Leave of Absence, Resumption of Studies
1. Procedures for taking leave of absence
When a student takes a leave of absence, first receive a Request for Leave of Absence 
from the section in charge, fill in the necessary items, obtain seals from the academic advisor, the head of the department, and the head of the program and return this form to that section. The request cannot be accepted if a student has outstanding financial obligation to the university or if the request form is incomplete. When students intend to take a leave of absence, submit the Request for Leave of Absence form one month prior to the start date of the leave period.
The period students can petition at one request should not exceed one year. In order to extend the period of the leave of absence, students must submit an additional Request for Leave of Absence form approximately one months prior to the end of the current leave period. Please note, however, that one sick leave must end on March 31 at the longest. If you wish to extend the period of the sick leave, please consult with the section in charge. If you are a scholarship recipient, you need to check for separate procedures regarding scholarship payment before submitting the request.
| Documents Required for Leave of Absence | |
|---|---|
| Study Abroad | Request for Leave of Absence , Study Plan ,Letter of Acceptance or Certificate of Enrollment |
| Research Abroad | Request for Leave of Absence , Research Plan (Itinerary included) *In Japanese |
| Financial Difficulty | Request for Leave of Absence , Statement of Reason (300 words or more) |
| Sick Leave | Request for Leave of Absence , Medical Certificate |
| Maternity and Parental Leave | Request for Leave of Absence , Maternity Health Record Book (copy*) |
| Family Care Leave | Request for Leave of Absence , Medical Certificate |
| Activities contributing to society | Request for Leave of Absence , Activity Plan |
| Temporary Home Leave | Request for Leave of Absence , Statement of Reason |
*Submit a photocopy of the front cover of Maternity Health Record Book when you are prenatal, and the birth certificate as well when you are postnatal.
Note: Those who wish to take paternity leave need to submit something that certifies family relationship in addition to the above documents.
Certificate of residence (じゅうみんひょう) with relationship(つづきがら) would be sufficient.
2. Lengths of Study and Leave (See Article 29 of the University of Tokyo Rules on Graduate Schools)
Leave of Absences will be granted for a minimum period of two months, and must not exceed three years for Ph.D. students and two years for Master's students.
Please note that the time spent on-leave is not counted as part of the standard program duration (two years for Master's students and three years for Ph. D. students) and the maximum allowed time to complete the degree (three years for Master's students and five years for Ph. D. students).
3. Returning from Leave of Absence
When the reason for the absence has been dispelled, a student must receive a Request for Resumption of Studies
form, fill in the form and return it to the section in charge.
Those who return to their studies as planned after a leave of absence are also required to submit the above form to that section. Even if students do not submit a Request for Resumption of Study at the expiration of the leave period, such students will be regarded as returning to studies and are subject to the tuition fee payment. Student with sick leave must submit a medical certificate on return as well.
4. Tuition
Students with on-leave status are exempted from the tuition fee payment for the leave period on condition that students complete all necessary procedures approximately two months prior to the start of the leave. If students petition for a leave of absence after the designated date, the last day of February for the first half of the academic year (April to September) and the last day of August for the second half of the academic year (October to March), students are subject to full payment of tuition for that first or second half of the academic year.
Once a Request for Resumption of Studies is approved, the tuition fee from the month of resumption to the end of the semester must be paid by the end of the month of resumption. The tuition fee will not be refunded under any circumstances.
5. Degree Thesis Submission
Students on leave are not eligible to submit the degree thesis.
6. Visa-related Information
According to the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, if you have not been actively studying for three (3) consecutive months when you have a residency status of "Student" (unless you have a legitimate reason for not attending school during this period) you are liable to have your residency status revoked.
This rule applies even for leave of absence, so if it is absolutely necessary for you to take a leave of absence, please carefully discuss with your supervisor or academic staff responsible for international students beforehand.
Please note that with a residency status of "Student" you are not allowed to do any other activity, such as part-time work, during your leave of absence.
