersession and start of spring classes (January 4, 2027 to January 19, 2027) is a regular work week. Students may request additional Vacation Time (see below).
Parental Accommodation (Childbirth/Adoption)
While sometimes referred to as “Parental Leave,” this accommodation period is not a leave and it is different from an official Leave of Absence (LOA). You will remain registered. If the period overlaps two semesters, you must register for both semesters. For detailed information on the Boston University policy, please see the Parental Accommodations for Full-Time Funded Graduate Students.
The minimum parental leave period is 1 week (7 calendar days) and the maximum is 14 consecutive weeks (98 calendar days, no interruptions) from the requested start date. A student may elect a shorter period of accommodation, at their sole discretion, which should be communicated in writing. The start date must be a Monday and end date must be a Sunday.
There are three accommodation types and you will need to indicate the type(s) you are requesting:
- Academic Accommodation
- Financial Support
- Temporary Relief from Employment Responsibilities
To apply, you need to send an email to your department chair and program director, and copy your department administrator and GRS Financial Aid (grsaid@bu.edu) no later than 30 days before the start of the academic semester in which my accommodation will begin. It is paramount that you copy grsaid@bu.edu; otherwise, your request may not get processed.
You will need to include your full name and BU ID, indicate the start and end dates (Monday through Sunday) of the accommodation consistent with the allowable time frame of up to 14 weeks (98 calendar days), and the nature of accommodations sought (e.g., academic, financial support, and/or relief from employment responsibilities). If you are requesting a Financial Support accommodation, you will receive an email response from the GRS Financial Aid Office detailing your funding for the parental leave period.
Sick Time & Bereavement
The current Sick Leave Policy for PhD Students went into effect on Wednesday, January 25, 2022.
PhD students are entitled to 15 days of sick leave per calendar year (January 1 – December 31). The balance refreshes in full each calendar year. PhD students must inform the appropriate advisors, instructors, and supervisors via email about their need for sick time in a timely way. An online paid sick time tracking solution will debut soon. Until then, the academic home department will keep a record of sick time usage. It is acceptable for the student to place the request retroactively, after returning to work. Five days of paid sick time may be used for bereavement per calendar year. Bereavement is not a separate allotment; it comes from the paid sick time bank. Care for/visiting an ill family member is paid sick time.
Paid Time Off (Salaried Graduate Fellows)
The current Vacation Time Policy for Salaried Graduate Workers (Teaching Fellows, Research Fellows) went into effect on October 1, 2025.
Key Details:
- Eligibility: The policy applies to salaried graduate workers only. Graduate students supported by non-service stipends are not covered under this policy.
- Vacation Time Allotment: Salaried graduate workers are entitled to up to 10 days (40 hours) of paid vacation over a 12-month period, allocated each semester/session as follows:
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- Fall Semester: 3 working days (12 hours)
- Spring Semester: 3 working days (12 hours)
- Summer Session I: 2 working days (8 hours)
- Summer Session II: 2 working days (8 hours)
- How Vacation Works: One working day is equivalent to four hours, and vacation time can be taken in increments of at least one hour. Unused vacation time does not roll over and is forfeited at the end of each semester/session.
- Additional Information: Paid vacation time is provided in addition to Boston University holidays and intersession days. (Note: Spring academic recesses are not included as holidays/intersession days.)
- Requesting Vacation: Prior approval by a supervisor is required for all vacation requests. Vacation time for those supported by external funding is subject to funding agency restrictions. Salaried graduate workers who are supported by teaching fellowships must ensure vacation time does not conflict with teaching obligations unless written approval is given.
- Tracking and Accountability: Supervisors are responsible for tracking vacation time taken. Unauthorized absences by the graduate worker may lead to disciplinary action.
To submit your time off request, log in to BUworks Central, then click on the Employee Self-Service tab, then click on Time Off Request under Time Services.
Paid Time Off (Trainee Fellows)
The current Vacation Time Policy for non-service Training Fellowships went into effect on October 1, 2025.
Key Details:
- Eligibility: The policy applies to graduate students supported by non-service training stipends only. Salaried graduate workers are not covered under this policy.
- Vacation Time Allotment: Non-service fellows are entitled to up to 10 days of paid vacation over a 12-month period, allocated each semester/session as follows:
- Fall Semester: 3 working days (12 hours)
- Spring Semester: 3 working days (12 hours)
- Summer Session I: 2 working days (8 hours)
- Summer Session II: 2 working days (8 hours)
- How Vacation Works: Vacation time has to be taken in increments of at least one day. Unused vacation time does not roll over and is forfeited at the end of each semester/session.
- Additional Information: Paid vacation time is provided in addition to Boston University holidays and intersession days. (Note: Spring academic recesses are not included as holidays/intersession days.)
- Requesting Vacation: Prior approval by a supervisor is required for all vacation requests. Vacation time for those supported by external funding is subject to funding agency restrictions.
- Tracking and Accountability: The home department is responsible for tracking vacation time taken. Unauthorized absences by the graduate non-service fellow may lead to disciplinary action.
To submit your time off request, please contact your home department.
Unpaid Time Off (Salaried Graduate Fellows)
- Professional development employment leave (Internships)
Graduate students with active Research or Teaching Fellowships may, upon approval of their research supervisor and academic advisor, take an unpaid employment leave for reasonable educational or professional development opportunities that advance their educational and professional goals. These may include short-term paid or unpaid internships and research appointments at other institutions. For more information, please refer to our Internships page.
- Employment leave (forfeiting support)
Graduate students with active Research or Teaching Fellowships may request an employment leave for a non-medical personal reason. Leaves from employment expectations may be granted at the discretion of the employee’s supervisor, and are to be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Please contact GRS Financial Aid at grsaid@bu.edu with questions.
Unpaid Time Off (Trainee Fellows)
- Professional development employment leave (Internships)
Graduate students with active Trainee Fellowships may, upon approval of their department and academic advisor, take an unpaid training fellowship leave for reasonable educational or professional development opportunities that advance their educational and professional goals. These may include short-term paid or unpaid internships and research appointments at other institutions. For more information, please refer to our Internships page.
- Employment leave (forfeiting support)
Graduate students with active Trainee Fellowships may request a training fellowship leave for a non-medical personal reason. Leaves from training fellowship expectations may be granted at the discretion of the department and the Graduate School, and are to be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Please contact GRS Financial Aid at grsaid@bu.edu with questions.
Withdrawal
To withdraw from a degree program, students must complete a Leave of Absence/Withdrawal form and submit it to the GRS Records office (grsrec@bu.edu). This form does not require department/program signatures. It does require signature by an ISSO representative for international students. Before the withdrawal is processed, a GRS Records staff member will meet in person or email with the student to discuss the decision to withdraw from the program. Mere absence from class does not qualify as a formal withdrawal from the university, nor does it reduce financial obligations or guarantee that final grades will not be recorded.
Examples of Salaried Graduate Fellowships: Teaching Fellowship, Research Fellowship. These fellowships provide a stipend and scholarship for exceptionally qualified students in return for teaching or research work done for the department. Your obligation in this fellowship will include teaching or research duties assigned by your department that total no more than 20 hours per week. Salaried graduate fellows must be in residence unless their research or fieldwork requires them to be elsewhere. All teaching fellows must be in residence. Refer to: Residency Requirement.
Examples of Non-Service Training Fellowships: GRS Dean’s Fellowship, GRS Dissertation Fellowship, National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), National Institute of Health (NIH) Training Grant (TG) Fellowships, Foreign Language Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship, various prestigious departmental fellowships. Training fellowships provide a stipend and scholarship for exceptional students to focus primarily on their degree coursework with no departmental research or teaching responsibilities. Students awarded training fellowships are required to enroll in a full load of academic courses as determined by the department. While non-service fellowship recipients are not expected to provide service, they are expected to make progress towards their degree, to wholly engage in their scholarly work, dissertation research and writing, to continuously engage with their department, and to devote all the attention necessary to complete their studies in a timely fashion, for at least 20 hours per week, 52 weeks a year. Non-service training fellows must be in residence unless their research or fieldwork requires them to be elsewhere. Refer to: Residency Requirement.