Students can apply for academic leave of absence due to a valid reason (section 61 subsection 1 of the Act on Higher Education of the Land of Baden-Württemberg (LHG)). As a rule, an academic leave of absence should not exceed two semesters. Students on leave keep their enrollment status at the University of Mannheim.
Valid reasons for an academic leave of absence include:
- an internship,
- a semester abroad (not possible in case of an integrated semester abroad),
- maternity leave, parental leave, or parenting,
- health issues.
Information on academic leave of absence
During your academic leave of absence
- the number of subject-specific semesters does not increase,
- you are not allowed to attend courses or take examinations at the University of Mannheim.
Please note: This rule does not apply to students who are on academic leave of absence due to maternity leave or parental leave. They are free to attend courses, take examinations, and use all the facilities of the university without restrictions (section 61 subsection 3 of the LHG). - you have neither the right to vote nor the right to stand for election,
- you are not allowed to use any facilities of the university except the library and the University IT,
- you cannot work as a student assistant at the University of Mannheim,
- you are not allowed to register or submit your bachelor’s or master’s thesis.
Consequences of your academic leave of absence
Taking an academic leave of absence may affect your entitlements and grants, such as federal student aid (BAföG), child benefit, the Deutschland Scholarship, or your residence permit. Please contact the respective institution, such as the BAföG office, the Familienkasse, or, if applicable, the foreigner’s office, as early as possible to inquire about the potential consequences.
Application for academic leave of absence
Please submit your request for academic leave of absence online in Portal² > My studies > Requests > Academic leave of absence and take note of the information on how to submit a request published there.
We can only decide on whether to grant you academic leave of absence or not once we have received all documents required. If your request for academic leave of absence is granted, you will receive an e-mail and your enrollment certificates will show the status “on leave”. If your request for academic leave of absence is denied, you will receive an official notification in writing.
Please bear in mind that you have to pay the semester fee, even if you are on academic leave of absence.
If you have to pay tuition fees for international students or for a second degree, you are exempt from the obligation to pay tuition fees for the duration of your academic leave of absence, if you submitted the request for academic leave of absence before the lecture period started.
