Graduate Student Parental Leave Policy

Effective Date: July 1, 2025

Applies To: All degree-seeking Penn State graduate students, including those in professional, research, master’s, and doctoral programs.

The J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Graduate School is pleased to announce a new Graduate Student Parental Leave Policy that supports students navigating the dual responsibilities of graduate study and new parenthood.

Key Provisions:

• Eligible students may take up to six consecutive weeks of parental leave.

• Leave must occur within 120 calendar days following:

  • The birth of a child (for both birth and non-birth parents), or

  • The legal adoption or placement of one or more minor children for adoption or guardianship.

• The timing of the leave within the 120-day window is at the student’s discretion.

• Students must provide at least 30 days’ notice to their program head if the need for leave is foreseeable.

Academic Protections:

• Students will return from leave in the same academic status they held prior to the leave.

• Students may not be penalized for submitting work after a deadline due to pregnancy or childbirth.

For full details, including procedures and documentation requirements, please refer to Policy GSAD-908: Graduate Student Parental Leave.

Procedure: 

P-1 Graduate Student Parental Leave Procedure

Questions?

Contact the Dean’s Office at: dean@foxgradschool.psu.edu