Graduate Student Medical Leave Fund

The University of Guelph provides support to full-time graduate students whose guaranteed stipend is suspended while on an approved Leave of Absence from their thesis-based graduate program. Students must submit an application package to the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies that includes a: 1. completed Medical Leave Award application form 2. completed request for Leave of Absence /Withdrawal form 3. letter from a medical practitioner, or a letter from SAS verifying the existence of medical documentation, confirming that a leave of absence is required. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis, and will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to fund availability. Students who meet the eligibility requirements will be selected based on the availability of funds. Students may hold this fund only once per degree program. Awards will not be given retroactively.

Value: Various awards of up to 1/3 of their annual funding package to a maximum of $4000 Awarded: In the fall and the recipient must be registered to receive, In the winter and the recipient must be registered to receive, In the summer and the recipient must be registered to receive.

From the University of Guelph Graduate students may expect to undertake teaching and research assistantships as an integral part of their academic programs. Award holders are cautioned that each scholarship has specific terms regarding eligibility to hold the funding, and students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with, and abiding strictly by, the terms of any such awards.

Financial assistance may be available to graduate students in several forms and combinations. These may include employment, research awards, scholarships and bursaries. Each of these is described briefly in the Employment and Awards sections that follow. Students have the responsibility to ascertain precisely what remuneration will be received, if any, from the department or school in which they propose to register. The department or school has the responsibility to inform students about the duties they associate with that form of assistance.

When departments and schools make admission recommendations to the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, they also decide what funding (if any) will be provided to each person selected. These funding decisions may include one or more of the employments and award programs described in the Employment and Awards sections that follow.

Scholarships and Other Awards The Senate of the University of Guelph is charged with the responsibility "to deal with all matters arising in connection with the awarding of fellowships, scholarships, bursaries, medals, prizes and other awards" (University of Guelph Act). In carrying out these responsibilities, Senate has established various policies regarding awards and scholarships, and approves the terms and conditions attached to such awards. Each College has a College Awards Committee, which is responsible for the awarding of scholarships and prizes in the programs under its authority. In addition, the Awards Office, Student Financial Services, is responsible for evaluating the financial need component for awards requiring the demonstration of financial need and the selection of bursary recipients.

The University reserves the right to amend these awards subject to the availability of funds.

Students are eligible for internal award consideration from the time they have accepted an offer of admission to a graduate program until they have graduated from that program; students must be registered full-time to be eligible for all internal awards, including travel grants, unless otherwise stated in the eligibility clause.

Students granted a leave of absence (see section 3.4) may defer acceptance of internal awards or interrupt acceptance of continuing internal awards until after the approved leave with the permission of the appropriate awards committee.

Students must complete the Graduate Settlement in WebAdvisor ahead of the published deadline each semester if they wish to have awards applied against tuition owing. However, if no prior arrangements are made to settle tuition, Student Financial Services will apply all internal awards against outstanding balances on student’s accounts. Awards will not be refunded to students until their tuition is settled.

Students must:have completed at least one full-time registered semester in a thesis-based graduate program prior to the semester of application; be within the Completion Period for their graduate program; have applied for a Leave of Absence from their graduate program for documented medical reason and have documentation completed by a health care practitioner; be receiving, if not for the leave of absence, a funding package from their Department, for the semester in which they are taking leave.

Application: Award Specific Deadline: on-going