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If you are taking graduate-level courses, you must be admitted into the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. As a degree-seeking graduate student, you are also enrolled in a specific graduate degree program within a faculty or school, and must maintain continuous registration (each term, three terms per year) in order to maintain your registration status at Laurier.
There are two important concepts you should understand around registration: registration status and course registration.
Registration status defines your pursuit of the graduate program (based upon your application for admission and the program in which you are enrolled), and impacts the tuition, financial support, and degree time limits.
In order to qualify as full-time, graduate students must:
A full-time graduate student at Laurier is defined as someone who works no more than 10 hours per week on campus (on average; 520 hours per year) in employment outside of their studies.
These are candidates who do not meet all of the requirements of a full-time master's or doctoral degree candidate. Normally, part-time students may not register in more than one full-credit course or equivalent per term.
In most cases, you maintain continuous enrolment from the point of admission until the degree is complete (graduation). Circumstances occasionally arise that prevent you from remaining engaged in your academic work (e.g. illness, family emergencies, an unexpected financial necessity that university funding cannot ameliorate, career change, parental leave, etc.). With the exception of parental leaves, students who suspend their studies do not have access to university resources.
Leave of Absence/Inactive Status
Normally, a leave of absence/inactive status will be approved only once for a maximum of two terms. Students who require more than two terms of leave should voluntarily withdraw from their program (see the policy on withdrawal from the university in the academic calendar) until they are ready to return to their studies. You may request a leave of absence/inactive status by submitting a petition to the graduate student appeals committee.
Students who are granted a leave of absence/inactive status will not be required to pay fees during that term; consequently, they will not have access to funding, university facilities or faculty (including program representatives, advisor, staff, Library, etc.) for the duration of the leave.
Terms spent on a leave of absence/inactive status do not count toward degree program time limits or the number of terms that graduate students may be eligible for financial support from the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
A petition for a leave of absence/inactive status should indicate:
Students who are granted a leave of absence/inactive status are expected to return at the end of the approved leave.
Parental Leave
Parental leave may be granted for up to three consecutive terms. Your parental leave will be granted with submission of the Notification of Parental Leave Form and supporting documentation (e.g. written confirmation from attending physician).
During an approved parental leave:
For information about parental leaves, and to determine eligibility for the Parental Leave Grant Program, please click on the Parental Leave Grant Program for Full-Time Graduate Students accordion on the Internal Scholarships and Awards.
If you wish to withdraw from Laurier you must complete the Withdrawal from Graduate Studies Form and must notify the dean or director of the program in which you are enrolled. For more information about withdrawing from your graduate program, visit Enrolment Services.
You may take a withdrawal at any point in a term; however, you are responsible for acting in accordance with the Academic Calendar dates listed in the Graduate Academic Calendar. If the withdrawal occurs after the deadline for dropping courses in a term, any uncompleted courses will be recorded as a failure.
If you intend to return to your program following an absence of more than 12 months (3 terms), you must re-apply for admission. If returning within 12 months of the withdrawal, your return must coincide with the commencement of a term. You must notify fgps@wlu.ca at least 2 months prior to your expected date of return to confirm a time ticket and to ensure that any funding arrangements will re-commence.
You must also contact your graduate coordinator (and supervisor where applicable) to plan your return to studies.
Notwithstanding any fees resulting from a late withdrawal, tuition and incidental fees are not assessed while you are withdrawn. Funding is also suspended during a withdrawal, and the period of withdrawal does not count toward degree time limits. Consequently, you will not have access to university facilities (including program representatives, advisor, staff, library, etc.) for the duration of the leave.
You are expected to familiarize yourself with university policies. Refer to the graduate academic calendar for more information about responsibilities, policies and procedures pertaining to graduate education at Laurier.
Contact Us:
E:
fgps@wlu.ca
T:
519.884.0710 x3127
Office Location: DAWB 1-102
Office Hours:
Please include your ID number in emails and voicemails.