What to do if you are absent or ill

If you are absent from your course for 60 days or more in any one academic year, you must inform your Local Education Authority or any other body funding your studies.

If you are absent due to illness, it’s up to you to catch up with missed work, lectures and other academic commitments. However, you can request special consideration in the following circumstances:

• If you need modified exam arrangements because of a short-term health condition or illness during an exam period, inform your school and the Exams team as soon as possible.
• If you are absent from an exam or believe that your performance in an exam or assessment has been affected by illness, you must provide a written explanation to your parent school within five working days of the exam. In the case of illness, this must be accompanied by a full medical certificate from a doctor. Check the mitigating circumstances page for more information. 

If you are an international student studying in Leeds on a Student visa and you need to take a break from your course because of illness, this may impact on your right to stay in the UK and you may need to extend your visa to complete your studies. Find more information on how an absence can affect your student visa status and email the Student Visa Advice team at studentvisaadvice@leeds.ac.uk if you need any help.

If you are a research student and your absence has the potential to disrupt your research programme, go to our Absences for research students page.

Five days or fewer

If you are absent for five days or fewer due to illness, you can self-certify by filling out the Online Absence Notification form. You do not need a doctor’s note.

More than five days

• If you are absent through illness for more than five days, as well as completing the form, you will need to provide your School SES team with a UK doctor’s medical certificate as soon as you return.
• If you are absent through illness for more than seven days, you will need to request a letter from a UK doctor while you are ill.
• For international students, this letter will prove to the University and the immigration authorities that you have health circumstances which should be taken into account when assessing your progress.

You or your School can apply for temporary or permanent withdrawal on medical grounds if you’re not well enough to continue your studies.

You must provide a doctor’s certificate to confirm you’re well enough to return to your studies.

You must also inform your funding body if you are absent for 60 days or more in any academic year.

Your School may request that you be declared medically unfit to continue your study programme if you are seriously unwell and have not sought medical advice.

If the University medical officer decides you are unfit to continue, you will be asked to withdraw from your course or programme. 

The Office of Academic Appeals and Regulations (or Student Cases team) will amend your student record to ‘temporarily withdrawn from the university for reasons of ill health’.

You can return to your studies once you are declared medically fit by the University medical officer.

Whatever your condition or circumstances, find out where to get help from healthcare services when you are ill.

The following University support is also available:

• Leeds Student Medical Practice or your GP practice
• Student Counselling and Wellbeing
• Mental Health Advisors
• Disability Services
• Chaplaincy Services
• Help and Support Team at Leeds University Union.