Students can request an academic leave of absence citing a valid reason (see section 61 subsection 1 of the act on the higher education institutions in the Land of Baden-Württemberg (LHG)). As a rule, an academic leave of absence should not exceed two semesters. Students on leave continue to be enrolled at the University of Mannheim.
Reasons for being granted an academic leave of absence include:
- an internship,
- a semester abroad (integrated semesters abroad do not require taking an academic leave of absence),
- maternity leave, parental leave, or parenting,
- health issues.
Information on taking an 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 and take examinations at the University of Mannheim.
Please note: This rule does not apply to students who are on an 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 (see 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 for the University Library and University IT.
- you cannot work as a student or research 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 that an academic leave of absence may have.
Request for an academic leave of absence
Please submit your request for an 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 an academic leave of absence or not once we have received all required documents. If your request for an academic leave of absence has been granted, you will receive an e-mail and your enrollment certificates will show the status “on leave”. If your request for an 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 an academic leave of absence before the lecture period started.
