3715 - Graduate Student Parenting Leave

A. Purpose. The purpose of the Graduate Student Parenting Leave Policy is to enable graduate students, including international students, to maintain status in their degree program while taking leave from that program to bond with a new child.

B. Scope. This policy applies to all graduate students at the University of Idaho.

C. Definitions

C-1. Graduate student. A student admitted to the College of Graduate Studies or the College of Law.

C-2. Graduate student appointee. A graduate research, teaching, or support assistant as defined by FSH 1565 H-2.

C-3. Child. A biological, adopted, or foster child; a stepchild; a legal ward; or a child of a person standing in loco parentis, who is either under age 18, or age 18 or older and incapable of self-care because of a mental or physical disability.

C-4. Parenting. The period of bonding that occurs following the birth, adoption, or foster placement of the child in the family.

C-5. Parenting leave. Leave taken by a graduate or professional student pursuant to the terms of this policy for the purposes of parenting.

D. Policy

D-1. Eligibility and duration

a. Graduate students enrolled full time at the University of Idaho are eligible for parenting leave on or after 180 days from their matriculation date.

b. Eligible graduate students are entitled to four weeks of parenting leave within the first twelve months following the birth, adoption, or foster placement of a child.

c. If both parents are graduate students at the University of Idaho, each is afforded a parenting leave period of four weeks. There can be no transfer of time of leave from one parent to another in order to extend one parent’s parenting leave period to longer than four weeks.

d. Students should apply for an official leave of absence from their studies if they anticipate being absent for more than four weeks.

e. Parenting leave is not intended to provide leave for medical problems or complications due to childbirth. Graduate programs may choose to provide additional unpaid time off beyond the parenting leave period based on the student’s documented needs, but such leave is not the subject of this policy.

f. Parenting leave may not be used for both foster care and adoption consecutively if foster placement leads to the adoption of the child.

D-2. Protections

a A student taking parenting leave will:

i. Maintain current status as degree-seeking student,

ii. Maintain applicable tuition waivers,

iii. If a graduate student appointee, maintain their appointment during the period of parenting leave, which shall be without pay, and

iv. Be shielded from discrimination or retaliation in response to parenting leave both before and after the parenting leave period.

b. After the end of the parenting leave period, students are expected to resume the full duties of their graduate student appointments and graduate studies in accordance with the Parenting Leave Academic Plan described in E-2.d.

E. Procedure.

E-1. Prior to applying

a. Students receiving federal financial aid. A student receiving federal financial aid of any kind must meet with the Financial Aid Office prior to submitting the application to discuss the potential consequences of the leave of absence on the student’s financial aid, including the effects that the student's failure to return from a leave of absence may have on the student's loan repayment terms. The student’s application must have the signature of a financial aid staff member indicating that the student met with that office.

b. International students. A student in the US on a visa must comply with US Immigration regulations to maintain legal status including full-time enrollment for the duration of their academic program and must meet with the International Programs Office to discuss potential consequences prior to applying for leave under this policy. The student’s application must have the signature of an International Programs Office staff member indicating that the student met with that office.

c. Students receiving benefits from the Department of Veteran Affairs. A student receiving educational benefits from the Department of Veteran Affairs must meet with the Military and Veteran Services Office to discuss potential consequences prior to applying for leave under this policy. The student’s application must have the signature of a Military and Veteran Services Office staff member indicating that the student met with that office.

d. All students. A student applying for parenting leave must work with their mentors, course instructors, and major advisor, as appropriate, to make appropriate alternative arrangements during the parenting leave period in the form of a written Parenting Leave Academic Plan approved by the student’s course instructors, if applicable, and the major advisor.

E-2. Application

a. A student must apply for parenting leave by submitting the Request for Graduate Student Parenting Leave form as well as an approved Parenting Leave Academic Plan to the College of Graduate Studies or College of Law, as appropriate. The application must be signed and dated by the student and contain the reason for the request for leave.

b. When the need for parenting leave is foreseeable, the student must submit the application prior to the start of the leave. It is recommended that the application be submitted at least ten weeks in advance of the need for leave. When the need for parenting leave is not foreseeable, the student must submit the application as soon as possible.

Version History

July 2022. Adopted.