Parental leave/adoption
As a PhD student, you are covered by the University’s maternity/paternity leave agreement. A brief summary of the rules is given here. Please contact the Human Resource Office for further information.
The mother has a right to 6 weeks of paid leave prior to the expected birth date. No later than 3 months before date of expected birth you have to inform the Personnel Office (att. Vivi Madsen, +45 6550 2976) in writing of:
- Due date (expected birth date)
- When you expect to start the maternity leave
No later than 8 weeks after the birth, the Personnel Office has to be notified about how the rest of the maternity leave will be held (number of weeks with/without pay and any sharing of maternity leave).
As a father, you are generally entitled to 24 weeks' paternity leave after the birth of your child. 11 of these weeks (2 weeks in connection with the birth + 9 weeks) are earmarked for the farther. The remaining 13 weeks you can choose to transfer to the mother if you wish so, fully, or partially. No later than 4 weeks before the expected leave, he must inform the Personnel Office in writing of the dates.
PhD students with other employment need to contact the involved employment authority to inform them about the maternity/paternity leave and to obtain further information about the financial situation during parental leave.
The student should also notify their main supervisor, the department secretary, the research unit and the Graduate School Secretariat about their dates for parental leave and when they expect to resume the degree programme. The PhD student's enrolment and employment period will be extended to take account of the parental leave.
Other leave of absence
Under special circumstances, you can be granted a leave of absence from the PhD programme, usually for a maximum of 12 months. This may be due to particular events or stages in the PhD project, or for personal causes. You can apply by submitting a written application to the Head of the Graduate School, explaining the circumstances and enclosing a statement from your main supervisor. The decision is based on individual assessment of each case. If granted, the period of enrolments will be extended to include the leave of absence. Please also see "Part-time study".
Illness
If you experience long-term illness (more than 4 consecutive weeks), you can be granted an extension of your PhD period. You can apply by submitting a written application (find it here) to the Head of the Graduate School, explaining the circumstances and enclosing a statement from your doctor. The decision is based on individual assessment of each case. If granted, the period of enrolments will be extended accordingly (including the deadlines for the half-yearly reports).