Academic Leave of Absence
Students may, for certain reasons (see below), take a leave of absence from their degree or non-degree studies for one or multiple semesters without losing their admission status at the mdw.
Such leaves of absence are possible in all programmes of study at the mdw.
Application Deadline
An academic leave of absence must be applied for by the beginning of the semester in question at the latest.
Should legal grounds for such a leave (reasons 2-4 and 6) arise unpredictably and unavoidably, however, it is still possible to apply for a leave of absence during the semester.
Application period for the 2024 summer semester:
6 January – 29 February 2024
Application period for the 2024/25 winter semester:
1 July – 30 September 2024
Reasons for an Academic Leave of Absence
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Compulsory military service, military training service, or community service (call-up notice or decision)
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Illness that prevents one from making progress in one’s studies in a way that can be documented (confirmation issued by a medical specialist)
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Pregnancy (confirmation issued by a medical specialist and/or copy of mother-child health passport)
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Childcare obligations or other similar caregiving obligations such as caring for family members (proof of relationship such as birth, marriage, and/or adoption certificates as well as confirmation of the need for care issued by a medical specialist)
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Performance of a volunteer year of social service (confirmation)
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Temporary impairment due to incapacitation (confirmation issued by a medical specialist)
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A significant impediment to one studies lasting at least eight weeks due to professional work or continuing education and/or qualification measures during the semester in question (confirmation such as employment contract or confirmation of enrolment)
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Other serious impairments of one’s ability to pursue studies (statement of a reason with confirmation)
How do I apply for a leave of absence from my studies?
If you’d like to apply for a leave of absence, you need to send us your completed and signed application within the application period for the semester in question in one of the following ways:
- hand-delivered to the Office of the Director of Studies
- scanned and sent to: studiendirektorin@mdw.ac.at.
We strongly recommend that you submit your application early on so that if it is denied, you can still be on time in terms of paying any tuition that you may be required to pay.
Academic leaves of absence can only be requested for one semester at a time. A further leave request can only be submitted during the application period for the following semester, even if the reason for requesting leave remains the same.
Required Documents
You will need…
- …the form: Leave Request
- …documentation of the reason for your leave request (see above)
What do I need to keep in mind?
- Academic leaves of absence must be requested within the defined time period. The reason(s) for requesting leave must be documented.
- Your email address ending in @students.mdw.ac.at will be used to ask any follow-up questions. Please check your mail regularly.
- An academic leave of absence is valid for all programmes of study at our university to which you are currently admitted. For joint programmes of study, academic leaves of absence extend to all programmes at the other institutions in which you are enrolled.
- While you are on leave, your mdwOnline account will remain active.
- Your semester count in your programme(s) of study will be frozen.
- Since your ÖH membership remains active, you are still obligated to pay the ÖH fee before the end of admission period (31 March/31 October). Individuals who fail to do so will have their registration cancelled! Please note that the mdw no longer sends out payment slips. You’ll find the possible payment modalities in mdwOnline under the heading “Tuition Status”.
- If your request is granted, you do not have to pay tuition.
- If your request is not granted, you must pay tuition including your ÖH fee.
- Programmes of study that are set to expire will do so regardless of any leaves of absence.
- The official decision on your academic leave of absence simultaneously serves as confirmation of your being on leave.
- While on leave, it is not possible to continue receiving federal aid for students.
During a semester in which one is on an academic leave of absence it is not possible to:
- attend courses
- submit academic papers for evaluation
- take exams
FAQ
You’re already registered for the current semester and have also already taken exams.
Academic work done up to the point in time at which your leave of absence begins (especially completed courses and exams) will be recognised. But from the beginning of your leave of absence (defined as the date upon which the official leave approval notice is delivered to you) onward, you may not attend courses, take examinations, or turn in / receive evaluations of academic artistic submissions.
I’m enrolled in more than one programme of study at the mdw. Can I request a leave of absence from just one of these programmes?
No, you cannot. A leave of absence applies to all programmes of study in which you are enrolled at the mdw.
Can I withdraw my leave request?
It is possible to withdraw a leave request as long as you have not yet received a decision from the Director of Studies.
I don’t yet have confirmation of the reason for my leave request; can I go ahead and submit one anyway?
Please go ahead and submit a leave request. Any necessary documents that you do not yet have can be submitted later. To this end, we will send a message to your address ending in @students.mdw.ac.at in which we ask you to submit the necessary materials. You can then submit your missing documents within the time period specified in that E-mail.
CONTACT
Eva Seisenbacher, Mag.a iur.
Anton-von-Webern-Platz 1
Building U, Level 1, Room U 0122
Tel. +43 1 71155 DW 2010
Mail: seisenbacher@mdw.ac.at
INFORMATION
APPLICATION FORM