A leave of absence without pay of up to and including 12 months may be granted to an employee to provide an opportunity to gain additional education and skills to better fulfill the specified responsibilities of an employee's present or future position at the university.

An employee is eligible to apply for such a leave if the employee has been employed at least 5 years at the university.  A Leave for Study requires the approval of the supervisor, department head, and University Human Resource Services.

For an employee with over 5 years of continuous full-time service, benefit plans may be continued during the Leave for Study.

Generally, a Leave for Study must be: (1) related to the employee's present position at the university; or (2) related to an employee's potential development with the university; or (3) part of a program leading to a degree.

If the employee fails to return to work at the university on or before the expiration of the Leave for Study, the employee will be considered to have resigned from the university.  If the employee fails to return to work at the university at the end of the leave and work for a period of time equal to the length of the leave, he or she must repay the portion of the benefit costs (including Fee Remission/Educational Assistance) paid by the university during the Leave for Study.