Concessions

Full details of Medical, Family and Additional Leave are included in the UKRI Training Grant Conditions and Guidance – October 2025

https://www.ukri.org/publications/terms-and-conditions-for-training-funding

https://www.ukri.org/publications/terms-and-conditions-for-training-funding/ukri-training-grant-guidance/

Students must obtain approval of a College Concession prior to an AHRC interruption being processed. Students are expected to complete their training in a single continuous period, but consideration is given to requests for suspensions due to personal or family reasons. 

Suspension of the award, with the exception of family leave, medical leave and additional leave, is limited to a maximum of 12 months unless exceptional circumstances prevail.

A student may apply for an Authorised Interruption of Study concession and it may be authorised by the College if there is a good reason for approving the interruption. Students must provide evidence to support their applications. Interruptions of study may not be applied retrospectively. 

Any one period of authorised interruption of study will not exceed one year, unless authorised by the College. The total period of authorised interruption is the same for full-time and part-time students and will not exceed 12 months. To start the process of applying for an interruption you should begin by discussing it with your supervisor.

It is expected during an interruption that you are not able to work on your research or thesis at all. Interruptions cannot be used in place of extensions to grant more time.

Please also note that your stipend payments will be paused during the interruption unless the interruption is approved as funded medical, family or additional leave. 

Eligible students who are unfit to study may receive stipend payments at their current payment rate for a period of absence, of longer than 7 days and up to a maximum of 28 weeks within any 12-month rolling period and where the absence is supported by a medical certificate. 

SGSAH will fund periods of medical leave as follows: 

Multiple periods of sick leave within the 12-month rolling period are permitted up to a combined total of 28 weeks and do not need to run consecutively.

A maximum of 52 weeks of paid medical leave can be provided in total across the duration of the studentship. This will be pro-rata for part-time students, i.e., they would receive 52 weeks at their part-time stipend rate. 

Medical leave funding is not a direct payment made to the student at the point of illness. Instead, the policy allows the normal stipend payment to continue during the absence (up to 28 weeks) and the funding is extended at the end of their funded period to account for all periods of approved sick leave taken, rounded down to the nearest whole month.

A medical certificate must be provided for sick leave to be approved. This should be from a GP or an appropriate professional relative to the medical issue, e.g. a letter from a psychologist would be appropriate for a mental health issue. Medical certification must be signed (electronic signatures are accepted), in English, and cover the entire duration of the period of sick leave (less the first week, where self-certification will be accepted). If an eligible student on a current period of sick leave requires that period of sick leave to be extended, additional medical certification covering the additional period of sickness absence is required.

Where medical leave specifically relates to a disability that is formally disclosed to the University via a Schedule of Adjustment, additional medical certification is not required to be provided. Requests for medical leave that relate to a disclosed disability will be considered in conjunction with any Reasonable Adjustments already in place through the Student Disability Service.

Medical leave cannot be provided where a student is not ill themselves and needs to be absent to care for a sick dependent. In this situation, you can request an interruption of studies through the usual process. 

Medical leave also cannot be provided where a student has suffered from a bereavement, except where the bereavement has had a detrimental impact on the student’s health, as evidenced by an appropriate medical certificate.

Maternity Leave

Maternity Leave can commence up to 11 weeks before the expected week of childbirth. A Student is eligible for Maternity Leave if (1) the maternity leave is planned to commence (or does commence) before the end of the Student’s funded period and (2) they are the birth parent of the child. 

Depending on how long a student interrupts for maternity leave, the first 26 weeks (6 months) will be paid at full stipend rate, pro-rated as necessary for part time students. The following 13 weeks (3 months) will be paid at a level commensurate with statutory maternity pay (£194.32/week as of 5 April 2026 for full-time students and 90% of weekly stipend for part-time students) and the final 13 weeks are unfunded.

The Studentship may be extended to account for periods taken as Maternity Leave.

Partner’s or Paternity Leave (leave for partners following the birth of a child)

A Stipend may be drawn for two weeks of leave for a Student who is the partner of a mother or birth parent following the birth of their child. A Student is eligible for this leave if the following conditions are met:

1. the leave is planned to commence (or does commence) before the end of the Student’s funded period and the leave commences within 52 weeks of the birth of a child and
2. the Student is either (i) the father or non-birth parent of the child or (ii) partner of the child’s birth parent and
3. the Student must also have or expect to have the main responsibility (apart from any responsibility of the mother/birth parent) for the upbringing of the child.

For these purposes, “partner” means a Student who lives with the birth parent and the child in an enduring family relationship but is not the birth parent’s parent, grandparent, sibling, child, aunt or uncle. A partner may be married to or be a civil partner of the birth parent, but this is not a requirement.

Adoption Leave

A Student is eligible for Adoption Leave if the Student has been newly matched with a child through an adoption agency, or if the Student has used a surrogate during their Studentship. Leave during the Studentship for a main adopter of a child in the UK begins when the child’s placement starts, or an agreed period of time before the child’s placement starts to support preparation. The support available for the main adopter is commensurate to Maternity Leave. The support available for a Student who is the partner (as defined in TGC 8.1.2) of the main adopter of the child or is the co-adopter, is commensurate with Paternity Leave.

The Studentship may be extended to account for the period of Adoption Leave. A Stipend may also be drawn for Students attending adoption appointments after being matched with a child. The Studentship should not be extended for these appointments.

Neonatal Care Leave

A Student is eligible for Neonatal Care Leave if:

1. the birth of the child is within the funded period of the Studentship or a planned period of Maternity Leave and the child is receiving neonatal care in a hospital and
2. they are either (i) the mother/birth parent of the child or (ii) a father/non birth parent or partner of the mother/birth parent as defined in TGC 8.1.2

One week of Neonatal Care Leave should be provided for each week or part-week in which the child is in neonatal care, up to a maximum of 12 weeks. This is additional to Maternity or Paternity Leave, and a Stipend should be drawn at the usual rate. The Studentship may be extended to account for periods taken as Neonatal Leave.

Parental leave (no Stipend)

You may allow a Student to take leave in order to provide care to a child for to whom they are a parent/carer of up to one month each year. No Stipend may be drawn during this period, but the end date of the Studentship should be modified accordingly. Alternatively the Studentship can be suspended.

Death during a period of maternity

A partner is eligible for leave on the same basis as the mother or main adopter if the mother or main adopter dies during or shortly before the period of maternity or adoption leave.

For pregnancy loss or the loss of a child, see Additional Leave.

Additional leave may be provided to cover specific instances where a Student may be required to be absent from study that are not covered by other types of leave. These include:

• special leave (including bereavement and pregnancy loss)
• baby loss (including stillbirth and neonatal death)
• carer’s leave
• additional disability leave associated with delayed adjustments
• health and safety
• public duties
• regulation leave

Special Leave (including bereavement and pregnancy loss). Examples of how special leave may be used include:

• paid leave on compassionate grounds, commonly called compassionate leave
• emergency situations such as serious illness or injury involving a Student’s dependant
• time to deal with any domestic emergency or emergency situation at home, such as flooding
• other events that create significant disruption that cannot be accommodated through flexible working, such as legal appointments

Typically, a Stipend may be drawn for up to five days leave pro rata. At your discretion, You may draw a Stipend up to 10 days’ paid leave pro rata. In the following circumstances you must allow up to 10 days’ paid leave pro rata:
(1) in the event of the death of a parent, close relative or a child
(2) in the event that a pregnancy is lost before 24 weeks whether the Student:
(i) experiences this loss directly
(ii) is the partner, as defined in TGC 8.1.2, of someone who experiences the loss
(iii) loses a baby via surrogacy
Absences beyond these allowances may be taken as Medical Leave where they meet the conditions set down in TGC 8.2. The Studentship may be extended to account for periods taken as Special Leave.

Baby loss (including stillbirth and neonatal death)

A Student is entitled to this leave, in addition to Special Leave, if the Student is (1) the mother/birth parent or (2) the father/non-birth parent/partner of the birth mother (as defined in TGC 8.1.2) and (3) the baby is stillborn or born at any stage of pregnancy in or beyond week 24 of the pregnancy but dies within the first 52 weeks of being born. This is irrespective of whether the child was stillborn, dies within the first 28 days (neonatal death) or dies at any other time in the first 52 weeks.

The Student should be provided the same amount of Family Leave as they would have been provided had the child survived. If the Student is already on Family Leave, this should continue unless the Student expressly requests to return to study early.

Carer’s leave

A Stipend of up to five days per year pro rata may be drawn by a Student who needs to give or arrange care for a dependant with a long-term care need. This is defined as a dependant with a disability under the Equality Act 2010 (or DDA in Northern Ireland), care need related to old age, or an illness or injury likely to need care for more than three months. The Studentship may be extended to account for periods taken as carer’s leave.

Additional disability leave associated with delayed adjustments

A Stipend may be drawn while the Student is unable to study as the result of a delay in putting in place reasonable adjustments. An extension to the Studentship may be provided for disruption over five days. An extension of up to four weeks can be agreed by the Training Grant Holder or RO without consultation with UKRI. Above this amount, the RO must contact UKRI. Students must not study while on this leave type. It should not be used merely to extend the period available to study nor should it replace or enhance the provision available through Medical Leave (TGC 8.2).

Health and safety

Where a health and safety concern means that a Student is temporarily unable to continue with their studies and the RO has made all other reasonable efforts to mitigate the issue, a Stipend may be drawn while the Student is unable to study (see also TGC 3.3). The Studentship may be extended to account for periods taken as leave related to Health and Safety over five days. An extension to the Studentship of up to four weeks can be agreed by the Training Grant Holder or RO without consultation with UKRI. Above this amount, the RO must contact UKRI. You must keep the situation under regular review and satisfy yourself that new mitigations to allow the return of the Student to study are not possible.

Public duties

Leave may be provided for jury service and an extension may be provided.

Regulation leave

Where an RO has explicit written permission from UKRI it may draw funding for other leave types or allowances, provided that these are offered to other similar students in the RO’s University Regulations or equivalent.

Application process

In order to request these funds, students must apply for an Authorised Interruption of Study.

Students with a Tier 4 or Student Route visa must contact the Student Immigration Service as early as possible for guidance as to any impact that taking leave will have on their visa and to ensure that compliance can be maintained.

Medical leave – Students should apply to their School for an Authorised Interruption of study and provide medical evidence as part of this application. Where medical leave claims are less than 1 month, the concession will still be considered by College. If approved, students will be notified and although no interruption will be recorded on EUCLID, local funding notes will document the extension of the award by the weeks approved as funded medical leave.

Family leave – Students should apply to their School for an Authorised Interruption of study and supply the relevant supporting documents e.g MATB1 form / Maternity Certificate / letter from the adoption agency.

Additional leave - Please contact pgawards@ed.ac.uk for advice.

Notification

The College PGR Student Office will notify you, via email, with the outcome of your request.

For any queries, please contact the College PGR Student Office - pgawards@ed.ac.uk