Maternity, paternity, adoption and parental leave request process
If you are in receipt of a Royal Holloway studentship and wish to take a period of leave for maternity, paternity / partner and adoption reasons, please refer to the information below before completing the maternity, paternity / partner or adoption request process.
If you are UKRI funded, please click here for guidance.
The University will provide funding for leave entitlements which mirror the statutory schemes in force at the time, as well as providing an unpaid parental leave scheme.
Students are only entitled to take one of either maternity / adoption-equivalent leave or unpaid parental leave per birth / placement of a child. Unpaid parental leave must be completed within 12 months of the birth or placement of the child. This leave may be taken in up to 3 blocks of leave or all at once.
There is no qualifiying period for maternity leave, ordinary paternity / partner leave or adoption and parental leave, and there is no limit to the number of periods of maternity, ordinary paternity / partner leave or adoption leave that can be taken during a studentship.
If you are funded by a private sponsor then you will need to contact them directly to check how the period of leave being requested will impact your funding and whether you will be entitled to any payments during your period of leave.
- Research students are entitled to 52 weeks of maternity-equivalent leave if the expected week of childbirth will occur during the period of their award. The earliest maternity leave can commence is 11 weeks before the expected week of childbirth. The main adopter of a child placed during a studentship is also entitled to 52 weeks of leave.
- Where a student takes a period of leave equivalent to maternity leave, or adoption leave taken by the main adopter only, you will have the right to the following payment terms, with your studentship extended accordingly:
- The first 26 weeks will be paid at full stipend rate, pro-rated as necessary for part-time students. The following 13 weeks will be paid at a level commensurate with statutory maternity pay. The final 13 weeks are not paid.
- Once your maternity / adoption leave request has been processed, the Doctoral School will inform you of your new funding end date and new submission deadline.
- Please note that during your period of maternity / adoption leave you are entitled to continue to have access to University facilities.
- Full-time and part-time research students who are are partners of a mother or birth parent have the right to apply for partner's or paternity leave.
- Students who would be entitled to partner's or paternity leave under the statutory scheme are entitled to up to 2 weeks paid ordinary paternity leave on full stipend. A week is the same amount of days that you would normally study in a week. Ordinary paternity leave cannot start before the birth and must be taken within 52 weeks of the birth.
- For these purposes, "partner" means a person who lives with the birth parent and the child in an enduring family relationship but is not the birth parent's parent, grandparent, sibling, child, aunt or uncle. A partner may be married to or be a civil partner of the birth parent but this is not a requirement.
- Once your paternity leave has been processed, the Doctoral School will inform you of your new funding end date and new submission deadline.
- Please note that during your period of paternity leave you are entitled to continue to have access to University facilities.
- Under the unpaid parental leave scheme, eligible students will be entitled to an extended period of unpaid parental leave, up to a maximum of 50 weeks, with your studentship extended accordingly.
- In respect of birth parents, eligible students are those who will share primary responsibility for the child with its birth mother.
- In respect of adoptive parents, eligible students are those who are the spouse, partner or civil partner or the primary adopter.
- Unpaid parental leave must be completed within 12 months of the birth or placement of the child. This leave may be taken in up to 3 blocks of leave or all at once.
- Once your unpaid parental leave has been processed, the Doctoral School will inform you of your new funding end date and new submission deadline.
- Please note that during your period of unpaid parental leave you are entitled to continue to have access to University facilities.
Please see the Code of Practice for Research Degree Students for further details.